• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.439-446
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• 2008

A fungicidal spray program for effective control of three major apple diseases in Korea (white rot, bitter rot, and Marssonina blotch) was developed. This was based on our previous studies showing that application of ergosterol biosynthesis inhibitors (EBIs) in early or mid-August can eradicate white rot infection in fruit and that some protective fungicides show after-infection activity against white rot. The basic spray program focused on control of white rot, the main target disease, and the fungicides were sprayed at 15-day intervals from petal fall to late August using fungicides that show after-infection and EBI activity. The basic spray program was modified over 4 successive years to improve control efficacy against bitter rot and Marssonina blotch, which sometimes cause as much damage as white rot. Modifications to the regime were made every year by replacing one fungicide in the basic program at a specific spraying time. Substitution of only one fungicide in the spray program, even early in the growing season, greatly influenced the final disease incidence at harvest. Applying this principle, a moderately efficient spray program for cv. Fuji that increased the spray interval from 10 to 15 days and thus reduced the number of sprays required per crop season was developed.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.28 no.11
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• pp.1771-1781
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• 2018

The emergence of multidrug-resistant microorganisms, as well as fungal infectious diseases that further threaten health, especially in immunodeficient populations, is a major global problem. The development of new antifungal agents in clinical trials is inferior to the incidence of drug resistance, and the available antifungal agents are restricted. Their mechanisms aim at certain characteristics of the fungus in order to avoid biological similarities with the host. Synthesis of the cell wall and ergosterol are mainly targeted in clinical use. The need for new approaches to antifungal therapeutic agents or development alternatives has increased. This review explores new perspectives on mechanisms to effectively combat fungal infections and effective antifungal activity. The clinical drug have a common feature that ultimately causes caspase-dependent cell death. The drugs-induced cell death pathway is associated with mitochondrial dysfunction, including mitochondrial membrane depolarization and cytochrome c release. This mechanism of action also reveals antimicrobial peptides, the primary effector molecules of innate systems, to highlight new alternatives. Furthermore, drug combination therapy is suggested as another strategy to combat fungal infection. The proposal for a new approach to antifungal agents is not only important from a basic scientific point of view, but will also assist in the selection of molecules for combination therapy.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.27 no.8
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• pp.829-833
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• 2004

The bioactivity-guided fractionation of the methylene chloride extract of the sclerotium of Poria cocos led to the isolation of (S)-(＋)-turmerone (1), ergosterol peroxide (2), polyporenic acid C (3), dehydropachymic acid (4), pachymic acid (5), and tumulosic acid (6). Compounds 4-6 exhibited moderate cytotoxicities, with $IC_{50}$ values of 20.5, 29.1, and $10.4{\;}\mu\textrm{m}$, respectively, against a human colon carcinoma cell line. However, 3-6 not only showed inhibitory activities as potent as etoposide used as a positive control on DNA topoisomerase II (36.1, 36.2, 43.9 and 66.7％ inhibition at a concentration of $20{\;}\mu\textrm{m}$, respectively), but also inhibition of DNA topoisomerase I (55.8, 60.7, 43.5, and 83.3％ inhibition at a concentration of $100{\;}\mu\textrm{m}$, respec-tively).

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.189-194
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• 2003

The effects of prochloraz on membrane permeability and germination of uredospores of Puccinia recondita were investigated to determine its potential mode of action on wheat leaf rust control activity. Disease control activity of ergosterol biosynthesis inhibitors (EBIs) and their activities on uredospore membrane permeability and germination were examined with wheat leaf rust pathogen, both in vitro and in vivo. While wheat leaf rust was not controlled by prochloraz, electrolytic leakage and spore germination of P. recondita uredospore was the highest with the use of prochloraz among the eight fungicides tested. Prochloraz stimulated uredospore of P. recondita to germinate at a higher ratio. Although certain EBIs, such as hexaconazole, showed excellent control activity, their effects on uredospore membrane permeability and germination was much inferior to prochloraz. Therefore, results of this study suggest that effects of EBIs on membrane permeability and germination of uredospore are not always correlated with their disease control activity.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.901-906
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• 1995

Studies on the chemical constituents from a Korean wild mushroom, Phellinus ribis, were carried out. A triterpenoid, two peroxysterols, and a chlorobenzene compound were isolated from the hexane soluble fraction of the methanol extract of dried fruiting bodies of the basidomycetes. Those compounds identifed were 3-hydroxy-20(29)-lupen-28-oic acid (betulinic acid), 5,8-epidioxyergosta-6,22-dien-3-ol(ergosterol peroxide), 5,8-epidioxyergosta-6,9(11),22-trien-3-ol (dehydroperoxyergosterol), and 1,2,4,5-tetrachloro-3,6-dimethoxybenzene. Structural studies were carried out on molecular species of a ceramide and cerebroside isolated from the chloroform soluble fraction of the methanol extract. For ceramide, the major component fatty acids were a-hydroxy fatty acid isomers of $C_{22:00}{\sim}C_{25:00};$ the predominant long-chain bases were trihydroxy sphinganine of $C_{17}{\sim}C_{18}$. The structure of a cerebroside containing mono-sugar was assumed that the long-chain base was $C_{19:2}$ sphingadienine; the major fatty acids were $C_{16}{\sim}C_{15}$ ${\alpha}$-hydroxy fatty acid isomers.

