• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.168-176
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• 2014

The morphology of filamentous fungi closely correlates with the productivity in submerged culture. Using itaconic acid (IA) production by Aspergillus terreus as a research model, the quantitative relationship between the growth form of A. terreus and IA production was investigated. IA fermentation was scaled up from shake flasks to a 7 L stirred tank bioreactor based on the quantitative relationship. Our results demonstrated the following: (1) Three morphologies of A. terreus were formed by changing the inoculum level and shape of the flask. (2) Investigation of the effects of the three morphologies on broth rheology and IA production revealed the higher yield of IA on dry cell weight (DCW, IA/DCW) and yield of glucose on DCW (consumed glucose/DCW) were achieved during clump growth of A. terreus. (3) By varying the $KH_2PO_4$ concentration and culture temperature, the relationships between clump diameter and IA production were established, demonstrating that the yield of IA on DCW ($R^2$ = 0.9809) and yield of glucose on DCW ($R^2$ = 0.9421) were closely correlated with clump diameter. The optimum clump diameter range for higher IA production was 0.40-0.50 mm. (4) When the clump diameter was controlled at 0.45 mm by manipulating the mechanical stress in a 7 L fermentor, the yield of IA on DCW and yield of glucose on DCW were increased by 25.1% and 16.3%, respectively. The results presented in this study provide a potential approach for further enhancement of metabolite production by filamentous fungi.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.230-230
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• 2002

Class Ⅲ chitin synthases in filamentous fungi are important for hyphal growth and differentiation of several filamentous fungi. A genomic clone containing the full gene encoding Chs4, a class Ⅲ chitin synthase in Penicillium chrysogenum, was cloned by PCR screening and colony hybridization from the genomic library. Nucleotide sequence analysis and transcript mapping of chs4 revealed an open reading frame (ORF) that consisted of 5 exons and 4 introns and encoded a putative protein of 915 amino acids. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the 5′flanking region of the ORF revealed a potential TATA box and several binding sites for transcription activators. The putative transcription initiation site at -716 position was identified by primer extension and the expression of the chs4 during the vegetative growth was confirmed by Northern blot analysis. Amino acid sequence analysis of the Chs4 revealed at least 5 transmembrane helices and several sites for past-transnational modifications. Comparison of the amino acid sequence of Chs4 with those of other fungi showed a close relationship between P chrysogenum and genus Aspergillus.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.37 no.4 s.109
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• pp.368-372
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• 2004

The development of a benthic filamentous green algal community formed by Spiro gyra sp. in early summer has been observed in the littoral zones in the north basin of Lake Biwa since the 1980s. The development of a Spirogyra sp. community may have an effect on the increase in the biomass of the benthic algal community in early summer and on the alterations in seasonal fluctuation patterns of the biomass. In this mini-review, the causes underlying the development of the Spirogyra sp. community are discussed on the basis of studies in the seasonal fluctuations of benthic algal communities in littoral stony zones carried out in 1963-1964, 1995-1996 and 2000-2001, especially those focusing on the nutrient concentration $(NO_3^--N)$. $NO_3^--N$ concentrations in June were higher than $100{\mu}g\;L^{-1}$ in 1995 and 2000 in contrast to a concentration in June 1964 of only $20{\mu}g\;L^{-1}$. These results show that $NO_3^--N$concentrations throughout in 1963-1964 period were considerably lower than those in 1995-1996 and 2000-2001, suggesting that the $NO_3^--N$concentration may have served as a limiting factor on Spirogyra sp. growth in 1963. $NO_3^--N$ concentrations in the pelagic zone in the north basin of Lake Biwa have clearly increased from the 1950s under the impact of economic growth and the increasing population in the watershed. The development of the Spirogyra sp. community seems to be the result of a heady increase in the nutrient supply from human activities.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.61 no.1
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• pp.79-82
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• 2018

An ${\alpha}-{\text\tiny{D}}-glucoside$ of sesterterpene, 11-epiterpestacin, was isolated from the culture of a filamentous fungus Bipolaris sorokiniana NSDR-011. The structure was elucidated by chemical studies and spectroscopic methods including NMR and ESI-MS. 11-ETG (1) named arbitrarily did not inhibit the root growth of Italian ryegrass seedlings even at the level of 200 ppm, while its aglycone 11-ET (2) completely inhibited root growth at level of 100 ppm.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.1101-1106
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• 2006

Many BNR (Biological Nutrient Removal) plants have experienced a bulking problem, mainly due to the growth of filamentous organisms, particularly during the winter months. This study investigated the problem of bulking due to the growth of M. parvicella both at a full-scale municipal wastewater treatment plant and a pilot scale plant located in the C city. The full-scale facility was operated at a flow rate of $51,000m^3/d$, an F/M (Food-to-Microorganism) ratio of 0.12 kgBOD/kgMLVSS/d and an SRT (Solids Retention Time) higher than 25 days, respectively. This plant experienced bulking and foaming problems at low temperatures below $15^{\circ}C$ since it was retrofitted with the BNR system in 2003. The pilot plant employed had an identical process configuration as the full scale one and used the same wastewater source. It was operated at a flow rate of $3.8m^3/d$, temperatures between 10 to $25^{\circ}C$ and SRTs between 10 and 25 days. At full scale, the M. parvicella growth and SVI (Sludge Volume Index) patterns were studied in conjunction with temperature variations. At pilot scale, DO and SRT variations were also explored, in addition to the filamentous bacteria growth and SVI patterns. During the full-scale investigation, over a 3 year period, it was noted that the SVI was maintained within acceptable operational values (i.e. under 160) during the summer months. Moreover settling in the secondary clarifiers was good and was not affected by the presence of M. parvicella. In contrast, at low mean temperatures during winter, the SVI increased to over 300. Overall, as the temperature decreased, the predominance of M. parvicella became apparent. According to this study, M. parvicella growth could be controlled and SVI could drop under 160 by a change in operational conditions which involved an increase in DO concentration between 2 and 4 mg/L and a decrease in SRT to less than 20 days.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.301-309
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• 2011

