• Mycobiology
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.399-407
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• 2022

Endophytic fungi occupy inner plant tissues, which results in various interactions between the fungus and host. Studies on endophytic fungi have been conducted in Korea for over 30 years. This paper summarizes the published results of those studies. The endophytic fungi of approximately 132 plant species in Korea have been studied since the 1990s, resulting in over 118 publications. The host plants featured in these studies comprised 3 species of mosses, 34 species of woody plants, and 95 species of herbaceous plants. At the family level, the most studied plants were members of the Poaceae family, covering 18 species. Regionally, these studies were conducted throughout Korea, but over half of the studies were conducted in Gyeongsangbuk-do, Gangwon-do, and Chungcheongnam-do. Relatively few studies have been conducted in a metropolis such as Seoul. We confirmed 5 phyla, 16 classes, 49 orders, 135 families, 305 genera, and 855 taxa of endophytic fungi, excluding Incertae sedis, whose relationship with others are unknown. Most of the endophytic fungi belonged to Ascomycota (93.2%), and a few belonged to Basidiomycota (3.6%). Since the diversity of endophytic fungi differs depending on the host plant, plant tissue, and distribution region, future studies should be conducted on multiple host plants and in various regions. Future studies on endophytic fungi are expected to broaden, including genomics and taxonomic and ecological studies of secondary metabolites.

• Mycobiology
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• v.50 no.5
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• pp.317-325
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• 2022

Endophytic fungi occupy various ecological niches, which reinforces their diversity. As few studies have investigated the endophytic fungi of alpine conifers, we focused on four species of alpine conifers in this study-Abies nephrolepis, Pinus pumila, Taxus cuspidata var. nana, and Thuja koraiensis-and examined them for endophytic fungi. A total of 108 endophytic fungi were isolated. There were four taxa in A. nephrolepis, 12 in P. pumila, 18 in T. cuspidata var. nana, and 17 in T. koraiensis; these were divided into five classes: Agaricomycetes (3.2%), Dothideomycetes (29.0%), Leotiomycetes (15.0%), Sordariomycetes (41.9%), and Orbiliomycetes (1.6%). The most prevalent fungi were Sydowia polyspora (22.7%) and Xylariaceae sp. (22.7%) in P. pumila, Phomopsis juglandina (16.1%) in T. cuspidate var. nana, and Thuja-endophytes sp. 1 (70.0%) in T. koraiensis. However, there was no dominant species growing in A. nephrolepis. Some host plants were analyzed using next-generation sequencing. We obtained 4618 reads for A. nephrolepis and 2268 reads for T. koraiensis. At the genus level, the top three endophytic fungi were Ophiostomataceae_uc (64.6%), Nectriaceae_uc (15.5%), and unclassified organism (18.0%) in A. nephrolepis and Nectriaceae_uc (41.9%), Ophiostomataceae_uc (41.8%), and Magnaporthaceae_uc (9.2%) in T. koraiensis. Our results show that there are different communities of endophytic fungi among different host plants, even if the host plants are in the same region. Such ecological niches are important in terms of the ecological restoration of alpine conifers.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.93-104
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• 2022

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a serious threat to the global healthcare system. Ineffective and resistance to antibiotic treatments have increased morbidity and mortality rates worldwide. New and effective antibiotics are needed to combat against bacterial resistance. Endophytic fungi are crucial reservoirs of novel bioactive metabolites. In particular, the secondary metabolites show promising therapeutic potential, notably, antibacterial. This review discussed the emerging potential of endophytic fungi as anti-MRSA agents. The ecological sources of endophytic fungi were discussed with the synthesis of bioactive metabolites. The mode of antibacterial actions was elucidated to give a better understanding of the mechanisms involved. This review may serve as an important reference for future discovery and developments of anti-MRSA agents from endophytic fungi.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.497-505
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• 2021

Endophytic fungal strains were isolated from leaves, stems, and roots of Angelica gigas. The fungal strains were identified based on their morphological characteristics and molecular analysis of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS). A total 35 species of endophytic fungi were identified. The diversity between the endophytic fungal communities differed depending on the tissues of A. gigas. The isolated endophytic fungi were screened for antifungal activity against a pathogenic fungus, Phoma sp. Y11, using a dual culture method. Fourteen species of endophytic fungi showed the standout inhibition effect against the Y11 strain. The results suggest that the endophytic fungi isolated from A. gigas could be used as a biological control agent against leaf spot disease of A. gigas.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.441-446
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• 2023

Bamboo is host to diverse range of fungi, however, research on bambusicolous fungi remains insignificant in Korea. The genus Apiospora is prevalent in various environments, particularly as endophytic fungi in Poaceae, to which bamboo belongs. In this study, endophytic fungi were isolated from stems of Pseudosasa japonica collected from Gongjusi, Korea. To identify these endophytic fungi, we observed morphological characteristics and conducted phylogenetic analysis using internal transcribed spacer (ITS), large subunit ribosomal DNA (LSU), and β-tubulin (TUB2) DNA, identifying and describing an unrecorded fungus, Apiospora pseudosinensis.

