• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.445-456
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• 2020

Fungal species belonging to the genus Penicillium are indigenous to a wide range of natural environments. Since the first published reports detailing the discovery of Penicillium, new species have been identified in various countries, including Korea. We present here a full characterization of five species of Penicillium that were previously unreported in Korea. Based on the morphologic characteristics and sequences of genes encoding fungal ��-tubulin and calmodulin, we identified five Penicillium species, including P. hetheringtonii, P. sublectaticum, and P. jacksonii, which have been unrecorded in Korea, and confirming P. maximae and P. cremeogriseum, as the endophytic fungi isolated in Gyeongsang province, Korea. In this article, we provide detailed morphological descriptions of these fungal species.

• Mycobiology
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• v.49 no.5
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• pp.454-460
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• 2021

Daecheongdo and Socheongdo Islands are located in the West Sea of Korea, 210 km away from land, and are military border areas very close to North Korea, making them difficult to access. Although the ecosystem of the islands is relatively well preserved due to the lack of accessibility, research on fungi of the regions is insufficient. Therefore, we aimed to investigate indigenous fungi in these geographically and geopolitically constrained regions. A survey of the indigenous fungal diversity of the islands was conducted in 2018. All specimens were identified at the species level based on morphological and molecular analyses. Among them, six macrofungi-namely, Agaricus menieri, Crepidotus praecipuus, Dichomitus squalens, Hortiboletus amygdalinus, Melanoleuca friesii, and Trametes lactinea-were not previously reported in Korea. Considering that the proportion of unrecorded species is high in the survey area and period as well as the number of samples collected, similar research on adjacent islands may be necessary.

• Mycobiology
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.286-296
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• 2017

Ulleung Island is a biodiversity hotspot in South Korea. During a survey of indigenous fungal species from Ulleung Island conducted from 2015 to 2016, we discovered 10 unrecorded macrofungi in Korea. These macrofungi were identified to the species level using morphological features and phylogenetic analysis based on the internal transcribed spacer region: Deconica phyllogena, Mycena zephirus, Phaeomarasmius proximans, Phlebia radiata, Pluteus semibulbosus, Postia alni, Resinicium pinicola, Scytinostroma portentosum, Tricholomopsis flammula, and Tyromyces kmetii. We also provide detailed morphological descriptions for these 10 species.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.385-392
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• 2021

The fungi play important roles in maintaining the balance and homeostasis of natural ecosystems. We investigated fungal specimens indigenous to the Gayasan National Park located in the deep inlands of southeastern Korea from 2017-2020. Six fungal species in the Korean macromycota-Chiua olivaceoreticulata, Entoloma conchatum, Galerina sulciceps, Hebeloma radicosoides, Spongiporus gloeoporus, and Tricholoma sinoacerbum-were identified based on morphological characteristics and rDNA sequences. The six fungal speices were newly revealed on the Korean Peninsula, and it supports that the continuous investigaton is the best way to realize the mycosis.

• Mycobiology
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.346-354
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• 2021

The genus Aspergillus is commonly isolated from various marine and terrestrial environments; however, only a few species have been studied in rhizosphere soil. As part of the Korean indigenous fungal excavation project, we investigated fungal diversity from rhizosphere soil, focusing on Aspergillus species. A total of 13 strains were isolated from the rhizosphere soil of three different plants. Based on phylogenetic analysis of β-tubulin and calmodulin and morphological characteristics, we identified five Aspergillus species. A. calidoustus and A. pseudodeflectus were commonly isolated from the rhizosphere soil. Four species were confirmed as unrecorded species in Korea: A. calidoustus, A. dimorphicus, A. germanicus, and A. pseudodeflecuts. The detailed morphological descriptions of these unrecorded species are provided.