The filamentous fungus Fusarium graminearum is an important cereal pathogen. Although quantitative realtime PCR (qRT-PCR) is commonly used to analyze the expression of important fungal genes, no detailed validation of reference genes for the normalization of qRT-PCR data has been performed in this fungus. Here, we evaluated 15 candidate genes as references, including those previously described as housekeeping genes and those selected from the whole transcriptome sequencing data. By a combination of three statistical algorithms (BestKeeper, geNorm, and NormFinder), the variation in the expression of these genes was assessed under different culture conditions that favored mycelial growth, sexual development, and trichothecene mycotoxin production. When favoring mycelial growth, GzFLO and GzUBH expression were most stable in complete medium. Both EF1A and GzRPS16 expression were relatively stable under all conditions on carrot agar, including mycelial growth and the subsequent perithecial induction stage. These two genes were also most stable during trichothecene production. For the combined data set, GzUBH and EF1A were selected as the most stable. Thus, these genes are suitable reference genes for accurate normalization of qRT-PCR data for gene expression analyses of F. graminearum and other related fungi.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.482-487
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• 2000

Optimization of submerged culture conditions for the production of exo-biopolymer from Paecilomyces japonica ws studied. Maltose, yeast extract, and potassium phosphate were the most suitable sources of carbon, nitrogen, and inorganic salt, respectively, for both production of the exo-biopolymer and mycelial growth. The optimal culture conditions in a flask culture were pH 5.0, $25^{\circ}C$, and 150 rpm in a medium containing (as in g/l) 30 maltose, 6 yeast extruct, 2 polypeptone, $0.5{\;}K_3HPO_4,{\;}0.2{\;}KH_2PO_4,{\;}0.2{\;}MnSO_4{\cdot}5H_2O,{\;}0.2{\;}MgSO_4{\cdot}7H_2O$. Exo-biopolymer production and mycelial growth in the above suggested medium were significantly increased in a 2.5-1 jar fermentor, where the maximum biopolymer concentration was 8 g/l. The morphological changes of the mycelium in the submerged culture were observed within pH ranges from 4.0 to 9.0; i.e., growth of the filamentous form was optimal at culture pHs of 5.0 and 6.0, whereas pellet was formed at other pHs.

• Mycobiology
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.38-47
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• 2016

The ascomycete fungus Mycosphaerella graminicola (synonym Zymoseptoria tritici) is an important pathogen of wheat causing economically significant losses. The primary nutritional mode of this fungus is thought to be hemibiotrophic. This pathogenic lifestyle is associated with an early biotrophic stage of nutrient uptake followed by a necrotrophic stage aided possibly by production of a toxin or reactive oxygen species (ROS). In many other fungi, the genes CREA and AREA are important during the biotrophic stage of infection, while the NOXa gene product is important during necrotrophic growth. To test the hypothesis that these genes are important for pathogenicity of M. graminicola, we employed an over-expression strategy for the selected target genes CREA, AREA, and NOXa, which might function as regulators of nutrient acquisition or ROS generation. Increased expressions of CREA, AREA, and NOXa in M. graminicola were confirmed via quantitative real-time PCR and strains were subsequently assayed for pathogenicity. Among them, the NOXa over-expression strain, NO2, resulted in significantly increased virulence. Moreover, instead of the usual filamentous growth, we observed a predominance of yeast-like growth of NO2 which was correlated with ROS production. Our data indicate that ROS generation via NOXa is important to pathogenicity as well as development in M. graminicola.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.48 no.5
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• pp.704-711
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• 2015

We examined the effects of temperature and light intensity on gametophyte growth of Ecklonia cava Kjellman. The growth of female and male gametophytes was investigated before maturation. Gametophytes prepared from Munseom, Jeju, Korea in October 2014 were separated by sex and maintained under the following conditions: 15℃, 20 μmol·m^-2·s^-1, and a 12-h/12-h light/dark cycle. The experiments were conducted at five temperatures (10, 15, 20, 25, and 30℃) and three light intensities (5, 20, and 40 μmol·m^-2·s^-1). Daily growth rates were estimated by the increase in filamentous frond area. The optimal growth conditions for female gametophytes were 20℃ and 40 μmol·m^-2·s^-1; the optimal conditions for male gametophytes were 15℃ and 20 μmol·m^-2·s^-1. The relative growth rates (RGR) of female and male gametophytes decreased at 25℃ and 30℃, respectively. At 30℃, RGRs of gametophytes decreased by approximately 1.0% day^-1. In addition, RGRs of male gametophytes were higher than those of female gametophytes. These results indicate that female gametophytes were more sensitive to temperature and light intensity than male gametophytes. Moreover, these results suggest that E. cava growth rates could decrease as a result of global warming.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.23 no.3 s.74
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• pp.232-237
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• 1995

Antifungal protein from the hemolymph of larvae of Tenebrio molitor in Korea was partially purified by $C_{18}$ open column chromatography and assayed for the activity spectrum using 3 kinds of yeast and 4 kinds of filamentous fungi. The crude antifungal protein showed static activity for a broad range of fungal species. Weak cidal effects were observed in growing yeast type cells, including Candida and Saccharomyces. The affected cells were changed from ovoid to swollen and spherical form in shape. For filamentous fungi including Aspergillus and Fusarium, the crude antifungal protein affected the spore germination and the hyphal growth but not the viability significantly.