• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.185-188
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• 2010

This study was undertaken to isolate and to identify a fungal pathogen Monilinia sp. KV-27 associated with apple anthracnose. Rotted Fuji apples were used for the isolation of the fungus. The infected tissues were sterilized with 70% ethanol, washed with sterilized distilled water and were transferred to 50 ml containing potato dextrose broth (PDB) flasks. The peripheral hyphae of the fungal colony which developed from the infected tissues were isolated on to potato dextrose agar (PDA). On PDA plates the fungus grew well at $25^{\circ}C$ and occupied more than half of a 9 cm petri dish within 5 days. The fungal cultures on PDA were used for morphological observation and identification of the fungus. Conidiophores were produced on the gray to whitish sporodochial structures scattered on PDA plates. These conidiophores gave rise to chains of conidia, which were branched and easily detached in water. These structures were dark brown to black and consisted of hyphal masses. Conidia produced on PDA plates were hyline or light colored, lemon shaped or ellipsoidal ($10-13{\times}8.5-11{\mu}m$) in size.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 1986

The following ten species collected from the air of Seoul City and the soils in Korea are reported as undescribed to Korean fungal flora: Cladosporium sphaerospermum, C. herbarum, C. colocasiae, Alternaria chlamydospora, A. cheiranthi, A. citri, Curvularia ovoidea, C. inaequalis, C. affinis, and Eurotium repens.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2021

A survey of fungal diversity in Gyeongsang Province, Korea, revealed two previously unreported Aspergillus isolates, named KMG411 and KMG412. The phylogeny of the isolates was analyzed based on β-tubulin (BenA) and calmodulin (CaM) sequencing. Morphological analyses further identified the KMG411 and KMG412 as A. insuetus and A. nomius, respectively. Here we provide detailed morphological descriptions of the previously unrecorded Aspergillus species.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.929-933
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• 2010

We tried to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) from a silkworm, Bombyx mori, involved in fungal (Aspergillus niger) infection. A total RNA purified from fungal-induced and normal B. mori ($5^{th}$ instar larvae) was used for the cDNA synthesis. Differentially expressed genes were screened by annealing control primer (ACP)-based PCR technique. Comparing the gene expression profiles between fungal infection and control silkworm, we detected 10 genes that were differentially expressed in fungal induction and performed molecular cloning and nucleotide sequencing of the 10 genes. We confirmed the expression patterns of 3 DEGs by RT-PCR. The 3 DEGs over-expressed in fungal infection were identified as lysozyme, enbocin and an unknown gene. They were first identified to be genes induced by fungal infection. Although the detailed functions of 3 genes and their products remain to be determined, the genes will provide insight into the molecular mechanisms of insect-immune systems induced by fungal infection.

• Proceedings of the Microbiological Society of Korea Conference
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• 2009.05a
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• pp.147-147
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• 2009

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.45-52
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• 2009

In order to understand the molecular interactions that occur between rice and the rice blast fungus during infection, we previously identified a number of rice blast fungal elicitor-responsive genes from rice (Oryza sativa cv. Milyang 117). Here, we report the cloning and characterization of the rice fungal elicitor-inducible gene Oshin1 (GenBank Accession Number AF039532). Sequence analysis revealed that the Oshin1 cDNA is 1067 bp long and contains an open reading frame encoding 205 amino acid residues. The Oshin1 gene shows considerable sequence similarity to the tobacco hin1 and hin2 genes. The predicted Oshin1 protein has a cysteine-rich domain at the N-terminus and is rich in leucine, serine, and alanine residues. Southern blot analysis suggests that Oshin1 gene is a member of a small gene family in the rice genome. To examine the expression of Oshin1, Northern blot analysis was conducted. Expression of the Oshin1 transcript is rapidly induced in suspension-cultured rice cells treated with fungal elicitor, salicylic acid or hydrogen peroxide. In addition, Oshin1 transcript levels are rapidly increased by treatment with $Ca^{2+}$/A23187. The expression of Oshin1 was also elevated in 3-week old leaf tissues upon ethephon application or fungal elicitor treatment. Our results suggest that the Oshin1 gene is involved in plant defense responses to environmental stresses.

• Mycobiology
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.150-159
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• 2017

This study analyzed the distribution of endophytic fungi in 3 coastal environments with different climatic, geographical, and geological characteristics: the volcanic islands of Dokdo, the East Sea, and the West Sea of Korea. The isolated fungal endophytes were characterized and analyzed with respect to the characteristics of their host environments. For this purpose, we selected common native coastal halophyte communities from three regions. Molecular identification of the fungal endophytes showed clear differences among the sampling sites and halophyte host species. Isolates were also characterized by growth at specific salinities or pH gradients, with reference to previous geographical, geological, and climate studies. Unlike the East Sea or West Sea isolates, some Dokdo Islands isolates showed endurable traits with growth in high salinity, and many showed growth under extremely alkaline conditions. A smaller proportion of West Sea coast isolates tolerate compared to the East Sea or Dokdo Islands isolates. These results suggest that these unique fungal biota developed through a close interaction between the host halophyte and their environment, even within the same halophyte species. Therefore, this study proposes the application of specific fungal resources for restoring sand dunes and salt-damaged agricultural lands and industrialization of halophytic plants.

