• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.147-154
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• 2005

A survey for vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizae (VAM) status was undertaken in three different industrially polluted sites at Uyyakondan channel of Senthanneerpuram area in Trichy, India. The soils and the effluents were acidic, and contained higher Zn (621 to 711 ppm) than the other heavy metals, such as Cu, Pb, and Ni. Eighteen plant species were collected from the rhizosphere soils, and 13 species were positive for VAM colonization. Fifteen VAM fungal species were isolated from the plant species. The number of VAM fungal spores from the soils ranged from 45 to 640 per 100 g of soil. There was a significant correlation observed between the number of spores and percentage root colonization, as exemplified by Acalypha indica (45 and 20%, respectively) and Paspalum vaginatum (640 and 98%, respectively). Hostspecific and site-specific associations were observed in site 2; particular VAM species, Gigaspora gigantea and Glomus fasciculatum, were specific to particular host plants, Phyllanthus maderaspatensis and A. indica, respectively, even though Eclipta prostrata and Physalis minima were maximally associated with 8 VAM species. G. fasciculatum was found in 11 plant species and predominant VAM species. These results led us to conclude that VAM fungi are associated with a majority of the plants in the industrial polluted sites and support the plants to survive in the acidic soils, polluted with heavy metals of the industrial effluents.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.47-52
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• 2012

Crocodile farms are getting popular in Bangladesh in an economic point of view. In one of the farms, some crocodiles were found sick and three of them died between May and July in 2006. This investigation was performed to diagnose the cause of the death. Routine postmortem examination was conducted. Samples were collected in 10% neutral buffered formalin for histopathology and in falcon tube for microbiological study. Additional swabs were collected in nutrient broth. Histopathological and microbiological studies were conducted using routine procedures. In addition Giemsa, Gram and PAS stains were performed to detect the organism in tissues. Grossly, esophagus, trachea, lungs, liver, spleen, heart and kidney were congested. Intestine, rectum and colon were hemorrhagic. Clay colored material was found in colo-rectum. Purulent exudates in lungs and thick and cloudy pericardial fluid in pericardial sac were found. Histologically, multifocal granulomatous inflammation was evident in lung, liver, kidney, intestine and colon with bacterial colonies, fungal spores and hyphae. These bacteria were appeared as Gram negative. Fungal hyphae and spores were detected in liver, lungs and colon by using PAS stain. Bacteriologically, E. coli were isolated from lungs exudates, pericardial fluids and intestinal fluids. Therefore, it can be concluded that 3 crocodiles died due to E. coli septicemia concurrent with mycotic infection.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.9-16
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• 2022

Background: The global shift toward greener societies demands new technologies and work operations in the waste-management sector. However, progressive industrial methods do not necessarily consider workers' health. This study characterized workers' exposure to bioaerosols and investigated the bioaerosols' potential to engage the immune system in vitro. Methods: Full shift personal aerosol sampling was conducted over three consecutive days. Dust load was analyzed by gravimetry, fungal and actinobacterial spores were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, and endotoxin by limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL) assay. In vitro exposure of HEK cells to airborne dust samples was used to investigate the potential of inducing an inflammatory reaction. Results: The total dust exposure level exceeded the recommended occupational exposure limit (OEL) of 5.0 mg/m³ in 3 out of 15 samples. The inhalable endotoxin level exceeded the recommended exposure level by a 7-fold, whereas the fungal spore level exceeded the recommended exposure level by an 11-fold. Actinobacterial spores were identified in 8 out of 14 samples. In vitro experiments revealed significant TLR2 activation in 9 out of 14 samples vs. significant TLR4 activation in all samples. Conclusion: The present study showed that the dust samples contained potentially health-impairing endotoxin, fungi, and actinobacterial levels. Furthermore, the sampled dust contained microbial components capable of inducing TLR activation and thus have the potential to evoke an inflammatory response in exposed individuals.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.48-58
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• 2010

In Korea, EBI fungicides which are highly effective for control of pear scab and rust but of high risk for development of resistance have been frequently sprayed by majority of pear growers. To detect any possible resistance or reduced sensitivity in the field strains of scab fungus to five EBIs, difenoconazole, fluquinconazole, flusilazole, fenarimole and hexaconazole, sensitivity tests were conducted with fungal specimens collected in Ulsan and Naju where scab usually occurs and EBIs have been intensively sprayed for many years. As the strains for which $EC_{50}$ values of the EBIs were largely shifted from those of base-line were occasionally found, the resistant or less sensitive strains were supposed to be distributed. In the activity test for the EBIs by artificial inoculation, in which EBI-treated pear leaves on the potted seedlings were inoculated with fungal spores collected in the two regions, development of resistances to EBIs were confirmed. Since the fungal spores collected at 4 and 2 orchards in Naju and Ulsan, respectively, produced much higher disease incidence on the leaves treated with hexaconazole than those on the untreated control, those fungal specimens were determined as resistant to hexaconazole. Similar results were also obtained with two specimens from Ulsan for flusilazole.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.315-321
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• 1994

