• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.140-145
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• 1993

Yeast strains were isolated from healthy women(36 isolates), infertile women(15 isolates) and women suffering from local morbidity(82 isolates). On the basis of 37 different physiological and morphological characteristics, the isolated 133 yeast strains were assigned to 10 species belonging to 5 genera. Four pathogenic species were identified. They were Candida albicans, Candida parapsilosis, Candida tropicalis and Trichosporon beigelii. Candida albicans was the dominant species, whereas Saccharomyces cerevisiae prevailed among the saprophytic species. The percentage occurrence as well as the pattern of yeast species differed in the diagnostic groups. It was higher in the women suffering from local morbidity than in the healthy and infertile women. Moreover, a wider spectrum of species was isolated from this group. Women with intrauterine contraceptive devices showed the highest percentage of yeast occurrence which reached 50% of those tested. Five different antifungal agents were tested fro their effects on the growth of the isolated yeast species in vitro. Nystatin was the most effective against the isolated yeast species, followed by pyrithion zink and ciclopiroxolamine, whereas micronazole and clotrimazole, showed a lesser effect.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.238-243
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• 2015

BACKGROUND: Yeasts associated with fleabane flowers were identified using isolation methods previously applied in yeast biotechnology. A culture-based approach was required for isolation of many yeast strains associated with fleabane. METHODS AND RESULTS: We spread homogenized fleabane flowers onto GPY medium containing chloramphenicol, streptomycin, Triton X-100, and L-sorbose. We isolated 79 yeast strains from the flowers of wild fleabane, and identified the yeasts via phylogenetic analysis of isolates from agar plates. The yeast species included 39 isolates of Aureobasidium pullulans, 17 of the genus Candida, 14 of the genus Rhodosporidium, 6 of the genus Cryptococcus, and 3 of the genus Rhodotorula. CONCLUSION: Yeast isolates associated with fleabane flowers included A. pullulans (39 isolates) and other yeast species (40 isolates). Such yeast isolates may have biotechnological potential.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.259-269
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• 2017

In order to investigate the diversity of yeasts from major rivers (the Daejeoncheon, Gapcheon and Yudeungcheon) located in Daejeon city, we isolated wild yeasts by plating diluents of samples collected during the summer and winter of 2016 onto yeast extract-peptone-dextrose (YPD) medium, then identified them using Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) analysis to compare the nucleotide sequences of the PCR amplicons for the D1/D2 domain of 26S rDNA. In total, we isolated 191 yeast strains belonging to 104 species from 148 soil or water samples from the rivers and their junctions. Candida spp. (45 strains) including Candida tropicalis (22 strains) were the most abundantly isolated strains from the Daejeoncheon. Candida spp. (16 strains) including Candida vartiovaarae (8 strains) and Candida spp. (18 strains) such as Candida sake (4 strains) were also the dominant isolates from the Gapcheon and Yudeungcheon, respectively. In conclusion, Candida spp. and Cryptococcus spp. were the most dominant strains, corresponding to 42% and 7% of the 191 yeast strains isolated in this study, respectively.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.198-203
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• 2020

The goal of this study was to isolate and identify wild yeasts from soil samples. The 15 wild yeast strains were isolated from the soil samples collected in Pocheon city, Gyeonggi Province, Korea. Among them, four yeast stains were unrecorded, and 11 yeast stains were previously recorded in Korea. To identify wild yeasts, microbiological characteristics were observed by API 20C AUX kit. Pairwise sequence comparisons of the D1/D2 domain of the 26S rRNA were performed using Basic Local Alignment Search Tool(BLAST). Cell morphology of yeast strains was examined by phase contrast microscope. All strains were oval-shaped and polar budding and positive for assimilation of glucose, 2-keto-ᴅ-gluconate, N-acetyl-ᴅ-glucosamine, ᴅ-maltose and ᴅ-saccharose (sucrose). There is no official report that describes these four yeast species: one strain of the genus Kodamaea in the family Metschnikowiaceae and three strains of the Hannaella in the family Bulleribasidiaceae. Kodamaea ohmeri YI7, Hannaella kunmingensis YP355, Hannaella luteola YP230 and Hannaella oryzae YP366 were recorded in Korea, for the first time.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.65-73
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• 2022

This study aimed to isolate wild yeasts from seawaters and soils samples of the Haeundae and Mongdol beaches on the southern coast of Korea, and to characterize these unrecorded wild yeast strains. In total, 41 strains, representing 37 different species of wild yeast were isolated from 70 samples collected from the beaches. Among these, 14 strains were isolated from the alkalophilic medium of yeast extract-peptone-dextrose (YPD) medium (pH 9.0), and 27 strains were isolated concurrently on general YPD medium (pH 6.5). Among the 41 isolated wild yeast strains, Candida insectorum HUD 16-3(JSL-KSS-002) and Metschnikowia citriensis HUD 12-5(JSL-KSS-001) had not previously been recorded. We investigated the microbiological characteristics of these two unrecorded yeast strains and three other strains-, Cystobasidium lysinophilum JSC 52-2(JSL-GGU-019), Candida takata NMD 11-1(JSL-GGU-017) and Candida panamensis ASG 58M-2(JSL-GGU-018) from Jangseoncheon in Jellabuk-do and Jangtaesan in Deajeon city. All five previously unrecorded yeasts were oval and did not form spores. All strains grew well in YPD and yeast extract-malt extract media in a vitamin-free medium. Two strains, including C. insectorum HUD 16-3(JSL-KSS-002) grew well in a 15% NaCl-containing YPD medium. Three strains, including Cys. lysinophilum JSC52-2(JSL-GGU-019) assimilated lactose, and all strains assimilated starch.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.846-853
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• 2016

