• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.111-115
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• 2016

Wilt disease appeared the first in greenhouse-grown safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) in Jeonju, Korea. With the advancement of the disease, the infected plants were withered and died. In order to investigate the causal organism of this symptom disease, fungus was isolated from the infected plants and cultured on potato dextrose agar medium. The fungus showed the white or orange colony color with aerial mycelium. Macroconidia were from falcate to straight, usually 3-5 septate with $38.0-66.7{\times}2.9-4.4{\mu}m$. The fungus was inoculated to a new safflower plant and caused the same wilt. With morphological characters and pathogenicity results, sequence analyses (internal transcribed spacer ribosomal DNA and translation elongation factor $1{\alpha}$) suggested that, the isolated fungus is Fusarium proliferatum. This is the first report of Fusarium wilt disease caused by F. proliferatum on safflower in Korea.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.14-19
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• 2015

In a previous report, we identified several candidate antimicrobial peptides through de novo RNA sequencing of the centipede Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans. Here, we identify and characterize one of these peptides, Scolopendrasin I. We identified the centipede antimicrobial peptide Cecropin from the centipede transcriptome using an SVM algorithm, and subsequently analyzed the amino acid sequence for predicted secondary structure using a GOR algorithm. We identified an alpha helical region of Cecropin and named it Scolopendrasin I. We then assessed antimicrobial and hemolytic activity of Scolopendrasin I. Scolopendrasin I showed antimicrobial activity against various microbes, including antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria, in a radial diffusion assay. Scolopendrasin I had potent antibacterial activity against acne-associated microbes in a colony count assay and showed no hemolytic activity in a hemolysis assay. In addition, we confirmed that Scolopendrasin I bound to the surface of bacteria via a specific interaction with lipoteichoic acid and lipopolysaccharide, two components of bacterial cell membranes. In conclusion, the results presented here provide evidence that this is an efficient strategy for antimicrobial peptide candidate identification and that Scolopendrasin I has potential for successful antibiotic development.

• Mycobiology
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.128-132
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• 2010

Injection inoculation protocols for fruit body formation of Cordyceps militaris (C. militaris) were investigated to improve the incidence of infection in the silkworm species Bombyx mori (B. mori). Injection, with suspensions of C. militaris hyphal bodies into living silkworm pupae, was used to test for fruit body production. Use of Daeseungjam rather than Baegokjam or Keumokjam varieties of B. mori is thought to be suitable for infection by C. militaris. From mounting, nine-day-old to 11-day-old pupae showed the best incidence of infection with a $100\;{\mu}L$ injection volume. Silkworm pupae injected with a hyphal suspension concentration of more than $2\;{\times}\;10^5$ colony-forming unit (cfu) recorded a greater than 96% incidence of infection. Also, fruit bodies of C. militaris were induced and produced at a light intensity between 500 and 1,000 lx.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.11
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• pp.1420-1427
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• 2023

The forkhead domain genes are important for development and morphogenesis in fungi. Six forkhead genes fkhA-fkhF have been found in the genome of the model filamentous Ascomycete Aspergillus nidulans. To identify the fkh gene(s) associated with fungal development, we examined mRNA levels of these six genes and found that the level of fkhB and fkhD mRNA was significantly elevated during asexual development and in conidia. To investigate the roles of FkhB and FkhD, we generated fkhB and fkhD deletion mutants and complemented strains and investigated their phenotypes. The deletion of fkhB, but not fkhD, affected fungal growth and both sexual and asexual development. The fkhB deletion mutant exhibited decreased colony size with distinctly pigmented (reddish) asexual spores and a significantly lower number of conidia compared with these features in the wild type (WT), although the level of sterigmatocystin was unaffected by the absence of fkhB. Furthermore, the fkhB deletion mutant produced sexual fruiting bodies (cleistothecia) smaller than those of WT, implying that the fkhB gene is involved in both asexual and sexual development. In addition, fkhB deletion reduced fungal tolerance to heat stress and decreased trehalose accumulation in conidia. Overall, these results suggest that fkhB plays a key role in proper fungal growth, development, and conidial stress tolerance in A. nidulans.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.235-243
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• 2008

