• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.181-189
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• 2018

Candida albicans is a major pathogenic fungus in humans, and meets at first the innate immune cells, such as macrophages, in its host. One important strategy of the host cell to kill C. albicans is to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) by the macrophages. In response to ROS produced by the macrophages, C. albicans operates its defense mechanisms against them by expressing its oxidative stress response genes. Although there have been many research studies explaining the specific transcription factors and the expression of the oxidative stress genes in C. albicans, the regulation of the oxidative stress genes by chromatin structure is little known. Epigenetic regulation by the chromatin structure is very important for the regulation of eukaryotic gene expression, including the chromatin structure dynamics by histone modifications. Among various histone modifications, histone acetylation is reported for its direct relationship to the regulation of gene expression. Recent studies reported that histone acetyltransferases regulate genes to respond to the oxidative stress in C. albicans. In this review, we introduce all histone acetyltransferases that C. albicans contains and some papers that explain how histone acetyltransferases participate in the oxidative stress response in C. albicans.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.354-358
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• 2019

In order to evaluate the migration of fungi into doenjang from its materials, meju and solar salt, microbial communities were analyzed using pyrosequencing. Dominant fungi of meju were Botrytis spp. (57.94%) and Dothiorella samentorum (24.08%). Unidentified fungal species (37.53%), unassigned species (32.60%) and several fungal species of small portion were identified in solar salt. In doenjang, Candida versatilis were predominantly detected (92.62%). Non-halophilic mold were dominantly identified from meju (low-salt fermented soybean), while halophilic bacteria and archaea for solar salt and salt-tolerance fungi such as C. versatilis for doenjang (high-salt fermented soybean) were frequently detected. These results implied that most predominant fungal species might not be migrated from meju and/or solar salt into doenjang.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.403-406
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• 2009

Rev is an essential regulatory protein for HIV-1 replication. Rev (11-20) is known as the significant region regarding the function of a nuclear entry inhibitory signal (NIS) of Rev. In this study, anticandidal effects and mechanism of action of Rev (11-20) were investigated. The result exhibited that Rev (11-20) contained candidacidal activities. To understand target site(s) of Rev (11-20), the intracellular localization of the peptide was investigated. The result showed that Rev (11-20) rapidly accumulated in the fungal cell surface. The cell wall regeneration test also indicated that Rev (11-20) exerted its anticandidal activity to fungal plasma membrane rather than cell wall. The fluorescent study using 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH) further confirmed the membrane-disruption mechanism(s) of Rev (11-20). The present study suggests that Rev (11-20) possesses significant potential regarding therapeutic agents for treating fungal diseases caused by Candida species in humans.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.574-578
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• 1996

In the course of screening for the antifungal compounds against Candida albicans, an antifungal compound (F1480) was isolated from the culture broth of Aspergillus candidus F1484. Isolation and purification of compound F1484 were performed using ethyl acetate extraction, silica gel column chromatography, ODS column chromatography, and preparative HPLC. The structure of compound F1484 was determined by the spectroscopic analyses of EI-MS, $^{13}$C, $^{1}$H-NMR, DEPT, HMQC, and HMBC. This compound appeared to have a structure of antifungal agent, chloroflavonin. In addition to antifungal activities against the yeast phase of Candida species, compound F1484 showed cytotoxic effect against various human tumor cell lines.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.361-363
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• 1988

The prevalence of yeasts in mammary glands of dairy cows and teat cups of milking machines was studied in Chinju area. The rate of subclinical yeast infection in 330 quarters was 3.6%. Of 12 isolates from the milk, 4 Candida pseudotropicalis, 3 C tropicalis, 2 C krusei, 2 C albicans and 1 Rhodotorula spp were identified. The 91.7% of the isolates belonged to the genus Candida and C pseudotropicalis was the predominant species. From 20.5% of 200 teat cups tested, 51 strains of yeasts were isolated. These were 13 C pseudotropicalis, 9 C guilliermondii, 7 C tropicalis, 5 C krusei, 5 C parapsilosis, 3 C albicans, 2 Torulopsis glabrata, 2 Geotrichum candidum and 5 unidentified yeasts. C pseudotropicalis was most frequently encountcred.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.270-274
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• 2012

Three actinobacterial strains exhibiting broad spectrum antibiotic activities were isolated from soil, and characterized. Through the comparative analysis of 16S rRNA genes, the three isolates could be assigned to the genus Streptomyces, as S. tanashiensis, S. nashivillensis, and S. rubiginosohelvolus were found to be the mostly related species, but the strains formed independent phylogenetic lineage. Each strain exhibited different antimicrobial profile against Gram-positive bacteria Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus, Gram-negative bacteria Salmonella typhi, Enterobacter cloacae, Serratia marcescens, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and also fungi Candida tropicalis and Candida krusei. In addition to the antimicrobial profile, the strains also differed in API ZYM test results, which implies that the three strains might produce difference antimicrobial substances.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.659-666
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• 2021

