• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.211-242
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• 2021

Indigenous yeasts in Korea have been actively studied since 1910 in light of various fields, including environment, food fermentation, brewing, and medicine. However, a complete list of indigenous yeast species has not been addressed or reported. In this study, a comprehensive analysis of the literature including yeast isolation from Korean materials and the strains preserved at culture collections was performed. The results of this study indicate the following: i) there are 128 genera and 681 species (including 26 variants) of yeast reported in Korea, ii) the reported species were trimmed into 142 genera and 500 species (including 9 variants), iii) among which only 166 species were registered in the National Species List of Korea (2020). Therefore, follow-up studies are required to register more indigenous yeast species in the National Species List of Korea.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.433-440
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• 2021

The fungal genus Trametes is globally distributed and comprises various wood-decay species, including the well-known medicinal mushroom Trametes versicolor, a popular remedy in traditional Asian medicine. Trametes species produce antioxidants, which have a wide range of health benefits. The pressent study evaluated seven indigenous Trametes species from Korea, which were cultivated in three different media (dextrose-yeast extract, DY; malt extract-yeast extract, MY; malt extract broth, MEB) and tested for antioxidant activity using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) assays. We found that the medium consumption rate did not significantly differ between the media and among the strains (72-76%). However, the T. versicolor strains had a relatively low consumption rate (14-65%). The 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate) (ABTS) tests demonstrated that culture filtrates of T. cf. junipericola, T. orientalis, T. suaveolens, and T. versicolor possessed antioxidant activity against damage from free radicals. In particular, T. cf. junipericola (DY) and T. versicolor (MY) had >80% activity in the DPPH and ABTS assays, compared with that of the positive control (ascorbic acid). Thus, our study identified promising candidates with substantial antioxidant activity among the indigenous strains of Trametes spp. from Korea.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.287-306
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• 2023

According to our previous study, 500 species of yeast exist in Korea, including nine variants comprising 142 genera and 48 classes in two phyla. Additionally, 4,483 fungal species have been documented at the National Institute of Biological Resources (NIBR). However, despite the industrial use of several yeasts, only 173 species formed part of the National Species List of Korea (NSLK) as of December 2021, mainly due to the lack of taxonomic descriptions. This study aimed to investigate the taxonomy of seven newly isolated yeast species (Hyphopichia burtonii, Starmerella sorbosivorans, Cyberlindnera mycetangii, Cutaneotrichosporon oleaginosum, Nakazawaea ernobii, Pichia kudriavzevii, and Schizosaccharomyces japonicus) for inclusion in the NSLK. The strains were clustered for the phylogenetic analysis of fungal rDNA (D1/D2-26S) sequences. This study provides descriptions of their cell morphology and physiological characteristics, the results of which confirm the indigenous origin of these seven species in Korea and recommend their inclusion in the NSLK.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.7-24
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• 2023

More than five hundreds of yeast species (including 9 variants) encompassing 142 genera and 48 classes of 2 phyla exist in Korea. However, only 173 species have been cataloged in the National Species List of Korea (NSLK), the backbone reference to claim sovereign rights over biological resources, as of December 2021, due to the lack of taxonomic descriptions, although some of these species are extensively used in industry. The present pilot study investigated the taxonomy of strains belonging to the six most widely used or frequently isolated yeast species (Meyeromyma guilliermondii, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Saccharomycopsis fibuligera, Wickerhamomyces anomalus, Candida tropicalis, and Papiliotrema flavescens) to include these species in the NSLK. Strains with diverse habitats and geographic origins were retrieved from the National Institute of Biological Resources culture collection. These strains clustered in the same clade as the type strains of the designated species according to phylogenetic analysis of the D1/D2 sequences. Moreover, we described the cell morphology and physiological characteristics of representative strains of each species. This study suggests that these six species are indigenous to Korea and can be accordingly listed in the NSLK.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.204-209
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• 2020

In 2019, as a subset study to discover indigenous yeast species in Korea, a total of 20 yeast species were isolated from soil samples collected in Pochoen-si. Among them, eight strains were unreported species. From the high 26S rRNA gene sequence similarity and formation of a robust phylogenetic clade with the closest species, it was determined that each strain belonged to independent and predefined yeast species. The 20 strains were assigned to the genera Aureobasidium (1 strain) and Meyerozyma (1 strain) of the phylum Ascomycota and Cystofilobasidium (2 strains), Filobasidium (1 strain), Naganishia (2 strains), Bullera (3 strains), Leucosporidium (9 strains) and Sampaiozyma (1 strain) of the phylum Basidiomycota. There is no official report of the following species in Korea: Leucosporidium creatinivorum (4 strains), Leucosporidium escuderoi(2 strains), Leucosporidium golubevii(1 strain) and Leucosporidium intermedium (2 strains). Basic biochemical characteristics, colony and cell morphology are also described in the species description section.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.475-484
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• 2020

Various indigenous yeasts were isolated and obtained from flowers in the Republic of Korea, and their distribution and species diversity were studied. Seventy-seven flowers were collected from 25 areas in Korea, and 502 yeast strains were isolated from these flowers. A total of 50 species were identified by comparing large subunit rDNA gene sequence homology with the type strains of yeasts. The analysis of yeast distribution showed that the dominant yeast species were Aureobasidium pullulans, A. leucospermi, and Filobasidium magnum in each region and flower samples. Except for the above three yeast species, no species of yeasts showed any meaningful distribution among the habitat regions and sources. In conclusion, 50 species of indigenous yeasts were obtained from flowers that can be used as industrial resources, and the data could be used for further research on yeast diversity and interactions between yeast and its host.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.336-343
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• 2021