• Mycobiology
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.161-170
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• 2009

Cryptococcus neoformans is a basidiomycete human fungal pathogen that causes meningoencephalitis in both immunocompromised and immunocompetent individuals. The ability to sense and respond to diverse extracellular signals is essential for the pathogen to infect and cause disease in the host. Four major stress-activated signaling (SAS) pathways have been characterized in C. neoformans, including the HOG (high osmolarity glycerol response), PKC/Mpk1 MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase), calcium-dependent calcineurin, and RAS signaling pathways. The HOG pathway in C. neoformans not only controls responses to diverse environmental stresses, including osmotic shock, UV irradiation, oxidative stress, heavy metal stress, antifungal drugs, toxic metabolites, and high temperature, but also regulates ergosterol biosynthesis. The PKC(protein kinase C)/Mpk1 pathway in C. neoformans is involved in a variety of stress responses, including osmotic, oxidative, and nitrosative stresses and breaches of cell wall integrity. The $Ca^{2+}$/calmodulin- and Ras-signaling pathways also play critical roles in adaptation to certain environmental stresses, such as high temperature and sexual differentiation. Perturbation of the SAS pathways not only impairs the ability of C. neoformans to resist a variety of environmental stresses during host infection, but also affects production of virulence factors, such as capsule and melanin. A drug(s) capable of targeting signaling components of the SAS pathway will be effective for treatment of cryptococcosis.

• Mycobiology
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.82-86
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• 2007

Ergone, a fungal metabolite derived from ergosterol, was previously isolated and identified from Polyporus umbellatus. Ergone is a major component of P. umbellatus known to have anti-aldosteronic diuretic effect and also displays cytotoxic activities. Most of mushroom's fruit bodies used for test contained less than 10 ${\mu}g/g$ of ergone. But P. umbellatus have larger amount of ergone than any other mushrooms. In order to improve the ergone production from the submerged culture of P. umbellatus, several factors including medium composition, culture conditions (temperature and pH) and different combinations of co-cultivation with various mycelia were studied. Among various carbon sources examined, starch proved to be most effective for the production of mycelia. The optimum pH and temperature for a flask culture of P. umbellatus mycelia were found to be 4.5 and $25^{\circ}C$, respectively. Under the optimized culture conditions, both the ergone production (86.9 ${\mu}g/g$) and mycelial growth (3.5 g/l) increased when P. umbellatus was cultured with Armillariella mellea. When the optimized conditions were applied, both mycelium and ergone production were significantly enhanced.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.267-279
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• 1992

The relationship between pb, zn, cd, and the microbial biomass and activity were investigated in three public park soils of central and outer london. Variability with distance from the roadside and profile were studied. The heavey metal concentrations were the highest in hampstead heath and hyde park with high trafic density and the lowest in hainault. The highest concentrations of heavy metals were found adjacent to the roadside in the upper parts of the soil profile. Dehydrogenase activity, adenosine tri-phosphate and ergosterol contents used as indices of micrbial biomass and activity, were generally higher in hainadult, and also higher in the upper pats of the soil profile. Simple regression analysis indicated that the microbial biomass and activity were affected significantly by moisture content, water holding capacity, total organic carbon, total nitrogen, and organic mater rather than heavy metal concentration. Highest inputs of nitrogen and carbon were associated with high inputs of heavey metals, all three being derived from vehicle emissions adjacent to the road. The hyde park and hampstead heath microbial populations were able to respond to the c and n input positively by increase in biomass and activity, whereas the hainault populations could not. This rsult suggrsts adaptation in he former to heavy matals, but not in the latter.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.290-295
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• 1994

Micelle, liposome and polyethylene glycol(PEG) were employed to reduce the cell mem- brane toxicity of Amphotericin B(Amp. B). Cholesterol-sulfate which can form a mixed micelle with Amp. B molecules was found very effective for the reduction of Amp. B toxicity. 0.01% of cholesterol-sulfate could reduce the toxicity of 5X 10$^{-6}$ M Amp. B by 90%. The required concent- ration of cholesterol-sulfate for the toxicity reduction was proportionally increased with increasing Amp. B concentration. PEG was also effective on the reduction of Amp. B toxicity. 2% PEG was required for the reduction of toxicity by 50%, regardless of Amp. B concentration. The liposome system showed an effective reduction of Amp. B toxicity on RBC, maintaining the antibiotic effect on Candida albicans as free drugs. This seems to be due to the fact that liposome bilayer plays a role of buffer system between ergosterol of fungi cell membrane and cholesterol of red blood cell membrane, which leads the redistribution of Amp. B between them, as the result, the reduction of drug toxicity on cell membrane.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.7
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• pp.926-933
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• 2023

Aspergillus oryzae KCCM 11372 was used to enhance the production of β-glucan using humidity control strategies. Under conditions of 60% humidity, solid-state fermentation (SSF) increased the yields of enzymes (amylase and protease), fungal biomass (ergosterol), and β-glucan. The maximum concentrations obtained were 14800.58 U/g at 72 h, 1068.14 U/g at 120 h, 1.42 mg/g at 72 h, and 12.0% (w/w) at 72 h, respectively. Moreover, the β-glucan containing fermented brown rice (β-glucan-FBR) extracts at concentrations of 25-300 ㎍/ml was considered noncytotoxic to 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. We then studied the inhibitory effects of the extracts on fat droplet formation in 3T3-L1 cells. As a result, 300 ㎍/ml of β-glucan-FBR extracts showed a high inhibition of 38.88% in lipid accumulation. Further, these extracts inhibited adipogenesis in the 3T3-L1 adipocytes by decreasing the expression of C/EBPα, PPARγ, aP2, and GLUT4 genes.