• Mycobiology
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.285-293
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• 2021

Polylactic acid (PLA) and polycaprolactone (PCL) are commercially available bioplastics that are exploited worldwide, and both are biodegradable. The PLA and PCL polymer-degrading activity of 30 fungal strains that were isolated from terrestrial environments were screened based on the formation of a clear zone around fungal colonies on agar plates containing emulsified PLA or PCL. Among them, five strains yielded positive results of biodegradation. Strains Korean Agricultural Culture Collection (KACC) 83034BP and KNUF-20-PPH03 exhibited PCL degradation; two other strains, KACC 83035BP and KNUF-20-PDG05, degraded PLA; and the fifth strain, KACC 83036BP, biodegraded both tested plastics. Based on phylogenetic analyses using various combinations of the sequences of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions, RPB2, LSU, CAL, and b-TUB genes, the above-mentioned strains were identified as Apiotrichum porosum, Penicillium samsonianum, Talaromyces pinophilus, Purpureocillium lilacinum, and Fusicolla acetilerea, respectively. Based on our knowledge, this is the first report on (i) plastic biodegraders among Apiotrichum and Fusicolla species, (ii) the capability of T. pinophilus to degrade biodegradable plastics, (iii) the biodegradative activity of P. samsonianum against PCL, and (iv) the accurate identification of P. lilacinum as a PLA biodegrader. Further studies should be conducted to determine how the fungal species can be utilized in Korea.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.11
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• pp.1680-1687
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• 2020

Fungal endophytes are symbiotic microorganisms that are often found in asymptomatic plants. This study describes the genetic diversity of the fungal endophytes isolated from the roots of plants sampled from the west coast of Korea. Five halophytic plant species, Limonium tetragonum, Suaeda australis, Suaeda maritima, Suaeda glauca Bunge, and Phragmites australis, were collected from a salt marsh in Gochang and used to isolate and identify culturable, root-associated endophytic fungi. The fungal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 was used as the DNA barcode for the classification of these specimens. In total, 156 isolates of the fungal strains were identified and categorized into 23 genera and two phyla (Ascomycota and Basidiomycota), with Dothideomycetes and Sordariomycetes as the predominant classes. The genus Alternaria accounted for the largest number of strains, followed by Cladosporium and Fusarium. The highest diversity index was obtained from the endophytic fungal group associated with the plant P. australis. Waito-C rice seedlings were treated with the fungal culture filtrates to analyze their plant growth-promoting capacity. A bioassay of the Sm-3-7-5 fungal strain isolated from S. maritima confirmed that it had the highest plant growth-promoting capacity. Molecular identification of the Sm-3-7-5 strain revealed that it belongs to Alternaria alternata and is a producer of gibberellins. These findings provided a fundamental basis for understanding the symbiotic interactions between plants and fungi.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.22 no.12
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• pp.1740-1748
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• 2012

A home-made meju sample contaminated naturally with aflatoxins was used for isolation of fungal strains. Overall, 230 fungal isolates were obtained on dichloran rosebengal chloramphenicol (DRBC) and dichloran 18% glycerol (DG18) agar plates. Morphological characteristics and molecular analysis of a partial ${\beta}$-tubulin gene and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) of rDNA were used for the identification of the isolates. The fungal isolates were divided into 7 genera: Aspergillus, Eurotium, Penicillium, Eupenicillium, Mucor, Lichtheimia, and Curvularia. Three strains from 56 isolates of the A. oryzae/flavus group were found to be aflatoxigenic A. flavus, by the presence of the aflatoxin biosynthesis genes and confirmatory aflatoxin production by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The predominant isolate from DRBC plates was A. oryzae (42 strains, 36.2%), whereas that from DG18 was A. candidus (61 strains, 53.5%). Out of the 230 isolates, the most common species was A. candidus (34.3%) followed by A. oryzae (22.2%), Mucor circinelloides (13.0%), P. polonicum (10.0%), A. tubingensis (4.8%), and L. ramosa (3.5%). A. flavus and E. chevalieri presented occurrence levels of 2.2%, respectively. The remaining isolates of A. unguis, P. oxalicum, Eupenicillium cinnamopurpureum, A. acidus, E. rubrum, P. chrysogenum, M. racemosus, and C. inaequalis had lower occurrence levels of < 2.0%.