• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.77-84
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• 2007

A fungus, Aspergillus sp. PS-104, with the high phosphate-solubilizing activities was isolated from Korean upland soil and formulated into a solid powder type with various additives. For the long-time preservation of conidia, some additives (Tween 80, SDS, Triton X-100, glucose, glycerol, corn oil, bio-ceramic, PEG 200, $Cu^{++}$, $Mo^{+++}$, $Fe^{++}$, $Ca^{++}$ and $Zn^{++}$) were supplemented in the rice-cooked hard medium with various concentrations (0, 0.001, 0.01, 0.1, 1.0 and 5.0%). In case of surfactants. the highest relative viability of the Aspergillus sp. PS-104 conidia was recorded nearly to 80% by the addition of 0.01 to 0.1% Tween 80, while 50% in control. The number of conidia were found to be about 100 times higher when treated at 0.01 to 0.1% Tween 80 as compared to control. Relative viability of the conidia was decreased in order of Tween 80 $\geq$ SDS > Triton X-100 during the storage at $25^{\circ}C$. As regards the organic additives, the relative viability of Aspergillus sp. PS-104 conidia was also recorded nearly to 80% by the addition of 1.0% bio-ceramic, and 5.0% glucose and sucrose during the storage at $25^{\circ}C$. In case of metal ions, the relative viability of Aspergillus sp. PS-104 conidia was decreased in order of $Cu^{2+}>Ca^{2+}>Mo^{3+}>Zn^{2+}>Fe^{2+}$ during the storage at $25^{\circ}C$.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.337-344
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• 2017

To develop a commercial product using the mycoparasitic fungus Simplicillium lamellicola BCP, the scale-up of conidia production from a 5-l jar to a 5,000-l pilot bioreactor, optimization of the freeze-drying of the fermentation broth, and preparation of a wettable powder-type formulation were performed. Then, its disease control efficacy was evaluated against gray mold diseases of tomato and ginseng plants in field conditions. The final conidial yields of S. lamellicola BCP were $3.3{\times}10^9conidia/ml$ for a 5-l jar, $3.5{\times}10^9conidia/ml$ for a 500-l pilot vessel, and $3.1{\times}10^9conidia/ml$ for a 5,000-l pilot bioreactor. The conidial yield in the 5,000-l pilot bioreactor was comparable to that in the 5-l jar and 500-l pilot vessel. On the other hand, the highest conidial viability of 86% was obtained by the freeze-drying method using an additive combination of lactose, trehalose, soybean meal, and glycerin. Using the freeze-dried sample, a wettable powder-type formulation (active ingredient 10%; BCP-WP10) was prepared. A conidial viability of more than 50% was maintained in BCP-WP10 until 22 weeks for storage at $40^{\circ}C$. BCP-WP10 effectively suppressed the development of gray mold disease on tomato with control efficacies of 64.7% and 82.6% at 500- and 250-fold dilutions, respectively. It also reduced the incidence of gray mold on ginseng by 65.6% and 81.3% at 500- and 250-fold dilutions, respectively. The results indicated that the new microbial fungicide BCP-WP10 can be used widely to control gray mold diseases of various crops including tomato and ginseng.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.855-866
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• 2021

The effects of various carbon sources on mycelial growth and polysaccharide synthesis of the medicinal fungus Inonotus obliquus in liquid fermentation were investigated. After 12-d fermentation, mycelial biomass, polysaccharide yield, and polysaccharide content were significantly higher in Glc+Lac group (glucose and lactose used as combined carbon source) than in other groups. Crude polysaccharides (CIOPs) and the derivative neutral polysaccharides (NIOPs) were obtained from mycelia fermented using Glc, fructose (Fru), Lac, or Glc+Lac as carbon source. Molecular weights of four NIOPs (termed as NIOPG, NIOPF, NIOPL, and NIOPGL) were respectively 780.90, 1105.00, 25.32, and 10.28 kDa. Monosaccharide composition analyses revealed that NIOPs were composed of Glc, Man, and Gal at different molar ratios. The NIOPs were classified as α-type heteropolysaccharides with 1→2, 1→3, 1→4, 1→6 linkages in differing proportions. In in vitro cell proliferation assays, viability of RAW264.7 macrophages was more strongly enhanced by NIOPL or NIOPGL than by NIOPG or NIOPF, and proliferation of HeLa or S180 tumor cells was more strongly inhibited by NIOPG or NIOPGL than by NIOPF or NIOPL, indicating that immune-enhancing and anti-tumor activities of NIOPs were substantially affected by carbon source. qRT-PCR analysis revealed that expression levels of phosphoglucose isomerase (PGI) and UDP-Glc 4-epimerase (UGE), two key genes involved in polysaccharide synthesis, varied depending on carbon source. Our findings, taken together, clearly demonstrate that carbon source plays an essential role in determining structure and activities of I. obliquus polysaccharides by regulating expression of key genes in polysaccharide biosynthetic pathway.