In order to prevent the postharvest decay and to promote the freshness retention of fruits and vegetables grapefruit seed extract(GFSE), natural microorganism control agent, was applied to the preservation of fresh fruits and vegetables. Freshfruits and vegetables treated with GFSE and stored in polyethylene film (0.1mm) at 1$0^{\circ}C$-15$^{\circ}C$ of natural low temperature low kept better qualities in color and texture than the GFSE -not- treated control. The treatment using GFSE ina 250ppm to 500ppm concentration seemed to be an effective one for the control of Botrytis cinerea isolated in red wine grapes. After 4 weeks of storage the firmness rate of cucumbers treated with the dilute GFSE was four times higher than that of non-treated ones. GFSE showed effective inhibitory action towards plant pathological bacteria and fungi which were involved in the decay of fruits and vegetables. Minimum inhibitory concentrations of GFSE towards them were in the range of 250ppm to 500ppm .Direct visualization of microbial cells and spores using electron microscopy showed microbial cells and fungal spores the function of which was destroyed by treating with the dilute solutions of GFSE. It was observed that GFSE would reduced disease damages and have bactericide & fungicide properties during the storage of such fruits and vegetables as egg plant, wild edible greens , kumquat, and kiwi fruit.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.676-685
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• 2021

RNA-binding proteins are involved in RNA metabolism and posttranscriptional regulation of various fundamental biological processes. The PUF family of RNA-binding proteins is highly conserved in eukaryotes, and its members regulate gene expression, mitochondrial biogenesis, and RNA processing. However, their biological functions in Aspergillus species remain mostly unknown in filamentous fungi. Here we have characterized the puf genes in the model organism Aspergillus nidulans. We generated deletion mutant strains for the five putative puf genes present in the A. nidulans genome and investigated their developmental phenotypes. Deletion of pufA or pufE affected fungal growth and asexual development. pufA mutants exhibited decreased production of asexual spores and reduced mRNA expression of genes regulating asexual development. The pufE deletion reduced colony growth, increased formation of asexual spores, and delayed production of sexual fruiting bodies. In addition, the absence of pufE reduced both sterigmatocystin production and the mRNA levels of genes in the sterigmatocystin cluster. Finally, pufE deletion mutants showed reduced trehalose production and lower resistance to thermal stress. Overall, these results demonstrate that PufA and PufE play roles in the development and sterigmatocystin metabolism in A. nidulans.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.11
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• pp.1420-1427
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• 2023

The forkhead domain genes are important for development and morphogenesis in fungi. Six forkhead genes fkhA-fkhF have been found in the genome of the model filamentous Ascomycete Aspergillus nidulans. To identify the fkh gene(s) associated with fungal development, we examined mRNA levels of these six genes and found that the level of fkhB and fkhD mRNA was significantly elevated during asexual development and in conidia. To investigate the roles of FkhB and FkhD, we generated fkhB and fkhD deletion mutants and complemented strains and investigated their phenotypes. The deletion of fkhB, but not fkhD, affected fungal growth and both sexual and asexual development. The fkhB deletion mutant exhibited decreased colony size with distinctly pigmented (reddish) asexual spores and a significantly lower number of conidia compared with these features in the wild type (WT), although the level of sterigmatocystin was unaffected by the absence of fkhB. Furthermore, the fkhB deletion mutant produced sexual fruiting bodies (cleistothecia) smaller than those of WT, implying that the fkhB gene is involved in both asexual and sexual development. In addition, fkhB deletion reduced fungal tolerance to heat stress and decreased trehalose accumulation in conidia. Overall, these results suggest that fkhB plays a key role in proper fungal growth, development, and conidial stress tolerance in A. nidulans.

• 한국균학회소식:학술대회논문집
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• 2014.10a
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• pp.34-34
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• 2014

