• Mycobiology
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• 제40권1호
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• pp.27-34
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• 2012

Fifty three fungi isolated from soils of different microhabitats of eastern Himalayan range (3,400-3,600 msl) were screened for mycosynthesis of silver nanaoparticles (AgNPs) and their efficacy as antimicrobials were assessed in combination with commonly used antibiotics. Three isolates $Aspergillus$ $terreus$ SP5, $Paecilomyces$ $lilacinus$ SF1 and $Fusarium$ sp. MP5 identified based on morphological and 18S rRNA gene sequences were found to synthesize AgNPs. These nanoparticles were characterized by visual observation followed by UV-visible spectrophotometric analysis. The AgNPs synthesized by $Aspergillus$ $terreus$ SP5, $Paecilomyces$ $lilacinus$ SF1 and $Fusarium$ sp. MP5 showed absorbance maxima at 412, 419, and 421 nm respectively in the visible region. Transmission electron microscopy micrograph showed formation of spherical AgNPs of 5-50 nm size. The antimicrobial activity of the mycosynthesized nanoparticles were investigated alone and in combination with commonly used antibiotics for analysis of growth inhibition zone against test organisms, namely, $Staphylococcus$ $aureus$ MTCC96, $Streptococcus$ $pyogenes$ MTCC1925, $Salmonella$ $enterica$ MTCC735 and $Enterococcus$ $faecalis$ MTCC2729. The mycosynthesized nanoparticles showed potent antibacterial activity and interestingly their syngergistic effect with erythromycin, methicillin, chloramphenicol and ciprofloxacin was significantly higher as compared to inhibitions by AgNPs alone. The present study indicates that silver nanoparticles synthesized using soil borne indigenous fungus of high altitudes show considerable antimicrobial activity, deserving further investigation for potential applications.

• 한국균학회소식:학술대회논문집
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• 한국균학회 2014년도 춘계학술대회 및 임시총회
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• pp.25-25
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• 2014

Koji molds are comprised of yellow, black and white. Black and white koji molds were recently re-visited by this author and it is concluded that they consists of Aspergillus luchuesnsis, A. niger and A. tubingensis, and the most important species for alcoholic beverage production is A. luchuensis. In the case of yellow koji mold, it is comprised of Aspergillus oryzae, A. sojae and A. tamari. In the case of A. sojae, the species is scarcely isolated from nature and rarely used for industry in Korea. Aspergillus tamari is often isolated from traditional Korean Meju, a fermented soybean product, and the classification of the species is clear. However, in the case of A. oryzae, differentiation between A. oryzae and A. flavus is still in controversy. In this study, we collected 415 strains of Aspergillus flavus/oryzae complex from air, rice straw, soybean, corn, peanut, arable soil and Meju in Korea and we examined the aflatoxin producing capacity of the strains. The norB-cypA, omtA and aflR genes in the aflatoxin biosynthesis gene cluster were analyzed. We found that 367 strains (88.4%) belonged to non-aflatoxigenic group (Type I of norB-cypA, IB-L-B-, IC-AO, or IA-L-B- of omtA, and AO type of aflR), and only 48 strains (11.6%) belonged to aflatoxin-producible group (Type II of norB-cypA, IC-L-B+/B- or IC-L-B+ of omtA, and AF type of aflR). In the case of A. flavus/oryzae strains from Meju, almost strains (178/192, 92.7%) belonged to non-aflatoxigenic group and only 14 strains (7.3 %) belonged to aflatoxin-producible group. It is proposed in this study that non-aflatoxigenic strain from Meju is classified as A. oryzae, considering that Meju is food material.

• 한국균학회지
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• 제43권1호
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• pp.71-76
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• 2015

수생식물 샘플은 낙동강과 금호강이 만나는 달성습지에서 자라풀을 채집하였다. 자라풀의 뿌리에서 내생균류를 분리하고 형태가 다른 균주를 관찰하여 최종적으로 16개 균주를 선발하였다. 내생균류의 배양여과액은 식물생장촉진활성 검정을 위하여 난장이벼에 처리하여 스크리닝하였으며, HD1008 균주가 식물생장촉진활성이 가장 높은 것으로 확인되었다. HD1008 균주의 배양여과액을 HPLC와 GC/MS-SIM을 이용하여 분석하였고, HD1008 균주가 식물호르몬인 지베렐린 $GA_1$ (1.2 ng/100 mL)과 $GA_4$ (5 ng/100 mL) 를 생산하는 것을 정량분석을 통하여 확인하였다. 또한, HD1008균주의 beta-tubulin 유전자 염기서열을 이용하여 동정에 이용하였으며, 분자적인 방법과 형태적인 방법으로 관찰하였을 때, 지베렐린을 생산하는 새로운 P. trzebinskii로 동정되었다.