• Mycobiology
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.312-317
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• 2017

Orchidaceous plants have symbiotic relationships with endophytic fungi, including mycorrhizal fungi, which play important roles in the seed germination and growth of the host plants. In this study, endophytic fungal communities isolated from the roots of Cephalanthera longibracteata collected from three different sites in Korea were analyzed, and it was determined whether fungal communities were preferentially correlated with the sites. The fungal isolates were identified by sequence analysis of the internal transcribed spacer regions of rDNA. In total, 30 species of endophytic fungi, including two species of mycorrhizal fungi belonging to the genus Tulasnella, were identified. Leptodontidium orchidicola showed the highest frequency and was isolated from all root samples. Species diversity and richness were not significantly different among sites. However, the community structure of the endophytic fungi significantly differed among sites, suggesting that the site characteristics affected the community composition of the endophytic fungi colonizing the roots of C. longibracteata. Our findings will aid in developing methods involving the use of symbiotic fungi for orchid conservation and restoration in native habitats.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.272-276
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• 2015

We examined endophytic fungi from the needle leaves of three species of conifers in Korea: Abies nephrolepis, Thuja koraiensis, Pinus koraiensis. Endophytic fungi were isolated from the surface-sterilized leaves and identified based on morphological characteristics and Internal transcribed spacer sequences of rDNA. Three species of endophytic fungi isolated in this study were the first reported in Korea: Cryptosporiopsis actinidiae, Pestalotiopsis mangiferae, Pyrenochaeta cava.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.437-446
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• 2018

We investigated the biodiversity of endophytic fungi in Pinus densiflora and Junipreus rigida from Mt. Baekryeonsan and Mt. Johangsan in Korea. In total, 59 isolates were discovered from 26 host plants and identified using sequences from the rDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. Twenty taxa of endophytic fungi were identified in this study; 62% of isolates belonged to Leotiomycetes, 34% belonged to Sordariomyetes, and 4% belonged to Agaricomycetes. Results confirmed three previously unreported endophytic fungi in Korea: Phanerochaete concrescens, Creosphaeria sassafras, and Scopuloides rimosa. Community analysis showed that the fungal diversity patterns of the samples from Mt Baekryeonsan and Mt. Johangsan are similar to those from previous studies and varied depending upon host and locality.

• Mycobiology
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.186-190
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• 2007

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of foliar endophytic fungi and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) on plant community structure in experimental microcosms containing an assemblage of five species of plants (Oenothera odorata, Plantago asiatica, Trifolium repens, Isodon japonicas and Aster yomena). Leaves of Sasa borealis, Potentilia fragarioides, and Viola mandshurica were collected in Chungbuk, Korea. Endophytic fungi were isolated from the surface sterilized leaves and identified to species level using molecular and morphological techniques. Four isolates of the endophytic fungi were inoculated to the leaves of host plants in the microcosms. Also, three species of AMF spores were extracted from pure cultures and the mixture of the three species inoculated to the roots of the plants. After four months of growth in a green house, effects of both symbiotic fungi on plant species diversity, community composition and productivity were examined. The plant species diversity showed significant differences with inoculation of the symbiotic fungi. Results indicate that AMF significantly affect plant productivity and plant community structure.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.731-738
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• 2019

Endophytic fungi are an important component of plant microbiota, and have the excellent capacity for producing a broad variety of bioactive metabolites. These bioactive metabolites not only affect the survival of the host plant, but also provide valuable lead compounds for novel drug discovery. In this study, forty-two endophytic filamentous fungi were isolated from Ficus elastica leaves, and further identified as seven individual taxa by ITS-rDNA sequencing. The antimicrobial activity of these endophytic fungi was evaluated against five pathogenic microorganisms. Two strains, Fes1711 (Penicillium funiculosum) and Fes1712 (Trichoderma harzianum), displayed broad-spectrum bioactivities. Our following study emphasizes the isolation, identification and bioactivity testing of chemical metabolites produced by T. harzianum Fes1712. Two new isocoumarin derivatives (1 and 2), together with three known compounds (3-5) were isolated, and their structures were elucidated using NMR and MS. Compounds 1 and 2 exhibited inhibitory activity against Escherichia coli. Our findings reveal that endophytic fungi from the rubber tree F. elastica leaves exhibit unique characteristics and are potential producers of novel natural bioactive products.