• Mycobiology
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.203-212
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• 2022

Fungi act as important decomposers in the forest environment. They recycle essential nutrients, promote plant growth through mycorrhizal relationships, and act as food for small animals. Samples of 265 indigenous fungal species were collected from Mudeungsan National Park in 2020. These species were identified based on morphological, molecular, and phylogenetic analyses using the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), nuclear large subunit rRNA (LSU), and RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (rpb2) regions. Subsequently, seven species were identified as unrecorded species in Korea: Cordyceps cicadae, Dentocorticium bicolor, Hymenochaete nanospora, Physisporinus crataegi, Rigidoporus piceicola, Russula raoultii, and Scutellinia crinita. This study reveals their detailed macro- and microscopic morphological characteristics with phylogenetic trees to report them as unrecorded species in Korea.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.433-440
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• 2021

The fungal genus Trametes is globally distributed and comprises various wood-decay species, including the well-known medicinal mushroom Trametes versicolor, a popular remedy in traditional Asian medicine. Trametes species produce antioxidants, which have a wide range of health benefits. The pressent study evaluated seven indigenous Trametes species from Korea, which were cultivated in three different media (dextrose-yeast extract, DY; malt extract-yeast extract, MY; malt extract broth, MEB) and tested for antioxidant activity using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) assays. We found that the medium consumption rate did not significantly differ between the media and among the strains (72-76%). However, the T. versicolor strains had a relatively low consumption rate (14-65%). The 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate) (ABTS) tests demonstrated that culture filtrates of T. cf. junipericola, T. orientalis, T. suaveolens, and T. versicolor possessed antioxidant activity against damage from free radicals. In particular, T. cf. junipericola (DY) and T. versicolor (MY) had >80% activity in the DPPH and ABTS assays, compared with that of the positive control (ascorbic acid). Thus, our study identified promising candidates with substantial antioxidant activity among the indigenous strains of Trametes spp. from Korea.

• Mycobiology
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• v.48 no.5
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• pp.392-398
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• 2020

This study was conducted to understand the dynamics of microbial communities of soil microorganisms, and their distribution and abundance in the indigenous microorganisms (IMOs) manipulated from humus collected from the forest near the crop field. The soil microorganisms originated from humus and artificially cultured microbial-based soil amendments were characterized by molecular and biochemical analyses. The bacterial population (2 × 10⁶~13 × 10⁶ CFU/g sample) was approximately 100-fold abundant than the fungal population (2 × 10⁴~8 × 10⁴ CFU/g sample). The 16S rDNA and ITS sequence analyses showed that the bacterial and fungal communities in humus and IMOs were mainly composed of Bacillus and Pseudomonas, and Trichoderma and Aspergillus species, respectively. Some of the bacterial isolates from the humus and IMOs showed strong inhibitory activity against soil-borne pathogenic fungi Fusarium oxysporum and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. These bacteria also showed the siderophore production activity as well as phosphate solubilizing activity, which are requisite traits for biological control of plant pathogenic fungi. These results suggest that humus and IMOs could be a useful resource for sustainable agriculture.

• Mycobiology
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.260-268
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• 2018

In an ongoing survey of Korean indigenous fungi, two fungal strains (KNU16-74 and KNU16-99) belonging to the genus Chrysosporium were isolated from field soil in Gyeongnam, Korea. Morphological characterization and phylogenetic analysis using sequence of the internal transcribed spacer regions were carried out to confirm its precise identification. These strains were identified as Chrysosporium indicum (KNU16-74) and Chrysosporium fluviale (KNU16-99). To examine the keratin degradation efficiency of these two fungal species, human hair strands were incubated with fungus culture. Results revealed that these two fungal species have the ability to degrade keratin substrate. This is the first report of these two species in Korea.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.287-306
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• 2023

According to our previous study, 500 species of yeast exist in Korea, including nine variants comprising 142 genera and 48 classes in two phyla. Additionally, 4,483 fungal species have been documented at the National Institute of Biological Resources (NIBR). However, despite the industrial use of several yeasts, only 173 species formed part of the National Species List of Korea (NSLK) as of December 2021, mainly due to the lack of taxonomic descriptions. This study aimed to investigate the taxonomy of seven newly isolated yeast species (Hyphopichia burtonii, Starmerella sorbosivorans, Cyberlindnera mycetangii, Cutaneotrichosporon oleaginosum, Nakazawaea ernobii, Pichia kudriavzevii, and Schizosaccharomyces japonicus) for inclusion in the NSLK. The strains were clustered for the phylogenetic analysis of fungal rDNA (D1/D2-26S) sequences. This study provides descriptions of their cell morphology and physiological characteristics, the results of which confirm the indigenous origin of these seven species in Korea and recommend their inclusion in the NSLK.