• The Korean Journal of Mycology
• /
• v.25 no.4 s.83
• /
• pp.320-329
• /
• 1997

Botrytis cinerea isolates obtained from infected plants of cucumber, tomato, and strawberry were divided into three groups (sporing, sclerotial, and mycelial types). Of which sclerotial types were the major group. There were no correlations between morphological phenotypes and responses to benzimidazole and dicarboximide fungicides. External structure of conidia of three phenotypes by scanning electron microscope was the same with verrucose surface. Mycelial type was the most virulent on fruits of eggplants. Comparative tests were carried out to examine correlations between the virulence and production of fungal enzymes such as phenol oxidases, pectin methyl esterases (PME), amylases, cellulases, ureases, ${\beta}-glucosidases$, and proteinases. There was no correlation among the phenotypes in production of phenol oxidases and ${\beta}-glucosidases$. However, there were significantly different from each other in PME, amylase, cellulase, urease, and protease activity.

• Mycobiology
• /
• v.43 no.1
• /
• pp.49-56
• /
• 2015

The present study is the first report on the isolation of Penicillium menonorum from rhizosphere soil in Korea and its identification based on morphological characteristics and internal transcribed spacer gene sequence. The fungal isolate was named KNU-3 and was found to exhibit plant growth-promoting (PGP) activity through indole acetic acid (IAA) and siderophore production, as well as P solubilization. KNU-3 produced 9.7 mg/L IAA and solubilized 408 mg of $Ca_3PO_4/L$, and inoculation with the isolate significantly (p < 0.05) increased the dry biomass of cucumber roots (57%) and shoots (52%). Chlorophyll, starch, protein, and P contents were increased by 16%, 45%, 22%, and 14%, respectively, compared to plants grown in uninoculated soil. The fungus also increased soil dehydrogenase (30%) and acid phosphatase (19%) activities. These results demonstrate that the isolate KNU-3 has potential PGP attributes, and therefore it can be considered as a new fungus to enhance soil fertility and promote plant growth. Moreover, the discovery of PGP ability and traits of this fungus will open new aspects of research and investigations. In this study, plant growth promotion by P. menonorum KNU-3 is reported for the first time in Korea after its original description.

• Proceedings of the Korea Contents Association Conference
• /
• 2017.05a
• /
• pp.105-106
• /
• 2017

Background: Atopic dermatitis one of the most common chronic skin diseases, is caused by various environmental and genetic factors. Methods: A total of 2609 healthy newborns who were enrolled in the COCOA study (COCOA) from 2008 to 2015 were surveyed for indoor environmental exposure to fungi during gestation and then diagnosed postnatally for atopic dermatitis. The fungi collected during the gestation of 20 normal subjects and 20 infants that developed atopic dermatitis were identified using Illumina's MiSeq platform and analyzed for their diversity and species. Results: A total of 2,609 respondents were surveyed (52.8% male and 47.2% female) Children, 1, 2, and 3 years old diagnosed with atopic dermatitis comprised 15.2%, 15.7%, and 14.1% of the respondents, respectively. The prevalence of exposure to mold during gestation was 1.46 (95% CI, 1.05-2.04) and 1.52 (95% CI, 0.95-2.43), in the first and third years after birth, respectively. One-year-old children with atopic dermatitis and no fungal markers detected in the bathroom environment during gestation accounted for less than 5% (aOR, 1.51; 95%CI, 0.96-2.38) and in the group less than 5 ~ 30% (aOR, 2.21; 95%CI, 1.00-4.89), 3-year-old children had an increased prevalence of atopic dermatitis of more than 30% (aOR, 9.48, 95%CI 1.42-63.13). Conclusions: Exposure to indoor fungi during gestation and infancy is associated with the development of atopic dermatitis in children. The phyla and genera of the fungi in the indoor house dust differed during gestation. This suggests that exposure to indoor fungi during gestation may be associated with the development of atopic dermatitis in children. Future research will be necessary to establish the underlying mechanisms.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
• /
• v.31 no.2
• /
• pp.165-175
• /
• 2015

