• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.112-117
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• 2005

Abstract Griseofulvin has been used as an antifungal antibiotic for the treatment of mycotic diseases of humans and veterinary animals. The purpose of this work was to identify a griseofulvin-producing endophytic fungus from Abies holophylla and evaluate its in vivo antifungal activity against plant pathogenic fungi. Based on nuclear ribosomal ITS1-5.8SITS2 sequence analysis, the fungus was identified and labeled as Xylaria sp. F0010. Two antifungal substances were purified from liquid cultures of Xylaria sp. F0010, and their chemical identities were determined to be griseofulvin and dechlorogriseofulvin through mass and NMR spectral analyses. Compared to dechlorogriseofulvin, griseofulvin showed high in vivo and in vitro antifungal activity, and effectively controlled the development of rice blast (Magnaporthe grisea), rice sheath blight (Corticium sasaki), wheat leaf rust (Puccinia recondita), and barley powdery mildew (Blumeria graminis f. sp. hordei), at doses of 50 to 150 ${\mu}$g/ml, depending on the disease. This is the first report on the production of griseofulvin and dechlorogriseofulvin by Xylaria species.

• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.201-209
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• 2006

Antifungal activities of 43 different plant oils were evaluated against different phytopathogenic fungi. Thyme oil showed highest antifungal activity among the tested oils. The major of thyme oil were found to be thymol, carvacrol, bomeol, p-cymene and linalool. Thymol and carvacrol were found to be responsible for thyme's antifungal activity. The spore germination assay was conducted on Alternaria mail and Botrytis cinerea. Thymol and carvacrol strongly inhibited spore germination in the fungi test. In addition, thymol and carvacrol showed a curative effectiveness to gray mold disease on cucumber crop. The antifungal activities of alkylphenol and alkylaniline compounds, which has similar molecular structure to that of thymol or cavacrol, were also tested. It was found that alkylphenol compounds also show higher inhibition to spore germination. Thus, thymol, carvacrol and alkylphenol compounds can be used an potent antifungal agents.

• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.165-171
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• 2006

A new 3-amino-1,3-thiazoline chemical library was synthesized through parallel synthetic technology and in vivo antifungal activity of the compounds were investigated against the typical 6 plant diseases (100 ppm). The characteristic feature of these derivatives was that both a benzyl moiety in C-2 imino and an amino group in C-3 of 2-imino-1,3-thiazoline scaffold were substituted in the molecule respectively. Some compounds showed antifungal activity with selectivity against tomato late blight and rice blast. The fungitoxicity would be attributed to 3,4-dichlorophenyl moiety of the benzyl group.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.364-372
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• 2012

Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae causing bacterial leaf blight disease in rice produces and secretes Hpa1 protein that belongs to harpin protein family. Previously it was reported that Hpa1 induced defense responses when it was produced in tobacco. In this study, we expressed hpa1 gene in rice and Arabidopsis to examine the effects of Hpa1 expression on disease resistance to both fungal and bacterial pathogens. Expression of hpa1 gene in rice enhanced disease resistance to both X. oryzae pv. oryzae and Magnaporthe grisea. Interestingly, individual transgenic rice plants could be divided into four groups, depending on responses to both pathogens. hpa1 expression in Arabidopsis also enhanced disease resistance to both Botrytis cineria and Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris. To examine genes that are up-regulated in the transgenic rice plants after inoculation with X. oryzae pv. oryzae, known defense-related genes were assessed, and also microarray analysis with the Rice 5 K DNA chip was performed. Interestingly, expression of OsACS1 gene, which was found as the gene that showed the highest induction, was induced earlier and stronger than that in the wild type plant. These results indicate that hpa1 expression in the diverse plant species, including monocot and dicot, can enhance disease resistance to both fungal and bacterial plant pathogens.

• Mycobiology
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.179-182
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• 2003

A total of 187 endophytic fungi were isolated from 11 plant species, which were collected from 11 locations in Korea. Their antifungal activities were screened in vivo by antifungal bioassays after they were cultured in potato dextrose broth and rice solid media. Antifungal activity against plant pathogenic fungi such as Magnaporthe grisea(rice blast), Corticium sasaki(rice sheath blight), Botrytis cinerea(tomato gray mold), Phytophthora infestans(tomato late blight), Puccinia recondita(wheat leaf rust), and Blumeria graminis f. sp. hordei(barley powdery mildew) was determined in vivo by observing the inhibition of plant disease development. Twenty(11.7%) endophytic fungi fermentation broths were able to control, by more than 90%, at least one of the six plant diseases tested. Among 187 liquid broths, the F0010 strain isolated from Abies holophylla had the most potent disease control activity; it showed control values of more than 90% against five plant diseases, except for tomato late blight. On the other hand, fourteen(7.5%) solid culture extracts exhibited potent disease control values of more than 90% against one of six plant diseases. The screening results of this study strongly suggested that metabolites of plant endophytic fungi could be good potential sources for screening programs of bioactive natural products.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.475-486
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• 2005