• Mycobiology
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• 제46권2호
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• pp.92-100
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• 2018

The filamentous Ascomycota Colletotrichum gloeosporioides sensu lato is a fungus that has been reported worldwide as a causal agent of anthracnose disease in avocado and other crops. In Mexico, this species affects fruits from an early stage of development in the orchard until the post-harvest stage. Although fungicides are continuously applied to control Colletotrichum species, pericarp cankers and soft rot mesocarp in fruits are still frequently observed. Considering the lack of a precise description of the causative agent, the aim of the current study was to determine the pathogens involved in this symptomatology. Twenty-four isolates were consistently obtained from the pericarp of avocado fruits cv. "Hass" collected in the central avocado-producing area of Mexico. Morphological features such as colony growth, conidia size, and mycelial appressorium were assessed. Bayesian multilocus phylogenetic analyses were performed using amplified sequences of the internal transcribed spacer region of the nuclear ribosomal DNA; actin, chitin synthase, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase partial genes; and APn2-Mat1-2 intergenic spacer and mating type Mat1-2 partial gene from the nine selected isolates. In addition, fruits were inoculated with a conidial suspension and reproducible symptoms confirmed the presence of Colletotrichum fructicola in this area. This pathogenic species can now be added to those previously reported in the country, such as C. acutatum, C. boninense, C. godetiae, C. gloeosporioides, and C. karstii. Disease management programs to reduce the incidence of anthracnose should include C. fructicola to determine its response to fungicides that are routinely applied, considering that the appearance of new species is affecting the commercial quality of the fruits and shifting the original population structure.

• 한국식물병리학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국식물병리학회 2003년도 정기총회 및 추계학술발표회
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• pp.85.1-85
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• 2003

In most ascomycetes, a single mating type locus, MAT, with two alternate forms (MAT1-1 and MAT1-2) called idiomorphs, controls mating ability. In heterothallic ascomycetes these alternate idiomorphs reside in different nuclei. In contrast, most homothallic ascomycetes carry both MAT1-1 and MAT1-2 in a single nucleus, usually closely linked. An example of the latter is Gibberella zeae, a producer of mycotoxins such as trichothecene and zearalenone that threaten human and animal health. We asked if G. zeae could be made strictly heterothallic by manipulation of MAT. Targeted gene replacement was used to differentially delete MAT1-1 or MAT1-2 from a wild type haploid MAT1-1 MAT1-2 strain, resulting in MAT1-1；mat1-2, mat1-1；MAT1-2 strains that were self-sterile, yet able to cross to wild type testers and more importantly, to each other. These results indicated that differential deletion of MAT idiomorphs eliminates selfing ability of G. zeae, but the ability to outcross is retained. To our knowledge, this is the first report of complete conversion of fungal reproductive strategy from homothallic to heterothallic by targeted manipulation of MAT. Practically, this approach opens the door to simple and efficient procedures for obtaining sexual recombinants of G. zeae that will be useful for genetic analyses of mycotoxin production and other traits, such as ability to cause disease.

• 한국식물병리학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국식물병리학회 2003년도 정기총회 및 추계학술발표회
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• pp.95.2-96
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• 2003

In order to develop a new microbial fungicide for the control of vegetable diseases using endophytic bacteria, a total of 260 bacterial strains were isolated from fresh tissues of 5 plant species. After they were cultured in broth media, their antifungal activities were screened by in vivo bioassays against Botrytis cinerea(tomato gray mold), Pythium ultimum(cucumber damping-off), Phytopkhora infestans(tomato late blight), Colletotrichum orbiculare(cucumber anthracnose), and Blumeria graminis f. sp. hordei(barley powdery mildew). As the results of screening, 38 bacterial strains showed potent antifungal activities against at least one of 5 plant pathogens. A bacterial strain EB072 displayed potent disease control activities against 3 plant diseases. Among the bacterial strains with a potent antifungal activity against cucunlber anthracnose, three bacterial strains, EB054, EB151 and EB215, also displayed a potent in vitro antifungal activity against C. acutatum, a fungal agent causing pepper anthracnose. A bacterial strain EB215 obtained from roots of cucumber was identified as Burkholderia cepacia based on its physiological and biochemical characteristics and 165 rRNA gene sequence. An antifungal substance was isolated from the liquid cultures of B. cepacia EB215 strain by ethyl acetate partitioning, repeated silica gel column chromatography, and invitro bioassay, Its structural determination is in progress by various instrumental analyses.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• 제2권2호
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• pp.79-82
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• 2000

