• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.471-490
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• 2023

Soil is a rich source of saprobic and pathogenic fungi in crop cultivation areas. Compared with that of the fruit trees, scarce information is available regarding the fungi present in orchard soils in Korea. We sampled rhizosphere soils of apple and pear trees from several orchards in Cheongju, Anseong, and Cheonan, Korea. During the processing of soil fungi, seven unrecorded species of the phylum Ascomycota were isolated. These included Acrocalymma walkeri, Clonostachys krabiensis, Coniella vitis, Cosmospora diminuta, Lasiobolidium spirale, Penicillium vallebormidaense, and Pseudothielavia arxii. All the species were identified and described based on morphological characteristics and molecular analysis of the ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region and the large subunit of nuclear ribosomal RNA gene and partial β-tubulin gene (BenA) sequences. Descriptions and illustrations of the morphological characteristics are provided.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.313-334
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• 2023

Mt. Taebaeksan extends from Gangwon-do Province (Taebaek-si, Youngwon-gu, and Jeongseon-gun) to Gyeongsangbuk-do Province (Bongwha-gun), South Korea. Indigenous fungi present in the park were investigated between 2019 and 2022. All collected specimens were identified to the species level based on their morphological characteristics and molecular phylogenetic analysis using sequences from the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and large subunit (LSU) of ribosomal DNA. Among them, 17 species-Cyanosporus bifarius, Dacryobolus angiospermarum, Entoloma sericeum, Flammulina rossica, Fuscopostia leucomallella, Homophron helvolescens, Hygrophorus queletii, Hymenochaete huangshanensis, Inocybe albodiscoides, Lactarius fulvihirtipes, Lepiota ignivolvata, Physisporinus eminens, Ramaria gracilis, Russula albolutea, Russula cremicolor, Stropharia lignicola, and Tengioboletus subglutinosus-were newly recorded macromycota in Korea.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.405-410
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• 2023

Erysiphe chloranthi is the only powdery mildew species (Erysiphaceae) found on Chloranthus plants belonging to the family Chloranthaceae. This species has long been known to be present in Japan and Korea and is hence regarded as endemic to East Asia. Examination of seven Korean specimens revealed detailed morphological characteristics of the holomorph of this species. Short foot-cells of conidiophores are proposed as key characteristics that differ from related species. Sequences of the internal transcribed spacer regions and large subunit gene retrieved from four Korean samples confirm the phylogenetic position of this species within the Erysiphe aquilegiae complex. These data may help elucidate the identity of this species and clarify the ambiguity of the E. aquilegiae complex.

• 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.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.20-25
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• 2024

A fungus strain Stereostratum corticioides PKVL1, belonging to the family Pucciniaceae that causes rust in plants, was discovered on the sheath of the bamboo Pseudosasa japonica leading to the death of the infected bamboo in the following year. Microscopic observation of the yellow fungal mass revealed teliospores with an oval, one-septate (two-celled) structure. The average length and width of teliospores were 31.83±3.57 ㎛ and 20.74±1.72 ㎛, respectively. The large-subunit ribosomal RNA gene was amplified using the LR0R and LR7 primers, showing that the strain PKVL1 had a similarity of 99.34% to previously reported S. corticioides. In particular, the two Stereostratum strains form a separate cluster among the fungi in the family Pucciniaceae. This is the first report in the Republic of Korea of fungal rust occurring on the culm of bamboo rather than on the leaves.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.229-237
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• 2023

In the present study, we isolated endophytic fungi from different tissues of two plants, Pseudosasa japonica and Quercus serrata from Taean-gun, Korea. Morphological characteristics of the isolated fungal strains were observed. We identified the fungi based on the phylogenetic analysis using DNA sequences from the region of internal transcribed spacer, large subunit rDNA, β-tubulin, and translation elongation factor 1-α DNA. Three endophytic fungi that were not previously recorded in Korea, namely Geomyces asperulatus, Leptoxyphium fumago, and Tubakia oblongispora were identified. Here, we describe the morphological characteristics of these unrecorded fungi and present the results of the phylogenetic analysis.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.135-143
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• 2024

