• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2003.04a
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• pp.40-60
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• 2003

Fruit ripening represents a genetically synchronized system that involves developmental process unique to plant species, The phenomenon of ripening includes changes in color, texture, respiration rate, flavor, and aroma. Ripe fruits generally exhibit increased susceptibility to pathogen infection. However, fruits as a reproductive organ have their own protection mechanism against pathogens to maintain their integrity during seed maturation. In several nonclimacteric fruits, such as cherry, grape, and pepper, that do not have an ethylene burst during ripening, resistance against phytopathogens increases during ripening. Colletotrichum gloeosporioides is a causal agent of anthracnose disease in pepper plants (Capsicum annuum). We have established that C. gloeosporioides has susceptible and resistant interactions with pepper fruits during pre- and post-ripening stages, respectively. And we have interested in looking for a molecular mechanism that would explain the fungal resistance during ripening of nonclimacteric pepper fruit. In this presentation, a molecular characterization of the pepper esterase gene (PepEST) that is highly expressed in the resistant response will be demonstrated as an example of development and industrial applications of versatile-usable genes of plant.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.2.1-2.24
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• 2024

Studies over the last 2 decades have identified IL-17 and IL-21 as key cytokines in the modulation of a wide range of immune responses. IL-17 serves as a critical defender against bacterial and fungal pathogens, while maintaining symbiotic relationships with commensal microbiota. However, alterations in its levels can lead to chronic inflammation and autoimmunity. IL-21, on the other hand, bridges the adaptive and innate immune responses, and its imbalance is implicated in autoimmune diseases and cancer, highlighting its important role in both health and disease. Delving into the intricacies of these cytokines not only opens new avenues for understanding the immune system, but also promises innovative advances in the development of therapeutic strategies for numerous diseases. In this review, we will discuss an updated view of the immunobiology and therapeutic potential of IL-17 and IL-21.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.437-441
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• 2019

Verticillium wilt disease is caused by a fungal plant pathogen Verticillium dahliae, which attacks commercial crops such as chrysanthemum. The conventional methods so far used to identify this fungal pathogen require high expertise and are time-consuming. Therefore, in this study, we developed an assay for the rapid and specific detection of V. dahliae infection using loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method. For this assay, four primers for LAMP were designed for targeting cellulose-growth-specific protein partial mRNA gene in Verticillium dahliae. Under standard condition, the optimum reaction temperature for amplification is around 60 ℃ within 60 minutes. This LAMP assay was designed to amplify only present in V. dahliae. When this LAMP assay applied to the DNAs for four other soil-borne fungi and host plants, no amplification was detected. Therefore, this LAMP assay we developed for V. dahliae is expected to do detection at the early stage of its infection. The fast and reliable detection method will allow us to develop effective management system to monitor and control infection of this pathogen in chrysanthemum plant.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.6-13
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• 2019

In the present study, we investigated the antifungal activity of methanol and ethanol extracts of different parts (leaves, twigs, and root bark) of mulberry plant against Alternaria alternata and Fusarium sp. Among them, the methanol and ethanol extracts of mulberry root bark exerted the highest inhibitory activity against the mycelial growth of A. alternata ($70.6{\pm}1.6$ to $80.8{\pm}6.7%$ and $58.7{\pm}0.0$ to $80.8{\pm}6.7%$, respectively) and Fusarium sp. ($15.5{\pm}2.7$ to $39.3{\pm}3.4%$ and $26.4{\pm}2.7$ to $47.6{\pm}4.8%$, respectively). In contrast, the methanol and ethanol extracts from mulberry leaves and twigs did not suppress the mycelial growth of these fungal species. Importantly, the methanol and ethanol extracts of mulberry leaves tended to even accelerate the mycelial growth of A. alternata and Fusarium sp. Therefore, the results of this study indicate that methanol and ethanol extracts of mulberry root bark can be used as control agents against A. alternata and Fusarium sp.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.676-685
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• 2021

RNA-binding proteins are involved in RNA metabolism and posttranscriptional regulation of various fundamental biological processes. The PUF family of RNA-binding proteins is highly conserved in eukaryotes, and its members regulate gene expression, mitochondrial biogenesis, and RNA processing. However, their biological functions in Aspergillus species remain mostly unknown in filamentous fungi. Here we have characterized the puf genes in the model organism Aspergillus nidulans. We generated deletion mutant strains for the five putative puf genes present in the A. nidulans genome and investigated their developmental phenotypes. Deletion of pufA or pufE affected fungal growth and asexual development. pufA mutants exhibited decreased production of asexual spores and reduced mRNA expression of genes regulating asexual development. The pufE deletion reduced colony growth, increased formation of asexual spores, and delayed production of sexual fruiting bodies. In addition, the absence of pufE reduced both sterigmatocystin production and the mRNA levels of genes in the sterigmatocystin cluster. Finally, pufE deletion mutants showed reduced trehalose production and lower resistance to thermal stress. Overall, these results demonstrate that PufA and PufE play roles in the development and sterigmatocystin metabolism in A. nidulans.

• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.326-331
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• 2010

Bacillus subtilis B29, B. subtilis M10 and Streptomyces sp. CC19 obtained from phyllosphere of cucumber plants were selected for biological control of fungal air-borne diseases. For the downy mildew, diseased area of B. subtilis B29, B. subtilis M10 and Streptomyces sp. CC19 showed 0.5%, 20.2% and 42.0%, but that of control was 82.0% respectively, in cucumber seedling test. Incidence of powdery mildew by once application of B. subtilis B29, B. subtilis M10 and Streptomyces sp. CC19 was 2.8%, 3.6% and 12.3%, respectively, whereas that of control was 65.6%. On the gray mold, diseased area of B. subtilis B29, B. subtilis M10 and Streptomyces sp. CC19 was 8.0%, 30.8% and 5.2%, respectively, compared to 81.2% for the control. Therefore, B. subtilis B29 could be a prospective antagonist for biological control of powdery mildew, downy mildew and gray mold of cucumber plant.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.289-294
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• 2014

Rice samples including paddy, husk, brown rice, blue-tinged rice, broken rice, discolored rice and polished rice were collected from rice processing complexes(RPC) nationwide to determine the contamination of fungi and mycotoxins on rice during 2010-2013. Among the samples, paddy rice had the highest frequencies of fungal and Fusarium occurrence, and the frequencies decreased along with milling as husk was the next. Blue-tinged rice or discolored rice was similar with brown rice for fungal occurrence, and polished rice showed the lowest frequency. Among Fusarium species, F. graminearum species complex occupied 87% in 2012 but did 35-39% in 2011 and 2013. Aspergillus and Penicillium species appeared at low frequency in most samples but occurred at higher frequency in certain RPC samples. Alternaria, Nigrospora, and Epicoccum species occurred similarly to the pattern of total fungi. The rice samples from 2010-2012 were analyzed for the occurrence of Fusarium mycotoxins including deoxynivalenol, nivalenol, zearalenone, and other trichothecenes. The most highly contaminated sample was discolored rice in terms of frequency, level, ratio of simultaneous contamination with multiple toxins, followed by blue-tinged rice.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.23 no.12
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• pp.1654-1663
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• 2013

Rice straw is closely associated with meju fermentation and it is generally known that the rice straw provides meju with many kinds of microorganisms. In order to elucidate the origin of meju fungi, the fungal diversity of rice straw was examined. Rice straw was collected from 12 Jang factories where meju are produced, and were incubated under nine different conditions by altering the media (MEA, DRBC, and DG18), and temperature ($15^{\circ}C$, $25^{\circ}C$, and $35^{\circ}C$). In total, 937 strains were isolated and identified as belonging to 39 genera and 103 species. Among these, Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Eurotium, Fusarium, and Penicillium were the dominant genera. Fusarium asiaticum (56.3%), Cladosporium cladosporioides (48.6%), Aspergillus tubingensis (37.5%), A. oryzae (31.9%), Eurotium repens (27.1%), and E. chevalieri (25.0%) were frequently isolated from the rice straw obtained from many factories. Twelve genera and 40 species of fungi that were isolated in the rice straw in this study were also isolated from meju. Specifically, A. oryzae, C. cladosporioides, E. chevalieri, E. repens, F. asiaticum, and Penicillium polonicum (11.8%), which are abundant species in meju, were also isolated frequently from rice straw. C. cladosporioides, F. asiaticum, and P. polonicum, which are abundant in the low temperature fermentation process of meju fermentation, were frequently isolated from rice straw incubated at $15^{\circ}C$ and $25^{\circ}C$, whereas A. oryzae, E. repens, and E. chevalieri, which are abundant in the high temperature fermentation process of meju fermentation, were frequently isolated from rice straw incubated at $25^{\circ}C$ and $35^{\circ}C$. This suggests that the mycobiota of rice straw has a large influence in the mycobiota of meju. The influence of fungi on the rice straw as feed and silage for livestock, and as plant pathogens for rice, are discussed as well.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.131-137
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• 2009

Plant defensins are small (5-10 kDa) basic peptides thought to be an important component of the defense pathway against fungal and/or bacterial pathogens. To understand the role of plant defensins in protecting plants against the brown planthopper, a type of insect herbivore, we isolated the Brassica rapa Defensin 1 (BrD1) gene and introduced it into rice (Oryza sativa L.) to produce stable transgenic plants. The BrD1 protein is homologous to other plant defensins and contains both an N-terminal endoplasmic reticulum signal sequence and a defensin domain, which are highly conserved in all plant defensins. Based on a phylogenetic analysis of the defensin domain of various plant defensins, we established that BrD1 belongs to a distinct subgroup of plant defensins. Relative to the wild type, transgenic rices expressing BrD1 exhibit strong resistance to brown planthopper nymphs and female adults. These results suggest that BrD1 exhibits insecticidal activity, and might be useful for developing cereal crop plants resistant to sap-sucking insects, such as the brown planthopper.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.64 no.2
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• pp.343-352
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• 2022

Pig slaughterhouses harbor high humidity because of the necessary cleaning that takes place simultaneously with slaughter, which facilitates the existence of mold. Due to the enclosed space, there are several limitations to the control of mold growth with respect to cleaning, ventilation, and drying. In this study, the prevalence of fungi was investigated in four pig slaughterhouses in Korea. Four fungi (Aspergillus niger, Penicillium commune, Penicillium oxalicum, and Cladosporium cladosporioides) were detected with the highest frequency. These four strains were subjected to various treatments to reduce their growth. The fungi were inoculated onto stainless steel (SS) chips and treated with ultraviolet (UV)-C irradiation and hot water. Individual treatments with UV-C (15, 30, 90, 150, 300, and 600 mJ/cm²), and hot water (60, 65, 70, and 83℃) were performed to sanitize the SS chips. Simultaneous cleaning with 60℃ hot water and more than 150 mJ/cm² of UV-C reduced the fungal incidence by > 6.5 Log from 6.6-7.0 Log CFU/cm² (initial count). Our results demonstrate that a combined treatment of UV-C and hot water is the most economical and convenient way to prevent microbiological contamination of small tools (such as knives and sharpeners) and steel surfaces in slaughterhouses.