We have isolated a cDNA encoding a calcium-dependent protein kinase (CDPK) in Nicotiana tabacum, which was designated NtCDPK1. Accumulation of the NtCDPK1 mRNA was stimulated by various stimuli, including phytohormones, CaCl$_2$ wounding, fungal elicitors, chitin and methyl jasmonate. The NtCDPK1 gene encodes a functional Ser/Thr protein kinase of which phosphorylation activity is strongly induced by calcium. By analyzing expression of the NtCDPK1-GFP fusion protein and by immunoblotting with antibody which reacts with NtCDPK1, we found that NtCDPK1 is localized in membrane and nucleus in plant cells. Silencing expression of the NtCDPK1 transgene resulted in marked decrease of lateral root development in the transgenic tobacco plants. Yeast two hybrid screening using NtCDPK1 as a bait identified a tobacco homologue of proteasome regulatory subunit 21D7, designated Nt21D7. The 21D7 mRNA has been shown to be predominantly expressed in proliferating tissues in the cell cycledependent manner in carrot. The recombinant NtCDPK1 protein associated with Nt21D7 in vitro, and could phosphorylate the Nt21D7 protein in vitro in the presence of calcium, suggesting that Nt21D7 protein is a natural substrate of NtCDPK1 in tobacco. These results suggest that NtCDPK1 may regulate tell proliferation processes, such as lateral root formation, by regulating specificity and/or activity of proteasome-mediated protein degradation pathway.

• ALGAE
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• 제30권3호
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• pp.217-222
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• 2015

Pythium species (Pythiales, Oomycetes) are well known as the algal pathogen that causes red rot disease in Pyropia / Porphyra species (Bangiales, Rhodophyta). Accurate species identification of the pathogen is important to finding a scientific solution for the disease and to clarify the host-parasite relationship. In Korea, only Pythium porphyrae has been reported from Pyropia species, with identifications based on culture and genetic analysis of the nuclear internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. Recent fungal DNA barcoding studies have shown the low taxonomic resolution of the ITS region and suggested the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) gene as an alternative molecular marker to identify Pythium species. In this study, we applied an analysis of both the ITS and cox1 regions to clarify the taxonomic relationships of Korean Pythium species. From the results, the two closely related Pythium species (P. chondricola and P. porphyrae) showed the same ITS sequence, while the cox1 marker successfully discriminated P. chondricola from P. porphyrae. This is the first report of the presence of P. chondricola from the infected blade of Pyropia yezoensis in Asia. This finding of the algal pathogen provides important information for identifying and determining the distribution of Pythium species. Further studies are also needed to confirm whether P. chondricola and P. porphyrae are coexisting as algal pathogens of Pyropia species in Korea.

• 한국미생물·생명공학회지
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• 제33권1호
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• pp.9-15
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• 2005

Chitin deacetylase(CDA; EC 3.5.1.41)는 키틴의 N-acetamide bonds를 가수분해하여 이를 키토산으로 전환시키는 효소다. 한편, 키토산은 의약, 화장품, 식품, 농업 등의 분야에서 다양하게 응용되는 고분자 다당류이다. 본 논문에서는 미생물 유래 CDA의 분포, 분석법, 효소적 특성, 기질 특이성, 작용기작, 유전자의 구조, 생물학적 역할, 응용 등의 최신 지견을 기술하고자 하였다. 미생물 CDA가 세포벽 형성과 식물-미생물 상호작용에 관여한다는 연구결과들을 제시하였으며, CDA의 유전자 구조를 다양한 acetylated poly/oligo-saccharides를 탈아세틸화하는 family 4 carbohydrate esterase의 유전자 구조와 비교하였다. 키틴의 탈아세틸화로 키토산을 제조하는 과정에 CDA의 활용 가능성과, CDA를 포함한 고활성의 키틴 대사효소들을 분비하는 곤충 병원균의 활용 가능성도 살펴보았다.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제30권8호
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• pp.1142-1148
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• 2020

Mitochondria play a vital role in iron uptake and metabolism in pathogenic fungi, and also influence virulence and drug tolerance. However, the regulation of iron transport within the mitochondria of Cryptococcus neoformans, a causative agent of fungal meningoencephalitis in immunocompromised individuals, remains largely uncharacterized. In this study, we identified and functionally characterized Mrs3/4, a homolog of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae mitochondrial iron transporter, in C. neoformans var. grubii. A strain expressing an Mrs3/4-GFP fusion protein was generated, and the mitochondrial localization of the fusion protein was confirmed. Moreover, a mutant lacking the MRS3/4 gene was constructed; this mutant displayed significantly reduced mitochondrial iron and cellular heme accumulation. In addition, impaired mitochondrial iron-sulfur cluster metabolism and altered expression of genes required for iron uptake at the plasma membrane were observed in the mrs3/4 mutant, suggesting that Mrs3/4 is involved in iron import and metabolism in the mitochondria of C. neoformans. Using a murine model of cryptococcosis, we demonstrated that an mrs3/4 mutant is defective in survival and virulence. Taken together, our study suggests that Mrs3/4 is responsible for iron import in mitochondria and reveals a link between mitochondrial iron metabolism and the virulence of C. neoformans.