In 2020, as a subset study to discover indigenous yeast species in Korea, a total of 22 yeast species were isolated from soil samples collected in Gwangju-si, Gyeonggi-do. Among them, 10 strains were unreported species. From the high 26S rRNA gene sequence similarity and formation of a robust phylogenetic clade with the closest species, it was determined that each strain belonged independent and predefined yeast species. The 22 strains were assigned to the genera Dothiora (1 strain), Sarocladium (1 strain), Tetrapisispora (1 strain) and Torulaspora (2 strains) of the phylum Ascomycota; the genera Erythrobasidium (1 strain), Leucosporidium (4 strains), Ustilentyloma (2 strains), Fellozyma (1 strain), Sampaiozyma (2 strains), Filobasidium (1 strain), Solicoccozyma (2 strains) and Vishniacozyma (4 strains) of the phylum Basidiomycota. This is the first official report of the following species in Korea: Dothiora cannabinae (1 strain), Sarocladium strictum (1 strain), Fellozyma inositophila (1 strain), Filobasidium magnum (1 strain), Solicoccozyma phenolicus (1 strain), Solicoccozyma terreus(1 strain), Vishniacozyma tephrensis(1 strain) and Vishniacozyma victoriae (3 strains). Cell morphology, phenotypic features and biochemical features are described in the Species Description section.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.383-392
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• 2018

During the study of indigenous fungal communities in soil samples collected from various field soils in Sancheong, Gyeongsangnam-do, Korea in 2017, several species of Aspergillus were discovered. Aspergillus caninus (KNU17-7) was isolated, identified, and described based on the results from macro and micro morphological characteristics and molecular characterization. Morphologically, it was identified using five different growth media: potato dextrose agar, oatmeal agar, yeast extract sucrose agar, czapek yeast extract agar, and malt extract agar. For the molecular identification, sequencing of internal transcribed spacer, ${\beta}-tubulin$, and calmodulin genes was performed. Based on this characterization, our study isolate was identified as Aspergillus caninus. This fungal species has not been officially reported in Korea before, and we report here with its morphological and molecular phylogenetic characterization.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.75-85
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• 2020

The collection of biological data of indigenous species must comply with the Nagoya Protocol. Fungi contain various bioactive substances making them an attractive source of several products, including food and medicines. In this study, we investigated the growth characteristics of five indigenous fungal strains, Fomitiporia punctata, Polyporus ulleungus, P. brumalis, Gymnopus subnudus, and Tyromyces kmetii, isolated from samples collected in the Ulleungdo Island. The growth rates for each strain were assessed across various temperatures (20 ℃ to 35 ℃), culture media (Potato dextrose agar, Malt extract & Yeast extract agar, Malt extract agar, Malt extract & peptone agar, Sabouraud dextrose agar, and Modified Melin-Norkrans agar), and pH conditions (4.0 to 8.0). Additionally, we assessed the mycelial growth characteristics in liquid culture. The mycelial growth in different media varied across species; specifically, F. punctata (in MMNA), G subnudus (in MMNA), and P. brumalis (in MEPA) showed rapid growth. Optimal growth temperatures ranged between 25 ℃ and 30 ℃ for most species, with the exception of T. kmetii and P. brumalis, which were able to grow across all the temperatures tested. P. brumalis showed the best growth rate, whereas P. ulleungus showed the lowest growth potential. The optimal pH conditions for mycelial growth ranged between 4.0 and 5.0. In experiments using culture flasks, the dry weight of the culture filtrates decreased with the increasing incubation time and showed a significant decrease between 1 and 6 months of incubation, indicating that the five strains take longer than a month to fully use the culture media. Our findings highlight and establish the optimal growth conditions for five different fungal species that can be used in future application studies.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.142-148
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• 2001

An indigenous antagonistic bacterium Bacillus sp. 7079 was isolated from a local soil sampled at Kyongju area in Korea . The strain has strong antagonistic ability which was originated from multifunctional mechanisms of chitinase and antibiotic and is a powerful antagonistic biocontrol agent against red-pepper rotting fungus Phytophthora capsici and Wilt fungus Fusarium oxysporum. The chitinase might degrade the cell wasll for Fusarium species. The selected Bacilus sp. 7079 was identified as a Bacillus amyloliquefaciens 7079. The maximal production of the chitinase from B, amyloliquefaciens 7079 were obtained in chitin-yeast extract medium containing 0.7%, $K_2$$HPO_4$, $0.2KH_2$$PO_4$, 0.1% ($NH_4$)$_2$$SO_4$, 0.05% sodium cirate, 0.01% $MgSO_4$$7H_2$O, 0.1% yeast extract and 0.1% colloidal chitin after cultivation of 3 days at pH 7.0 and $30^{\circ}C$. The best carbon and nitrogen sources for the production of the chitinase from B amyloliquefaciens 7079 were determined to be 0.1% colloi- dal chitin and 0.15% proteose peptone NO 3 respectively, The antagonistic activity of B amyloliquefaciens 7079 was confirmed using P. capsici by in vivo pot test with red-pepper plant.