Anthracnose is a fungal disease caused by Colletotrichum species that is detrimental to numerous plant species. Anthracnose control with fungicides has both human health and environmental safety implications. Despite increasing public concerns, fungicide use will continue in the absence of viable alternatives. There have been relatively less efforts to search antagonistic bacteria from mudflats harboring microbial diversity. A total of 420 bacterial strains were isolated from mudflats near the western sea of South Korea. Five bacterial strains, LB01, LB14, HM03, HM17, and LB15, were characterized as having antifungal properties in the presence of C. acutatum and C. gloeosporioides. The three Bacillus atrophaeus strains, LB14, HM03, and HM17, produced large quantities of chitinase and protease enzymes, whereas the B. amyloliquefaciens strain LB01 produced protease and cellulase enzymes. Two important antagonistic traits, siderophore production and solubilization of insoluble phosphate, were observed in the three B. atrophaeus strains. Analyses of disease suppression revealed that LB14 was most effective for suppressing the incidence of anthracnose symptoms on pepper fruits. LB14 produced antagonistic compounds and suppressed conidial germination of C. acutatum and C. gloeosporioides. The results from the present study will provide a basis for developing a reliable alternative to fungicides for anthracnose control.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.20 no.12
• /
• pp.1614-1623
• /
• 2010

Bacteria were isolated from roots of sugarcane varieties grown in the fields of Punjab. They were identified by using API20E/NE bacterial identification kits and from sequences of 16S rRNA and amplicons of the cpn60 gene. The majority of bacteria were found to belong to the genera of Enterobacter, Pseudomonas, and Klebsiella, but members of genera Azospirillum, Rhizobium, Rahnella, Delftia, Caulobacter, Pannonibacter, Xanthomonas, and Stenotrophomonas were also found. The community, however, was dominated by members of the Pseudomonadaceae and Enterobacteriaceae, as representatives of these genera were found in samples from every variety and location examined. All isolates were tested for the presence of five enzymes and seven factors known to be associated with plant growth promotion. Ten isolates showed lipase activity and eight were positive for protease activity. Cellulase, chitinase, and pectinase were not detected in any strain. Nine strains showed nitrogen fixing ability (acetylene reduction assay) and 26 were capable of solubilizing phosphate. In the presence of 100 mg/l tryptophan, all strains except one produced indole acetic acid in the growth medium. All isolates were positive for ACC deaminase activity. Six strains produced homoserine lactones and three produced HCN and hexamate type siderophores. One isolate was capable of inhibiting the growth of 24 pathogenic fungal strains of Colletotrichum, Fusarium, Pythium, and Rhizoctonia spp. In tests of their abilities to grow under a range of temperature, pH, and NaCl concentrations, all isolates grew well on plates with 3% NaCl and most of them grew well at 4 to $41^{\circ}C$ and at pH 11.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
• /
• v.37 no.2
• /
• pp.121-129
• /
• 2009

In 2007, a total of 77 isolates of Fusarium spp. were obtained from ear rot symptoms of corns collected from 5 locations in Gangwon Province, Korea. The fungal isolates were identified based on their morphological features. Out of the isolates, fifteen isolates were identified as Fusarium verticillioides which formed microconidia in long chains on monophialides. Four isolates were identified as F. subglutinans which formed microconida only on false heads. Six isolates were identified as F. graminearum which produced red pigment in PDA culture. Besides these Fusarium species, F. napiform, F. nygamai, and F. oxysporum were identified from the rest isolates. To assess for genetic diversity of the isolates, a random amplified polymorphic DNA(RAPD) technique was carried out using URP primers. The results from the RAPD analysis showed that the isolates from corn were divided into 6 groups. These RAPD groups of the Fusarium species corresponded to morphological characters of the Fusarium species. The phylogenetic analysis of most isolates by DNA sequencing of EF-1$\alpha$ gene corresponded to morphological characters of the Fusarium species. The results of pathogenicity tests by two inoculation methods revealed that F. verticillioides, F. graminearum and F. subglutinans are strongly pathogenic to corn stalks.

• Mycobiology
• /
• v.48 no.4
• /
• pp.288-295
• /
• 2020

Species of Laccaria (Hydnangiaceae, Agaricales, and Basidiomycota) are well-known ectomycorrhizal symbionts of a broad range of hosts. Laccaria species are characterized by brown, orange, or purple colored basidiocarps, and globose or oblong, echinulate and multinucleate basidiospores. While some Laccaria species are easily identified at the species level using only the morphological characteristics, others are hard to distinguish at the species level due to small differences in morphology. Heretofore, ten Laccaria species have been reported in Korea. While studying the fungal diversity in the National Parks of Korea, two new Laccaria species were discovered. Species identification was done based on molecular analyses (ITS, 28S rDNA, rpb2, and tef1), then were confirmed by their corresponding morphologies. The two newly discovered Laccaria species are proposed here as Laccaria macrobasidia and Laccaria griseolilacina. The unique morphological characters of L. macrobasidia that distinguish it from its closely related species are orange-brown colored basidiocarp, long basidia and the absence of cheilocystidia. L. griseolilacina is characterized by a light grayish lavender-colored pileus and the absence of cheilocystidia. Two new species are described and illustrated in the present paper.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
• /
• v.35 no.4
• /
• pp.321-329
• /
• 2019