• Mycobiology
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.219-227
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• 2020

Androgen-independent prostate cancer accounts for mortality in the world. In this study, various extracts of a medical fungus dubbed Ganoderma formosanum were screened for inhibition of DU145 cells, an androgen-independent prostate cancer cell line. Results demonstrated that both hexane (GF-EH) and butanol (GF-EB) fraction of G. formosanum ethanol extract inhibited DU145 cell viability in a dose-dependent manner. GF-EH induced cell-cycle arrest in G1 phase of DU145 cells via downregulation of cyclin E2 protein expression. In addition, GF-EB triggered extrinsic apoptosis of DU145 cells by activating caspase 3 gene expression resulting in programed cell death. Above all, both GF-EH and GF-EB show lower toxicity to normal human fibroblast cell line compared to DU145 cell, implying that they possess specific drug action on cancer cells. This study provides a molecular basis of G. formosanum extract as a potential ingredient for treatment of androgen-independent prostate cancer.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.259-263
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• 2014

For application of sodium hypochlorite as a seed disinfectant to the control of bakanae disease caused by Gibberella fujikuroi in rice, we investigated the effects of sodium hypochlorite for antifungal activity, eliminating fungus from seeds and reducing disease occurrence in vitro and greenhouse. The viability of the pathogen was significantly reduced at $80{\mu}l/l$ concentration of sodium hypochlorite, and the pathogens did not grow at over $100{\mu}l/l$ concentration of sodium hypochlorite. The effect of eliminating fungus was 90% at treatment of 0.3% sodium hypochlorite solution to infected rice seeds for eight hours. When the rice seeds were soaked into 0.5% and 0.3% sodium hypochlorite solutions for twelve hours, the disease incidences of rice seedling were remarkably reduced to 4.3% and 4.7%, respectively, compared to 97.3% of non-treatment control. The rates of seedling stand were 29.1% and 26.9% higher with the sodium hypochlorite treatment than that of non-treatment control. When prochloraz and sodium hypochlorite was treated to naturally severely infested rice seeds with bakanae disease, the disinfection effect was higher than that of prochloraz alone treatment. When the seeds were soaked in sodium hypochlorite before or after prochloraz, the rate of seed contamination was low as 4.0% or 6.3%, respectively, compared to prochloraz alone as 13.7%. The disease incidence was low as 3.7% or 8.3%, respectively, compared to prochloraz alone as 14.3%. The disinfection effect of treatment with prochloraz after sodium hypochlorite was higher than that of treatment with prochloraz before sodium hypochlorite.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.451-458
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• 2011

The medicinal mushroom Inonotus obliquus is a traditional and widely used multi-functional fungus. In this study, we have investigated whether Inonotus obliquus (Chaga mushroom) extracts exerts anti-oxidant effects on cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity in auditory cell line, HEI-OC1 cells. First of all, Chaga extracts has no harmful effects on viability of HEI-OC1 cells in the dose range of $65{\sim}125{\mu}g/m{\ell}$. Moreover, it shows cyto-protective effects on the cells treated with cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity in HEI-OC1 cells and the damage of hair cells arrays of the rat primary organ of Corti explants in the presence of cisplatin. Pretreatment with Chaga extracts inhibited the cell death, reactive oxygen species generation (ROS), lipid peroxidation induced by cisplatin. These effects were associated with the induction of antioxidant enzyme by Chaga extracts. We further investigated the effects of Chaga extracts on expression of antioxidant enzymes such as Cu, Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD 1) and Mn SOD (SOD 2) by RT-PCR. In addition, Chaga extracts shows SOD activity and SOD protein expression in cisplatin treated group induced similar to control group. Taken together, these results indicate that Chaga extracts can prevent cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity by radical-scavenging activity (SOD activity) in HEI-OC1 cells. It might be an effective as antioxidant and further studies on the chemo-preventive mechanisms of Inonotus obliquus are needed.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.533-542
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• 2021

Chitosan has been considered an environmental-friendly polymer. However, its use in agriculture has not been extended yet due to its relatively low solubility in water. N-Methylene phosphonic chitosan (NMPC) is a water-soluble derivative prepared by adding a phosphonic group to chitosan. This study demonstrates that NMPC has a fungicidal effect on the phytopathogenic fungus Fusarium solani f. sp. eumartii (F. eumartii) judged by the inhibition of F. eumartti mycelial growth and spore germination. NMPC affected fungal membrane permeability, reactive oxygen species production, and cell death. Also, this chitosan-derivative exerted antifungal effects against two other phytopathogens, Botrytis cinerea, and Phytophthora infestans. NMPC did not affect tomato cell viability at the same doses applied to these phytopathogens to exert fungicide action. In addition to water solubility, the selective biological cytotoxicity of NMPC adds value in its application as an antimicrobial agent in agriculture.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.98 no.1
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• pp.115-124
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• 2009