We displayed four types of Solanum nigrum metallothionein (SMT) for the first time on the surface of Saccharomyces cerevisiae using an α-agglutinin-based display system. The SMT genes were amplified by RT-PCR. The plasmid pYES2 was used to construct the expression vector. Transformed yeast strains were confirmed by PCR amplification and custom sequencing. Surface-expressed metallothioneins were indirectly indicated by the enhanced cadmium sorption capacity. Flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry was used to examine the concentration of Cd²⁺ in this study. The transformed yeast strains showed much higher resistance ability to Cd²⁺ compared with the control. Strikingly, their Cd²⁺ accumulation was almost twice as much as that of the wild-type yeast cells. Furthermore, surface-engineered yeast strains could effectively adsorb ultra-trace cadmium and accumulate Cd²⁺ under a wide range of pH levels, from 3 to 7, without disturbing the Cu²⁺ and Hg²⁺. Four types of surfaceengineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains were constructed and they could be used to purify Cd²⁺-contaminated water and adsorb ultra-trace cadmium effectively. The surface-engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains would be useful tools for the bioremediation and biosorption of environmental cadmium contaminants.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.219-224
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• 1992

The changes of yeast population were investigated in Mul-kimchi containing 3% salt, fermented at $15^{\circ}C$. The total viable count increased to the maximum at the optimum ripening period and then decreased rapidly. Among twenty-nine strains isolated at the optimum ripening period, the yeasts of genus Saccharomyces were predominant. The growth of five strains, Saccharomyces saitoanus Y17, Saccharomyces capensis Y29, Saccharomyces chevalieri Y13, Kluyveromyces fragilis Y2, Torulopsis candida Y9, was measured in mixed culture with each selected lactic strains, hctobaczllus plantarum Lp2, Pedzococcus pentosaceus PI, Leuconostoc mesenteroides Lu5. The results indicated that all the yeasts tested were inhibited significantly by lactic strains, however the sensitivity of yeast strains varied greatly.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.545-553
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• 2021

In 2021, seven yeast strains were isolated from earthworm (Eisenia andrei) gut samples collected from the Nanji Water Regeneration Center in Goyang City, Gyeonggi Province, Korea. A total of seven yeasts were isolated, of which three strains have not been previously reported in Korea. To identify the yeasts, pairwise sequence comparisons of large subunit (LSU) rDNA sequences were performed using the basic local alignment search tool (BLAST). Assimilation test and cell morphology analysis were performed using the API 20C AUX kit and phase contrast microscope, respectively. Five of the seven strains were assigned to the genus Candida of the order Saccharomycetales of the class Saccharomycetes, and two to the genus Apiotrichum of the order Trichosporonales of the class Tremellomycetes. The yeast strain Candida sojae E2 belongs to the family Debaryomycetaceae, and Apiotrichum laibachii E8 and A. laibachii E9 belong to the family Trichosporonaceae. All strains were cultured in yeast mold agar for three days and showed different colony forms. C. sojae E2 was round and entire shaped, while A. laibachii E8 and A. laibachii E9 was round and convex shaped. This study focuses on the description of the three yeast strains that have not been officially reported in Korea.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.7-24
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• 2023

More than five hundreds of yeast species (including 9 variants) encompassing 142 genera and 48 classes of 2 phyla exist in Korea. However, only 173 species have been cataloged in the National Species List of Korea (NSLK), the backbone reference to claim sovereign rights over biological resources, as of December 2021, due to the lack of taxonomic descriptions, although some of these species are extensively used in industry. The present pilot study investigated the taxonomy of strains belonging to the six most widely used or frequently isolated yeast species (Meyeromyma guilliermondii, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Saccharomycopsis fibuligera, Wickerhamomyces anomalus, Candida tropicalis, and Papiliotrema flavescens) to include these species in the NSLK. Strains with diverse habitats and geographic origins were retrieved from the National Institute of Biological Resources culture collection. These strains clustered in the same clade as the type strains of the designated species according to phylogenetic analysis of the D1/D2 sequences. Moreover, we described the cell morphology and physiological characteristics of representative strains of each species. This study suggests that these six species are indigenous to Korea and can be accordingly listed in the NSLK.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.11
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• pp.1891-1907
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• 2016

Yeasts that are present in marine environments have evolved to survive hostile environments that are characterized by high exogenous salt content, high concentrations of inhibitory compounds, and low soluble carbon and nitrogen levels. Therefore, yeasts isolated from marine environments could have interesting characteristics for industrial applications. However, the application of marine yeast in research or industry is currently very limited owing to the lack of a suitable isolation method. Current methods for isolation suffer from fungal interference and/or low number of yeast isolates. In this paper, an efficient and non-laborious isolation method has been developed and successfully isolated large numbers of yeasts without bacterial or fungal growth. The new method includes a three-cycle enrichment step followed by an isolation step and a confirmation step. Using this method, 116 marine yeast strains were isolated from 14 marine samples collected in the UK, Egypt, and the USA. These strains were further evaluated for the utilization of fermentable sugars (glucose, xylose, mannitol, and galactose) using a phenotypic microarray assay. Seventeen strains with higher sugar utilization capacity than the reference terrestrial yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae NCYC 2592 were selected for identification by sequencing of the ITS and D1/D2 domains. These strains belonged to six species: S. cerevisiae, Candida tropicalis, Candida viswanathii, Wickerhamomyces anomalus, Candida glabrata, and Pichia kudriavzevii. The ability of these strains for improved sugar utilization using seawater-based media was confirmed and, therefore, they could potentially be utilized in fermentations using marine biomass in seawater media, particularly for the production of bioethanol and other biochemical products.