After Candida albicans, Candida glabrata is one of the most common fungal species associated with candidemia in nosocomial infections. Rapid acquisition of nutrients from the host is important for the survival of pathogens which possess the metabolic flexibility to assimilate different carbon and nitrogen compounds. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, nitrogen assimilation is controlled through a mechanism known as Nitrogen Catabolite Repression (NCR). NCR is coordinated by the action of four GATA factors; two positive regulators, Gat1 and Gln3, and two negative regulators, Gzf3 and Dal80. A mechanism in C. glabrata similar to NCR in S. cerevisiae has not been broadly studied. We previously showed that in C. glabrata, Gln3, and not Gat1, has a major role in nitrogen assimilation as opposed to what has been observed in S. cerevisiae in which both factors regulate NCR-sensitive genes. Here, we expand the knowledge about the role of Gln3 from C. glabrata through the transcriptional analysis of BG14 and gln3Δ strains. Approximately, 53.5% of the detected genes were differentially expressed (DEG). From these DEG, amino acid metabolism and ABC transporters were two of the most enriched KEGG categories in our analysis (Up-DEG and Down-DEG, respectively). Furthermore, a positive role of Gln3 in AAA assimilation was described, as was its role in the transcriptional regulation of ARO8. Finally, an unexpected negative role of Gln3 in the gene regulation of ABC transporters CDR1 and CDR2 and its associated transcriptional regulator PDR1 was found. This observation was confirmed by a decreased susceptibility of the gln3Δ strain to fluconazole.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.1-18
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• 1984

With 156 water samples collected from 39 locations in the Yeong San River estuary during the 12month period from March 1976 to February 1977, the seasonal distribution of yeast and the distributional pattern of yeast on salinity gradient have been investigated. An overall average number of yeast ranged from 52 to 487 viable cells (c.f.u.) per 100ml water sample. The highest count of yeast was obtained in spring while the lowest value came in summer. 933 yeast and one yeast-like fungus pertaining to 14 genera and 83 species were recovered, of which Candida were 29%, Debaryomyces 17.3%, Rhodotorula Glutinis were dominant forms in all locations as well as throughout the year. The population size of total aerobic bacteria, the amount of terrestrial imputs, and some of geographical and/or climatic factor appear to reflect the seasonal distribution of yeast as well as the composition of yeast species in an estuarine environ. Average number of yeast, species diversity, and particularly the number of fermentative and pseudomycelium-producing yeasts increased with decreasing salinity whereas nitrate-utilizing yeasts showed opposite trend, suggesting that salinity gradient can be used as a feasible detector for the distributional pattern of yeast in estuarine habitat.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.23-28
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• 2012

Objective: This experimental study was designed to investigate the safety and the effectiveness of Samjeong pharmacopuncture solution (SPS) manufactured by using a the lowtemperature extract on process. Methods: To identify the safety and the effectiveness of using SPS as eye drops, we performed applied eye irritation tests on rabbits and antibacterial tests for Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Aspergillus niger, Fusarium oxysporum, and Candida albicans. The eye irritation test was performed according to the toxicity testing regulation of the Korea Food & Drug Administration (2009. 8. 24, KFDA 2009-116). After SPS had been applied on the left eye of the rabbits, eye irritation in the cornea, iris and conjunctiva was observed on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th & 7th day. After SPS had been dropped on bacterial species that cause keratitis, the minimum inhibition concentration and the size of the inhibition zone were measured. The anti-bacterial potency was also measured by taking the size of inhibition zone. Results: After SPS had been administered on the left eye of the rabbits, none of nine rabbits were found to show abnormal signs or weight changes. After SPS had been administered on the left eye of the rabbits, no eye irritation in the cornea, iris and conjunctiva was observed on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th & 7th day. No specific response was detected in MIC for bacterial species Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Aspergillus niger, Fusarium oxysporum, and Candida albicans after SPS had been applied. Conclusions: This study suggests that SPS is a non-toxic and non-irritant medicine that does not cause any of eye irritation in rabbits, but it has no antibacterial effects on bacterial species that are well known to cause keratitis. These results suggest that more research is required on extracts from herbal medicines for treating keratitis.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.253-259
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• 1996

To investigate the yeast florae in the traditional and commercial Kochujang, computer identification systems, Vitek, API kit and conventional identification methods were used. Yeast florae of each process were compared and their typical physiological characteristics were also tested. Various process intervals yielded 330 colonies, which resulted in 11 species 184 strains classified. They were identified into Candida glabrata C. guilliermondii. C. humicola. C. rugosa, C. zeylanoides, Cryptococcus uniguttulatus, Pichia farinosa, Rhodotorula glutinis, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Zygosaccharomyces rouxii. The strains of Candida, Pichia, Saccharomyces and Zygosaccharomyces were existing in both processes. In case of commercial process, the maximum distribution of Z. rouxii and S. cerevisiae were 33% at 15 day fermentation and 13% at 21 day, respectively. The distribution of Candida spp. was gradually decreased throughtout the fermentation period from 40% to 10%. In the traditional process, the maximum distribution of Z. rouxii and S. cerevisiae were 53% after 3 months and 26% after 7 months, respectively, S. cerevisiae and Z. rouxii showed distintive growth pattern at the high concentration of glucose and sodium chloride and played important roles in both processes of fermentation. Physiological tests revealed that only two major yeasts. S. cerevisiae and Z. rouxii, showed vigorous carbon dioxide formation under the tested conditions.