• Korean Journal Plant Pathology
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.642-645
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• 1998

A severe pink mold rot on matured melon fruits occurred under a glass tunnel cultivation in Chinju at Kyeongasngnam-do Agricultural Research and Extention Services on May of 1998. Basal portion of the fruits toward blossom end was preferably infected and colonized by the fungus. The causal fungus consistently isolated from the lesions was identified as Trichothecium roseum based on following mycological characteristics. Conidia were hyaline or brightly colored, 2-celled, ovoid or elipsoid, characteristically held together zi-zag chains. Conidiophore was long, slender, simple, septate, bearing conidia-meristem arthrospores-apically, singly when young and successively by slight growth of conidiphore apex. Optimum temperature for mycelial growth and conidial germination was recorded at 20~$25^{\circ}C$. However, over 48% of the fungal conidia were germinated at 15$^{\circ}C$ and mycelial growth was only slightly slower than $25^{\circ}C$. The temperature profiles and high humidity available during the cultivation were considered favorable for the pathogen as showing 22% infection rate on matured melon fruits cv. Saros. This is the first report of pink mold rot of melon caused by T. roseum in Korea.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.156-161
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• 2000

A wilt disease occurred on greenhouse-grown eggplants at Yeojoo, Korea in 1997. The wilted eggplants had leaves with gradual yellowing, interveinal necrosis, and marginal crinkling. Vascular tissues of diseased stems were discolored, turned black, and microsclerotia developed at the base of stems. The disease progressed from lower parts of the plants upward. Fungal isolates from discolored vascular tissues were initially whitish to cream color on potato-dextrose agar (PDA) plate, which later turned black due to the formation of microsclerotia. Conidiophores were erect, hyaline, verticillately branched, and had 3 or 4 phialides arising at each node. Phialides were hyaline, arranged in whorls, and measured as 17.5-32.5 x 2-3$\mu\textrm{m}$. Conidia were hyaline, ellipsoidal to sub-cylindrical, mainly one-celled, and measured as 5-8.8 x 2-4$\mu\textrm{m}$. Conidia were borne in small clusters at the tips of phialides. Microsclerotia formed on PDA plates, and consisted of globular cells that formed irregular masses of various shapes. Chlamydospores were absent. Based on these cultural and morphological characteristics, the fungus was identified as Verticillium dahliae Klebahn. Pathogenicity tests by root cutting, root dipping or soil drenching resulted in similar symptoms observed in the naturally infected eggplants. This is the first report on occurrence of Verticillium wilt of eggplant in Korea.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.189-195
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• 2014

Genetic engineering is being used to enhance disease resistance and nutritional value of crops including rice plant. Considering the fast-growing agricultural biotechnology and rapidly increasing global area of transgenic crops, the risk evaluation on environment is necessary. In this study, we surveyed the difference of disease occurrence between transgenic rice variety, Iksan526 transformed with peanut stilbene synthase gene and non-transgenic rice varieties, Dongjin and Nampyeong in the field. Moreover, the possibility of gene transfer from transgenic rice to bacterial and fungal pathogens was investigated. The results of this study indicated that there was no significant difference in the occurrence and severity of the diseases between Iksan526 and Dongjin or Nampyeong. In addition, the results suggested that rice pathogen, such as Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae, Rhizoctonia solani and Magnaporthe grisea did not take up stilbene synthase and bar genes under natural conditions. Moreover the transformed DNA was not transferred to the pathogens even in repetitive contacts.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.1-5
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• 2016

Isopods are parasitic crustaceans that pose serious threat to fisheries. Several studies have tried to explore the host-pathogen relationship between marine fishes and isopods. The present study aims to understanding the secondary infections in marine fishes pertaining to isopods. To assess the secondary infection in infected fishes, parasite infested and healthy tissues of fishes were collected. The samples were subjected to standard microbiological procedure to identify the presence of pathogenic bacteria and fungi. Our results showed the branchial region had the higher microbial load of non-sporulating cenocytic fungi in infected fishes. Moreover, fungal strains isolated from the parasitic lesion confirmed that the parasitation and body lesion facilitates the entry of several pathogenic microbes at the damaged host tissue. More over the immune regulation of fish fights back by producing minute cysts, trying to encapsulate the growing fungus. But this may eventually lead to systemic infestation and death of the fish.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2000.10a
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• pp.96-113
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• 2000

Coleus forskohlii Briq. of the family Lamiaceae yields a valuable secondary metabolite known as forskolin which is a labdane diterpenoid. Coleus forskohlii is the only known source of this compound. Forskolin is used in medicine for the treatment of glaucoma, congestive cardiomyopathy and asthma. Morphogenic callus was induced from young leaves on MS medium augmented with NAA and BA. These calli, when subcultured on MS with KN alone gave rise to shoots. The regenerated shoot developed good root system on MS medium fortified with NAA. The fully grown plantlets were transferred to soil for acclimatization. Coleus plant is mainly infected by a fungi Lasiodiplodia theobromae which causes root of disease. The fungal culture filterate (FCF) of Lasiodiplodia theobromae, has been used in regeneration media to find the MIC and further to select resistant plants to the pathogen. In the present study 40% FCF in the medium showed maximum inhibition and is there fore considered as the MIC level of Coleus forskohlii. This data could prove to be useful for the future for selecting a resistant C,forskohlii plant against the root disease caused by L.theobromae.

