• Journal of Species Research
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.46-55
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• 2020

Chrysosplenium grayanum Maxim. (Series Nepalensia), which had been known to be restricted to Japan, was newly discovered from Mt. Cheongtae in Yeonggwang-gun, Jeollanam-do, located in the southern part of the Korean Peninsula. Species identification was confirmed using morphological characteristics and DNA sequence data, while comparing with materials obtained from Japan and herbarium specimens. Chrysosplenium grayanum is clearly distinguished from the remaining taxa of the genus Chrysosplenium by having glabrous plant body, opposite leaves, cylindrical papillae with roundish head at the tip on the smooth seed surface, and four stamens. Molecular sequence data of the nuclear ribosomal ITS regions, chloroplast rbcL and matK genes strongly supported that this previously unknown Chrysosplenium species from Korea is C. grayanum. Taking the molecular and the morphological evidence into consideration, it is clear that newly discovered Chrysosplenium population in Korea is conspecific with the widely distributed C. grayanum in Japan. In this paper, we provide a description, illustration, and photo images of Chrysosplenium grayanum from Korea and also a key to the Chrysosplenium species in Korea.

• Mycobiology
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.327-337
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• 2017

Three new records of Ascomycota species (Chaetomium acropullum, Phialemonium globosum, Phialemonium atrogriseum) from field soils in Korea are presented in this study. These newly discovered fungal isolates were isolated from field soils from various places across Gyeongnam, Korea in 2016. All the isolates were identified and described based on morphological characteristics, and rDNA internal transcribed spacer and ${\beta}$-tubulin gene sequence data. Morphological features of these fungal species were studied on different agar media: potato dextrose agar, oatmeal agar, malt extract agar, Czapek yeast extract agar, and yeast extract sucrose agar. Full description and illustrations of their morphological characters are provided. These fungal species have not officially been previously reported in Korea.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.191-196
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• 2019

In 2015 and 2017, the National Institute of Biological Resources has isolated four unrecorded prokaryotic species designated as R-1-5, R-2-13, R-2-1, and R-1-8 from the peatland soil of Yongneup. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity determined the four strains (R-1-5, R-2-13, R-2-1, R-1-8) were most closely related to Curvibacter lanceolatus (99.93%), Massilia brevitalea (98.7%), Pseudomonas lini (99.54%), and Pseudomonas vancouverensis (99.93%), respectively. The four unrecorded strains belong to the phylum Proteobacteria, in which the genera Curvibacter and Massilia are assigned to the class Betaproteobacteria, and the genus Pseudomonas to the class Gammaproteobacteria. Since there are no publications or official reports on these four strains, these four species are new records to Korea. The strains were further characterized by Gram reaction, colony and cell morphology, basic biochemical properties, and phylogenetic position. Descriptive information of the four unrecorded species is provided.

• 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 Species Research
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.159-168
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• 2015

Although airborne pollen is invisible to the eye, it has been known as a major source to respiratory allergic reactions. For this reason, airborne pollen is monitoring in many countries to predict pollen concentration based on locality and season. However, the morphological characteristics of airborne pollen and their potential tendency as an allergen are still obscure. In the present study, we selected 52 airborne pollen samples based on previously reported data and investigated their detail pollen characteristics using LM and SEM. Major airborne pollen in Korea has sorted in 19 families (most angiosperms except four gymnosperm families), and all pollen grains are small to medium in size ($P=17.34-49.86{\mu}m$) apart from the bisaccate pollen grains of Pinaceae ($P=46.49-106.20{\mu}m$). The aperture number and shape vary from sulcate to polyporate. While the inaperture pollen has found only in gymnosperm (Cupressaceae and Taxaceae), triporate or polyporate is common pollen type in angiosperm. The sexine ornamentations could divide into several types, but the most sculpturing types are inconspicuous like psilate, rugulate and granulate. Reticulate pollen grains as a semitectum have occurred the species of genera Platanus and Fraxinus only. To estimate the possible relationships between pollen features and allergen, the results are discussed in botanical context.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2023.04a
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• pp.17-17
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• 2023