Filamentous fungi of the genus Colletotrichum (teleomorph, Glomerella) are considered major plant pathogens worldwide. Cereals, legumes, vegetables, and fruit trees may be seriously affected by this pathogen (1). Colletotrichum species cause typical disease symptoms known as anthracnoses, characterized by sunken necrotic tissue, where orange conidial masses are produced. Anthracnose appears in both developing and mature plant tissues (2). We investigated disease occurrence in apple orchards from 2013 to 2014 in northern Gyeongbuk province, Korea. Typical anthracnose with advanced symptoms was observed in all apple orchards studied. Of late, static fruit spot symptoms are being observed in apple orchards. A small lesion, which does not expand further and remains static until the harvesting season, is observed at the beginning of fruit growth period. In our study, static symptoms, together with the typical symptoms, were observed on apples. The isolated fungus was tested for pathogenicity on cv. 'Fuji apple' (fully ripe fruits, unripe fruits, and cross-section of fruits) by inoculating the fruits with a conidial suspension ($10^5$ conidia/ml). In apple inoculated with typical anthracnose fungus, the anthracnose symptoms progressed, and dark lesions with salmon-colored masses of conidia were observed on fruit, which were also soft and sunken. However, in apple inoculated with fungi causing static symptoms, the size of the spots did not increase. Interestingly, the shape and size of the conidia and the shape of the appressoria of both types of fungi were found to be similar. The conidia of the two types of fungi were straight and cylindrical, with an obtuse apex. The culture and morphological characteristics of the conidia were similar to those of C. gloeosporioides (5). The conidia of C. gloeosporioides germinate and form appressoria in response to chemical signals such as host surface wax and the fruitripening hormone ethylene (3). In this study, the spores started to germinate 4 h after incubation with an ethephon suspension. Then, the germ tubes began to swell, and subsequently, differentiation into appressoria with dark thick walls was completed by 8 h. In advanced symptoms, fungal spores of virtually all the appressoria formed primary hyphae within 16 h. However, in the static-symptom fungus spores, no primary hyphae formed by 16 h. The two types of isolates exhibited different growth rates on medium containing apple pectin, Na polypectate, or glucose as the sole carbon. Static-symptom fungi had a >10% reduction in growth (apple pectin, 14.9%; Na polypectate, 27.7%; glucose, 10.4%). The fungal isolates were also genetically characterized by sequencing. ITS regions of rDNA, chitin synthase 1 (CHS1), actin (ACT), and ${\beta}$-tubulin (${\beta}t$) were amplified from isolates using primer pairs ITS 1 and ITS 4 (4), CHS-79F and CHS-354R, ACT-512F and ACT-783R, and T1 and ${\beta}t2$ (5), respectively. The resulting sequences showed 100% identity with sequences of C. gloeosporioides at KC493156, and the sequence of the ${\beta}$t gene showed 100% identity with C. gloeosporioides at JX009557.1. Therefore, sequence data from the four loci studied proves that the isolated pathogen is C. gloeosporioides. We also performed random amplified polymorphic DNA-PCR, which showed clearly differentiated subgroups of C. gloeosporioides genotypes. The clustering of these groups was highly related to the symptom types of the individual strains.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.97-103
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• 2014

A total of 7039 strains of filamentous fungi are preserved in Korean Agricultural Culture Collection (KACC). The 4065 strains (58%) of them, which produce many spores in cultivation on proper media, are preserved with freeze-drying method. They are also preserved with liquid nitrogen and deep-freezer storage in order to minimize loss by death. Aspergillus, Penicillium, Lichtheimia, Mucor, Rhizopus, etc. which are common in surrounding environments, are included in this category. The others which do not produce spores, or produce few spores in vitro, are preserved with liquid nitrogen, deep-freezer and mineral oil storage. Phytophthora, Pythium, Cercospora, Septoria, Rhizoctonia, etc. are included in this category. The authors also introduced various fungal preservation methods and provided detailed preservation procedures that are used in KACC.

• Mycobiology
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• v.48 no.5
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• pp.383-391
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• 2020

Use of nanoparticles (NPs) in several commercial products has led to emergence of novel contaminants of air, soil and water bodies. The NPs may exhibit greater ecotoxicity due to nano-scale dependent properties over their bulk counterparts. The present investigation explores the effect of in vitro supplementation of TiO₂, silica and silver NPs on radial growth and ultrastructural changes in the hyphae and spores of two mushroom genera, Ganoderma lucidum and Volvariella volvaceae. A concentration dependent decrease in radial growth on NP amended potato dextrose agar medium was recorded. However, in comparison to control, there was decrease in radial diameter on supplementation with TiO₂ NPs while an increase was recorded for silica and silver NPs amendments as compared to their bulk salts at same concentrations after 48 h of incubation. Optical microscopy studies showed decrease in the number of spores while increase in spore diameter and thinning of hyphal diameter on NPs supplementation. Scanning electron microscopy analysis of fungal growth showed presence of deflated and oblong spores in two fruiting strains of Ganoderma while Volvariella exhibited decreased sporulation. Further, hyphal thinning and branching was recorded in response to NP amendments in both the test mushrooms. Enhancement of protein content was observed on NP compared to bulk supplementation for all cultures, concentrations and hours of incubation except for TiO₂ NPs. Likewise, bulk and NP supplementations (at 100 mg L^-1) resulted in enhanced laccase activity with occurrence of laccase specific protein bands on SDS-PAGE analysis.