New strain needs to maintain desirable characteristics for long term when it was bred, but in lapse of time it degenerates into a bad condition. Therefore the influence of temperature on the viability and survival rates of Lentinula edodes strains were examined after cryopreservation. Also, liquid nitrogen preservation for L. edodes has been proved to be one of the most reliable method. However, a mechanical damage of strain is inevitable during cryopreservation of the fungus because the fungus is very sensitive to stress of cooling rate in the freezing process. So we tried to find out state change of L. edodes with a programmable freezer. L. edodes strains were preserved at $-20^{\circ}C$, $-80^{\circ}C$ and $-196^{\circ}C$ for 50 days. At $-20^{\circ}C$, its mycelial growth became extinct. When thawed, the growth of mycelia which were preserved at $-80^{\circ}C$ was fastest. Attempts were made to investigate viability of L. edodes strains after freezing at $-80^{\circ}C$ and $-196^{\circ}C$, respectively. As the result, more than 90% showed high survival rate of strains tested at $-80^{\circ}C$ and $-196^{\circ}C$. Mycelial growth between apical and basal parts of colony after freezing preservation for 50 days was compared. At apical and basal parts, the survival rates showed 100% at $-80^{\circ}C$, but 98% and 94% at $-196^{\circ}C$, respectively. We confirmed that the ice crystal formation temperatures of L. edodes strains were $-6.0^{\circ}C$ for Sanlim 1, $-5.5^{\circ}C$ for the Sanlim 2, $-4.0^{\circ}C$ for the Sanlim 3 and $-15.5^{\circ}C$ for the Sanzo 302. These results indicated that L. edodes strains showed completely different responses to the ice crystal formation. We knew the fact that even the same species, especially L. edodes, they displayed completely different responses to the same freezing condition. Also, this has nothing to do with the connection between temperature type and freezing point. And a protocol was tried to minimize state change of L. edodes strains using programmable freezer when they are frozen, but it was not effective on them.

• Korean Journal Plant Pathology
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.252-260
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• 1987

Incidence of lettuce drop was observed throughout the growing season in the vinylhouse at the southern part of Korea, Kimhai. Occurrence of this disease was especially severe at the seedling stage. Number of sclerotia in surface soil $(30\times30\times5cm)$ was 22.0 at the seedling stage, and 5.3 at harvest in the infected area. Temperature for mycelial growth ranged from 5 to $30^{\circ}C$ with optimum temperature at $25^{\circ}C$. Sclerotia were formed fewer at low temperature, but their size was larger resulting in heavier dry weight than that at high temperature. The apothecia were formed from the sclerotia that were buried in March, April and September upto 3cm soil depth, but formed from those buried only 1 em soil depth in October. Sclerotia buried in June and December did not form apothecia regardless of soil depth by 90 days. The sclerotia buried in the 5cm of soil depth did not form apothecia. Sclerotia that were embedded in wet or flooded soil at $25^{\circ}C$ and $30^{\circ}C$ for 5 weeks lost their viability. Infection of lettuce was possible with mycelia originated from sclerotia on autoclaved lettuce plant fragments. The fungus was pathogenic on 25 plant species in 8 families in artificial inoculation tests. Lettuce seedlings appeared to be infected by airborne ascospore originated from sclerotia on crops and weeds around paddy fields, because sclerotia existing in soil might perish under long flood conditions during rice cultivation.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.835-842
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• 2016

The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling pathway plays a crucial role in cancer occurrence by promoting cell proliferation and inhibiting apoptosis. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of a PI3K inhibitor, LY294002, on the chemosensitivity of gastric cancer cells to cordycepin, a predominant functional component of the fungus Cordyceps militaris, in AGS human gastric cancer cells and investigated possible underlying cellular mechanisms. Our results revealed that cordycepin inhibited viability of AGS cells in a concentration-dependent manner and induced apoptosis, as determined by apoptotic cell morphologies and fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis associated with attenuated activation of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. Treatment with cordycepin in combination with a subtoxic concentration of LY294002 enhanced cordycepin-induced cytotoxicity and apoptotic potentials in AGS cells. Sensitization of LY294002 to cordycepin-induced apoptosis was accompanied by activation of caspases (caspases-3, -8, and -9) and was concomitant with poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage. Moreover, LY294002 up-regulated pro-apoptotic Bax and enhanced truncation of Bid in cordycepin-treated AGS cells, which was connected with increased loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and release of cytochrome c from mitochondria to the cytosol. Taken together, these results indicate that inhibition of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway could augment cordycepin-induced apoptosis in human gastric cancer cells by up-regulating caspase activity through mitochondrial dysfunction.