Ascochyta blight caused by Ascochyta rabiei (Pass.) Lab. (Telomorph: Didymella rabiei) (Kov.) is one of the most important fungal diseases in chickpea worldwide. Knowledge about pathogen aggressiveness and identification resistance sources to different pathotypes is very useful for proper decisions in breeding programs. In this study, virulence of 32 A. rabiei isolates from different part of Iran were analyzed on seven chickpea differentials and grouped into six races based on 0-9 rating scale and susceptibility/resistant pattern of chickpea differentials. The least and most frequent races were race V and race I, respectively. Race V and VI showed highly virulence on most of differential, while race I showed least aggressiveness. Resistance pattern of 165 chickpea genotypes also were tested against six different A. rabiei races. ANOVA analysis showed high significant difference for isolate, chickpea genotypes and their interactions. Overall $chickpea{\times}isolate$ (race) interactions, 259 resistance responses (disease severity ${\leq}4$) were identified. Resistance spectra of chickpea genotypes showed more resistance rate to race I (49.70%) and race III (35.15%), while there were no resistance genotypes to race VI. Cluster analysis based on disease severity rate, grouped chickpea genotypes into four distinct clusters. Interactions between isolates or races used in this study, showed the lack of a genotype with complete resistance. Our finding for virulence pattern of A. rabiei and newly identified resistance sources could be considerably important for integration of ascochyta blight resistance genes into chickpea breeding programs and proper decision in future for germplasm conservation and diseases management.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.42 no.1
• /
• pp.56-66
• /
• 2019

Histidine triad nucleotide-binding protein (HINT) is a member of the histidine triad (HIT) superfamily, which has hydrolase activity owing to a histidine triad motif. The HIT superfamily can be divided to five classes with functions in galactose metabolism, DNA repair, and tumor suppression. HINTs are highly conserved from archaea to humans and function as tumor suppressors, translation regulators, and neuropathy inhibitors. Although the structures of HINT proteins from various species have been reported, limited structural information is available for fungal species. Here, to elucidate the structural features and functional diversity of HINTs, we determined the crystal structure of HINT from the pathogenic fungus Candida albicans (CaHINT) in complex with zinc ions at a resolution of $2.5{\AA}$. Based on structural comparisons, the monomer of CaHINT overlaid best with HINT protein from the protozoal species Leishmania major. Additionally, structural comparisons with human HINT revealed an additional helix at the C-terminus of CaHINT. Interestingly, the extended C-terminal helix interacted with the N-terminal loop (${\alpha}1-{\beta}1$) and with the ${\alpha}3$ helix, which appeared to stabilize the dimerization of CaHINT. In the C-terminal region, structural and sequence comparisons showed strong relationships among 19 diverse species from archea to humans, suggesting early separation in the course of evolution. Further studies are required to address the functional significance of variations in the C-terminal region. This structural analysis of CaHINT provided important insights into the molecular aspects of evolution within the HIT superfamily.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
• /
• v.39 no.4
• /
• pp.384-396
• /
• 2023

Colletotrichum acutatum species complex is one of the most important groups in the genus Colletotrichum with a high species diversity and a wide range of host plants. C. acutatum and related species have been collected from different plants and locations in Korea and deposited into the Korean Agricultural Culture Collection (KACC), National Institute of Agricultural Sciences since the 1990s. These fungal isolates were previously identified based mainly on morphological characteristics, and a limitation of molecular data was provided. To confirm the identification of species, 64 C. acutatum species complex isolates in KACC were used in this study for DNA sequence analyses of six loci: nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacers (ITS), betatubulin 2 (TUB2), histone-3 (HIS3), glyceraldehyde3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), chitin synthase 1 (CHS-1), and actin (ACT). The molecular analysis revealed that they were identified in six different species of C. fioriniae (24 isolates), C. nymphaeae (21 isolates), C. scovillei (12 isolates), C. chrysanthemi (three isolates), C. lupini (two isolates), and C. godetiae (one isolate), and a novel species candidate. We compared the hosts of KACC isolates with "The List of Plant Diseases in Korea", previous reports in Korea and global reports and found that 23 combinations between hosts and pathogens could be newly reported in Korea after pathogenicity tests, and 12 of these have not been recorded in the world.