Lindera obtusiloba Blume, a shrub prevalent in the understory vegetation of the deciduous forests in East Asia and Korea, is known for its pharmacological properties, including antioxidant, anti-allergic, and anti-inflammatory activities. Endophytic fungi were isolated from surface-sterilized twigs and leaves of L. obtusiloba collected from Samcheok-si and Jecheon-si in Korea. The fungal strains were identified based on their morphological characteristics and molecular analyses using DNA markers such as internal transcribed spacer, large subunit rDNA, β-tubulin, chitin synthase, and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase. Here, we report two new records of endophytic fungi isolated from L. obtusiloba in Korea: Colletotrichum citricola and Valsa ceratophora. These results enhance our understanding of the diversity of endophytic fungi in L. obtusiloba and contribute to enhancing our knowledge of fungal biodiversity in Korea.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.115-123
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• 2024

In 2022, a fungal isolate, designated KNUF-22-049, was obtained from a soil sample collected from a field in Sang-ju, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Korea. The strain exhibited cultural and morphological characteristics, including colony color and size and the shapes and sizes of conidiogenous cells and conidia, that were consistent with those of Apinisia keratinophila. A phylogenetic analysis using the sequences of the internal transcribed spacer regions and the large subunit of the nuclear ribosomal RNA gene confirmed that isolate KNUF-22-049 is most closely related to A. keratinophila CBS 947.73^T at a species level. Both the morphological observations and phylogenetic analysis indicated that KNUF-22-049 is indeed an A. keratinophila strain. This study represents the first documentation of Apinisia keratinophila in Korea.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.288-292
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• 2024

In the course of our survey of microbial diversity, a total of seven basidiomycetous yeast strains were isolated from flowers sampled across the four provinces of the Republic of Korea, of which two strains were identified as an unrecorded species. Comparative analysis was conducted for identification of strains using the D1/D2 region of the large subunit(LSU) rRNA gene sequences, observation of cell morphologies, and carbon assimilation tests. Seven strains were classified within the phylum Basidiomycota. Two unrecorded strains, JRP1-10 (KACC 410703) and KC-1 (KACC 410704), were identified as Vishniacozyma pseudocarnescens, belonging to the family Bulleribasidiaceae, order Tremellales, class Tremellomycetes. Two strains had ellipsoidal-shaped and monopolar budding cells and smooth and cream-colored colonies after cultivation at 25℃ for 3 days. Here, we present the morphological and biochemical characteristics of the unrecorded yeast species, Vishniacozyma pseudocarnescens, in the Republic of Korea.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.25 no.9
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• pp.1007-1013
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• 2015

A COG (Cluster of Orthologous Groups of proteins) algorithm was applied to detect conserved genes in 711 prokaryotes. Only COG0080 (ribosomal protein L11) was common among all the 711 prokaryotes analyzed and 58 COGs were common in more than 700 prokaryotes. Nine COGs among 58, including COG0197 (endonuclease III) and COG0088 (ribosomal protein L4), were conserved in a form of one gene per one organism. COG0008 represented 1356 genes in 709 of the prokaryotes and this was the highest number of genes among 58 COGs. Twenty-two COGs were conserved in more than 708 prokaryotes. Of these, two were transcription related, four were tRNA synthetases, eight were large ribosomal subunits, seven were small ribosomal subunits, and one was translation elongation factor. Among 58 conserved COGs in more than 700 prokaryotes, 50 (86.2%) were translation related, and four (6.9%) were transcription related, pointing to the importance of protein-synthesis in prokaryotes. Among these 58 COGs, the most conserved COG was COG0060 (isoleucyl tRNA synthetase), and the least conserved was COG0143 (methionyl tRNA synthetase). Archaea and eubacteria were discriminated in the genomic analysis by the average distance and variation in distance of common COGs. The identification of these conserved genes could be useful in basic and applied research, such as antibiotic development and cancer therapeutics.