• Mycobiology
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.235-242
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• 2011

In contrast to the nuclear genome, the mitochondrial genome does not follow Mendelian laws of inheritance. The nuclear genome of meiotic progeny comes from the recombination of both parental genomes, whereas the meiotic progeny could inherit mitochondria from one, the other, or both parents. In fact, one fascinating phenomenon is that mitochondrial DNA in the majority of eukaryotes is inherited from only one particular parent. Typically, such unidirectional and uniparental inheritance of mitochondrial DNA can be explained by the size of the gametes involved in mating, with the larger gamete contributing towards mitochondrial DNA inheritance. However, in the human fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans, bisexual mating involves the fusion of two isogamous cells of mating type (MAT) a and MAT${\alpha}$, yet the mitochondrial DNA is inherited predominantly from the MATa parent. Although the exact mechanism underlying such uniparental mitochondrial inheritance in this fungus is still unclear, various hypotheses have been proposed. Elucidating the mechanism of mitochondrial inheritance in this clinically important and genetically amenable eukaryotic microbe will yield insights into general mechanisms that are likely conserved in higher eukaryotes. In this review, we highlight studies on Cryptococcus mitochondrial inheritance and point out some important questions that need to be addressed in the future.

• 한국균학회소식:학술대회논문집
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• 2014.10a
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• pp.43-43
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• 2014

The rice blast disease caused by of Magnaporthe oryzae is one of the most destructive diseases of rice. By the microarray analysis, we profiled expression changes of genes during conidiation and found out many putative genes that are up-regulated. Among those, we first selected MGG_06399 encoding a dual-specificity tyrosine-regulated protein kinase (DYRK), homologous to YAK1 in yeast. To investigate functional roles of MoYAK1, We made ${\Delta}Moyak1$ mutants by homology dependent gene replacement. The deletion mutant showed a remarkable reduction in conidiation and produced abnormally shaped conidia smaller than those of wild type. The conidia form ${\Delta}Moyak1$ were able to develop a germ tube, but failed to form apppressoria on a hydrophobic coverslip. The ${\Delta}Moyak1$ formed appressria on a hydrophobic cover slip when exogenous cAMP was induced, but the appressoria shape was abnormal. The ${\Delta}Moyak1$ also formed appressoria abberent in shape on onion epidermis and rice sheaths and failed to penetrate the surface of the plants. These data indicate that MoYAK1 is associated with cAMP/PKA pathway and important for conidiation, appressorial formation and pathogenic development in Magnaporthe oryzae. Detailed characterization of MoYAK1 will be presented.

• 한국균학회소식:학술대회논문집
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• 2016.05a
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• pp.17-17
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• 2016

Calcineurin governs stress survival, sexual differentiation, and virulence of the human fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans. Herein, we identified and characterized calcineurin substrates in C. neoformans by employing phosphoproteomic $TiO_2$ enrichment and quantitative mass spectrometry. The identified targets include the zinc finger transcription factor Crz1 and proteins whose functions are linked to P-bodies/stress granules (PBs/SGs) and mRNA translation and decay, such as Pbp1 and Puf4. We show that Crz1 is a bona fide calcineurin substrate, and localization and transcriptional activity of Crz1 are controlled by calcineurin. Several of the calcineurin targets localized to PBs/SGs, including Puf4 and Pbp1, and are required for survival at high temperature and for virulence. Genetic epistasis analysis revealed that Crz1 and the novel targets Lhp1, Puf4, and Pbp1 function in a branched calcineurin pathway that orchestrates stress survival and virulence. These findings propose that calcineurin controls thermal stress and virulence at the transcriptional level via Crz1 and post-transcriptionally by regulating target factors involved in mRNA metabolism.

• Mycobiology
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.319-324
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• 2016

Dieback in strawberry (Seolhyang cultivar) was first observed during the nursery season (June to September) in the Nonsan area of Korea in the years 2012 and 2013. Initial disease symptoms included dieback on runners, as well as black rot on roots, followed by wilting and eventually blackened, necrotic discoloration in the crowns of daughter plants. A fungus isolated from the diseased roots, runners, and crowns is close to Lasiodiplodia theobromae based on morphological characteristics. Analysis of a combined dataset assembled from sequences of the internal transcribed spacer and translation elongation factor 1- alpha genes grouped nine fungal isolates with the type strain of L. theobromae. The isolates showed strong pathogenicity on strawberry cultivars Kumhyang, Seolhyang, and Akihimae, fulfilling Koch's postulates. Based on these results, the pathogen responsible for dieback on strawberry plants in Korea was identified as L. theobromae.

• Mycobiology
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.370-378
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• 2017

Cylindrocarpon destructans is an ascomycete soil-borne pathogen that causes ginseng root rot. To identify effective biocontrol agents, we isolated several bacteria from ginseng cultivation soil and evaluated their antifungal activity. Among the isolated bacteria, one isolate (named JH7) was selected for its high antibiotic activity and was further examined for antagonism against fungal pathogens. Strain JH7 was identified as a Chromobacterium sp. using phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences. This strain was shown to produce antimicrobial molecules, including chitinases and proteases, but not cellulases. Additionally, the ability of JH7 to produce siderophore and solubilize insoluble phosphate supports its antagonistic and beneficial traits for plant growth. The JH7 strain suppressed the conidiation, conidial germination, and chlamydospore formation of C. destructans. Furthermore, the JH7 strain inhibited other plant pathogenic fungi. Thus, it provides a basis for developing a biocontrol agent for ginseng cultivation.