Chrysanthemum zawadskii (C. zawadskii) is used in traditional East Asian medicine for the treatment of various diseases, including inflammatory disease. However, it has remained unclear whether extracts of C. zawadskii inhibit inflammasome activation in macrophages. The present study assessed the inhibitory effect of an ethanol extract of C. zawadskii (CZE) on the activation of the inflammasome in macrophages and the underlying mechanism. Bone marrow[-derived macrophages (BMDMs) were obtained from wild-type C57BL/6 mice. The release of IL-1β and lactate dehydrogenase in response to nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor (NLR) family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activators, such as ATP, nigericin and monosodium urate (MSU) crystals, was significantly decreased by CZE in lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-primed BMDMs. Western blotting revealed that CZE inhibited ATP-induced caspase-1 cleavage and IL-1β maturation. To investigate whether CZE inhibits the priming step of the NLRP3 inflammasome, we confirmed the role of CZE at the gene level using RT-qPCR. CZE also downregulated the gene expression of NLRP3 and pro-IL-1β as well as NF-κB activation in BMDMs in response to LPS. Apoptosis associated speck-like protein containing a caspase-recruitment domain (CARD) oligomerization and speck formation by NLRP3 inflammasome activators were suppressed by CZE. By contrast, CZE did not affect NLR family CARD domain containing protein 4 (NLRC4) or absent in melanoma 2 (AIM2) inflammasome activation in response to Salmonella typhimurium and poly(dA:dT) in LPS-primed BMDMs, respectively. The results revealed that three key components of CZE, namely linarin, 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid and chlorogenic acid, decreased IL-1β secretion in response to ATP, nigericin and MSU. These findings suggest that CZE effectively inhibited activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.170-173
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• 2020

Research on Korean nematocerous flies (Diptera: Nematocera) was started by the National Institute of Biological Resources in 2012. This publication is a continuation of our previous work. During the season of 2019 insects were collected in Odaesan National Park by the researchers from Korea University. Among these samples, two specimens belonging to the family Hesperinidae, which was previously unrecorded from Korea, were noticed. This family is known from countries bordering Korea (East Siberia and Far East of Russia, Hokkaido Island of Japan), thus occurrence of hesperinid flies was expected on the Korean Peninsula. Only one genus Hesperinus Walker, 1848 with eight species belong to this family. They are developing in decaying wood of deciduous trees. Hesperinus rohdendorfi Krivosheina & Mamaev, 1967, which was known from East Siberia and Far East of Russia is recorded from South Korea. Redescription and photographs of the most important taxonomical details are presented.

• Mycobiology
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• v.49 no.5
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• pp.521-526
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• 2021

Three isolates belonging to the ascomycetous genus Zygotorulaspora were obtained from the fruits of Cornus officinalis and Smilax china, and flowers of Dendranthema zawadskii var. latilobum in Gongju-si, Korea. Phylogenetic Analyses of the LSU D1/D2 domain and ITS region sequences supported the recognition of two new species: Zygotorulaspora cornina sp. nov. (type strain NIBRFGC000500475 = KACC93346P^PP) and Zygotorulaspora smilacis sp. nov. (type strain NIBRFGC000500476 = KACC93347P^PP). The two novel species revealed no growth on D-Galactose, unlike the other six species in the genus Zygotorulaspora. They are distinguished from each other by their phylogenetic differences and phenotypic characteristics such as assimilation of xylitol, 5-keto-D-gluconate, and ethanol. All species in the genus Zygotorulaspora including the two novel species have phenotypic traits of genus Zygotorulaspora: asci are persistent, sucrose and raffinose are assimilated, and m-inositol is not required for growth, and they are mainly associated with plants.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.47-60
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• 2022

This study is based on crane fly specimens collected during more than 80 years, from 1937 through 2019, and are in collections maintained at the United States National Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC, USA; at Korea University collection, Seoul, South Korea, and the National Institute of Biological Resources, Incheon, South Korea. Three species belonging to genus Phylidorea Bigot, 1854 originally were described from North Korea and in total four species were known from the Peninsula. Phylidorea (Phylidorea) multidentata (Alexander, 1938) is a Korean endemic. We are adding P. (P.) melanommata (Alexander, 1921) to the list of Korean species, which was previously recorded from Japan and Far East of Russia. We present general information on genus and subgenera, redescriptions of species based on Korean specimens, illustrations of both sexes, elevation range, period of activity, habitat information, general distribution, and a distribution map for the Korean Peninsula (including North Korea) for each species.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.243-248
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• 2017

Intracellular and extracellular oxidative stress initiated by reactive oxygen species (ROS) causes skin aging, which is characterized by wrinkles and atypical pigmentation. Use of antioxidant is an effective approach to prevent symptoms related to ROS-induced aging of the skin. Therefore, the antioxidant and anti-aging effect of Castanea crenata Siebold & Zucc. extracts (LCE) was investigated in this study. The LCE markedly reduced the hydrogen peroxide-induced cell damage, intracellular ROS, and oxidative stress-induced senescence in human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs). These results indicate that LCE might have beneficial effects on oxidative stress-induced damage and thus reduce skin aging.