Here we describe a procedure for Chinese cabbage protoplast culture and effects of various treatments. Chinese cabbage protoplasts were isolated from different parts of young seedlings as using an enzyme mixture, of which yield was maximized in seven hours around after digestion. The highest rate of initial cell division followed by micro-callus formation was obtained in the medium with 1.0 mg/L 2,4-D, 0.5 mg/L NAA, and 1.0 mg/L BA when the cotyledon-derived protoplasts were cultured. Initiation of cell division and micro-callus proliferation significantly depended upon Chinese cabbage genotype under a same culture circumstances. The micro-calli developed from cotyledon tissue of Norang-Bom cultivar successfully grew toward callus colonies on the solidified medium with 0.2 mg/L zeatin and 0.1 mM spermidine. The callus colonies generated de novo shoots at the maximum frequency of 4.3% on the medium with 5.0 mg/L BA and 1.0 mg/L NM. Our results might be helpful for further studies to enhance the regeneration efficiency in Chinese cabbage protoplast culture.

• The Journal of Korean Society of Virology
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.295-302
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• 1998

The RNA genome of poliovirus encodes a long polyprotein precursor and this polyprotein is cleaved proteolytically by viral protease to yield mature proteins. The mature proteins derived from the P1 polyprotein precursor are the component of capsids. To further delineate the process of capsid assembly and encapsidation, in a first attempt, a cell line which expresses the authentic P1 polyprotein was established. CV-1 cells were transfected with the pRCRSVS1P1 plasmid DNA which contains 5'ncr sequences, whole authentic capsid gene of poliovirus and neomycin resistance gene. These cells were treated with G418 for 3 months, and eventually G418 resistant cells were selected and formed colonies. Each colony was picked and grown in the media containing G418. DNA analysis indicated that 1 of 13 neomycin resistant cell lines (R2-18) contains whole poliovirus P1 capsid gene segment which was incorporated into the genome. Immuneprecipitation of cell lysates with sera from rabbit immunized with inactivateded Sabin type 1 particles demonstrated the constitutive expression of the poliovirus P1 capsid protein from R2-18.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.39-44
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• 2010

Acidithiobacillus caldus is an acidophilic, chemolithotrophic bacterium that plays an important role in bioleaching. Gene transformation into A. caldus is difficult, and only the conjugation method was reported successful, which was a relatively sophisticated method. In this research, electrotransformation of A. caldus species was achieved for the first time using A. caldus Y-3 and plasmid pJRD215. Transformants were confirmed by colony PCR specific to the str gene on pJRD215, and the recovery of the plasmid from the presumptive transformants. Optimizations were made and the transformation efficiency was increased from 0.8 to $3.6{\times}10^4$ transformants/${\mu}g$ plasmid DNA. The developed electrotransformation method was convenient in introducing foreign genes into A. caldus.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.215-225
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• 2007

The azooxanthellate soft coral Dendronephthya suensoni (Holem, 1895) is distributed mainly around Jejudo Island, Korea. This species was determined as gonochoric with a sex ratio of 2:1 (female:male). Both female and male colonies have one gametogenic cycle a year. The annual reproductive cycle of D. suensoni is dependent on the seawater temperature. In particular, reproduction of the male colony showed a higher positive correlation between seawater temperature and the mean diameter of the spermaries. Gametogenesis in females and males took 6 months and 12 months, respectively. The mean diameter of a mature oocyte was $249.29\;{\pm}\;36.24\;{\mu}m$, with a maximum size of $354.45\;{\mu}m$. Spawning could have occurred in the fall after the seawater temperature began to decrease.

• Journal of Mushroom
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.88-95
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• 2014

Auricularia auricula-judae is an edible mushroom, which is known as wood ear, free ear, black ear mushroom, and free jelly fish. This study was carried out to obtain the basic information for mycelial culture conditions of Auricularia auriculajudae. According to colony diameter and mycelial density, the media for suitable mycelial growth were PDA and MCM. The optimum temperature for mycelial growth was $25{\sim}30^{\circ}C$. Carbon and nitrogen sources were mannose and malt extract, respectively. The optimum C/N ratio was in the range of 10 to 1 with 2% glucose. Other minor components for the optimal growth were thiamine-HCl and biotin as vitamins, succinic acid and lactic acid as organic acids, and $MgSO_4{\cdot}7H_2O$ and $KH_2PO_4$ as mineral salts.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Sericultural Science Conference
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• 2004.10a
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• pp.50-50
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• 2004