• Mycobiology
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.20-29
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• 2022

Aspicilia humida Lee is described as a new lichen-forming fungus from a wetland forest, South Korea. The new species is distinguishable from Aspicilia aquatica (Fr.) Körb., the most similar species, by the absence of prothallus, black disk without green color in water, olivebrown epihymenium, shorter hymenium, hymenium I + yellowish blue-green, wider paraphysial tips without a vivid pigment, smaller asci, smaller ascospores, and the presence of stictic acid. Molecular analyses employing internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and mitochondrial small subunit (mtSSU) sequences strongly support A. humida as a distinct species in the A. cinerea group. A surrogate key is provided to assist in the identification of all 28 aspicilioid species of Korea.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.220-227
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• 2007

The development of suitable genetic markers would be useful for defining species and delineating the species boundaries of morphologically indistinguishable sponges. In this study, genetic variation in the sequences of nuclear rDNA and the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 and 3 (CO1 and CO3) regions were compared in morphologically indistinguishable Korean Halichondriidae sponges in order to determine the most suitable species-specific molecular marker region. The maximal congeneric nucleotide divergences of Halichondriidae sponges in CO1 and CO3 are similar to those found among anthozoan cnidarians, but they are 2- to 8-fold lower than those found among genera of other triploblastic metazoans. Ribosomal internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS: ITS1 + ITS2) showed higher congeneric variation (17.28% in ITS1 and 10.29% in ITS2) than those of CO1 and CO3. Use of the guidelines for species thresholds suggested in the recent literature indicates that the mtDNA regions are not appropriate for use as species-specific DNA markers for the Halichondriidae sponges, whereas the rDNA ITS regions are suitable because ITS exhibits a low level of intraspecific variation and a relatively high level of interspecific variation. In addition, to test the reliability of the ITS regions for identifying Halichondriidae sponges by PCR, a species-specific multiplex PCR primer set was developed.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.164-169
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• 2004

We had screened the Monascus strain capable of producing monacolin K dominantly among 29 Monascus strains. Red yeast rice was prepared by culturing each Monascus sp. with 200 g of steamed rice (12$0^{\circ}C$, 20 min) at 3$0^{\circ}C$ for 10 days and drying at 8$0^{\circ}C$ for 20 min. As a result, red yeast rice cultured by M. purpureus ATCC16457, M. purpureu IFO 32316, M. purpureus IFO 32228, M. kaoliang ATCC 46595 and M. kaoliang ATCC 46596 produced lots of red pigment and monacolin K. An unidentified Monascus sp. showed the highest productivityof red pigment and monacolin K among 29 Monascus strains. Its production of red pigment and monacolin K was 1.3∼39 times and 2.4∼8 times higher than other strains, respectively. Although the morphological characteristics of unidentified Monascus strain were a little different from the typical M. purpureus, it was identified as M. purpureus CBS 281.34 from the result of sequencing of ITS (Internal transcribed spacer) and 28S ribosomal RNA (partial).

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.29-34
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• 2019

A fungal isolate designated 17E029 was isolated from a soil sample in Jeju, Korea. The strain was similar to other Allantophomopsiella species in its morphological characteristics such as grey mycelia, conidiophore, and conidia sizes. The isolate produced aerial mycelia, which appeared grey on the reverse side of the media surfaces and turned black on the front side of the colonies. The conidiophores emanating from the hyphae were hyaline, grey, aseptate, branched, and $6.7{\sim}9.2{\times}1.8{\sim}2.5{\mu}m$. Conidiogenous cells were ovoid to subcylindrical, discrete, guttulate, and hyaline. Conidia were hyaline, aseptate, smooth, guttulate, oval to subcylindrical, irregular in shape, and $6.0{\sim}7.8{\times}3.0{\sim}3.4{\mu}m$. The strain was confirmed based on phylogenetic analysis of the closest related organism, A. pseudotsugae CBS 288.37, using the partial 28S, internal transcribed spacer rDNA regions, and partial RNA polymerase II second largest subunit locus (RPB2) gene sequences along with its culture characteristics. Therefore, morphological observations and phylogenetic analysis revealed that strain 17E029 is similar to the previously identified A. pseudotsugae. Hence, this species was described as A. pseudotsugae strain 17E029, which is a new record in Korea.