Fungal secondary metabolites constitute a wide variety of compounds which either playa vital role in agricultural, pharmaceutical and industrial contexts, or have devastating effects on agriculture, animal and human affairs by virtue of their toxigenicity. Owing to their beneficial and deleterious characteristics, these complex compounds and the genes responsible for their synthesis have been the subjects of extensive investigation by microbiologists and pharmacologists. A majority of the fungal secondary metabolic genes are classified as type I polyketide synthases (PKS) which are often clustered with other secondary metabolism related genes. In this review we discuss on the significance of our recent discovery of chalcone synthase (CHS) genes belonging to the type III PKS superfamily in an industrially important fungus, Aspergillus oryzae. CHS genes are known to playa vital role in the biosynthesis of flavonoids in plants. A comparative genome analyses revealed the unique character of A. oryzae with four CHS-like genes (csyA, csyB, csyC and csyD) amongst other Aspergilli (Aspergillus nidulans and Aspergillus fumigatus) which contained none of the CHS-like genes. Some other fungi such as Neurospora crassa, Fusarium graminearum, Magnaporthe grisea, Podospora anserina and Phanerochaete chrysosporium also contained putative type III PKSs, with a phylogenic distinction from bacteria and plants. The enzymatically active nature of these newly discovered homologues is expected owing to the conservation in the catalytic residues across the different species of plants and fungi, and also by the fact that a majority of these genes (csyA, csyB and csyD) were expressed in A. oryzae. While this finding brings filamentous fungi closer to plants and bacteria which until recently were the only ones considered to possess the type III PKSs, the presence of putative genes encoding other principal enzymes involved in the phenylpropanoid and flavonoid biosynthesis (viz., phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, cinnamic acid hydroxylase and p-coumarate CoA ligase) in the A. oryzae genome undoubtedly prove the extent of its metabolic diversity. Since many of these genes have not been identified earlier, knowledge on their corresponding products or activities remain undeciphered. In future, it is anticipated that these enzymes may be reasonable targets for metabolic engineering in fungi to produce agriculturally and nutritionally important metabolites.

• Proceedings of the Microbiological Society of Korea Conference
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• 2000.10a
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• pp.39-45
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• 2000

It hab been proposed that CHS3-mediated chitin synthesis during the vegitative cell cycle is regulated by CHS4. To investigate direct protein-protein interaction between their coding products, we used yeast two hybrid system and found that a domain of Chs3p was responsible for interaction with Chs4p. This domain, termed MIRC3-4 (maximum interacting region of chs3p with chs4p), spans from 647 to 700 residues. It is well conserved among CHS3 homologs of various fungi such as Candida albicans, Emericella nidulans, Neurospora crassa, Magnaporthe grisea, Ustilago maydis, Glomus versiforme, Exophiala dermatitidis, Rhizopus microsporus. A series of mutaion in the MIRC3-4 resulted in no appearance of chitin ring at the early G 1 phase but did not affect chitin synthesis in the cell wall after cytokinesis. Absence of chitin ring could be caused either by delocalization of Chs3p to the septum or by improper interaction with Chs4p. To discriminate those two, not mutually exclusive, alternatives, mutants cells were immunostained with Chs3p-specific antibody. Some exhibited localization of chs3p to the septum, while others failed. These results indicate that simultaneous localization and activation Chs3p by Chs4p is required for chitin ring synthesis.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.280-286
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• 1999

Lichen-forming (LFF) or lichenicolous fungi (LCF) were isolated from the lichens collected at‘Backwoon’mountain area,‘Chiri’mountain area and‘Sorok’island in the southern regions of Korea and were screened for antagonistic efficacy against several phyto-pathogenic fungi. Symbiotic algae-free LFF and LCF were isolated by the following methods: I) discharged spores (ascospores), II) macerated thallus suspension and III) direct use of thallus fragments. Among 58 isolates obtained from 34 lichens, 8 isolates showed antifungal activity against Rhizoctonia solani. Antifungal activities of the strongest antagonistic isolate (LB9810) originated from the thallus of Parmelia quercina lichen were evaluated against 15 phyto-pathogenic fungi. When crude methanol extract of mycelia of the LB8910 isolate was employed at the rate of 0.5% (v/w), fungal growth of Magnaporthe grisea and Rhizoctonia solani was severly and Rhizoctonia solani was severly inhibited as much as approximately 60% compared to control. Growth of various food-borne same extract. The extract was successively partitioned with n-hexane, ethyl acetate and n-butanol. n-Hexane fraction displayed the strongest antifungal activities against R. solani. The LB9810 isolate was finally identified as Fusarium equiseti (Corda) Sacc., which has not been reported as LFF or LCF yet. Therefore, it is very likely that F. equiseti isolated it the study was originated from the contaminants associated with thallus fragments rather than from LFF or LCF.

• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.26-35
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• 2001

In order to search potent antifungal substances from domestic plants, 40 plants cultivated in Korea were collected. After extracting with methanol (MeOH) and concentrating to dryness, the MeOH extracts were screened for in vivo antifungal activity against six plant diseases at a concentration of $2000{\mu}g/mL$. Fourteen extracts showed disease-controlling activity more than 90% against at least one of the 6 plant diseases tested; eight, seven, and three extracts controlled more than 90% the development of rice blast, tomato late blight, and wheat leaf rust, respectively. However, none of the extracts exhibited in vivo antifungal activity more than 90% against rice sheath blight, tomato gray mold, and barley powdery mildew. From the MeOH extracts of Angelica gigas and A. dahurica showing potent controlling activity against rice blast, 1 and 2 antifungal substances, respectively, were isolated by solvent partitioning and column chromatography. The three compounds were identified to be coumarins, namely, decursin, imperatorin, and isoimperatorin, by mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy. They were examined for in vitro and in vivo antifungal activities together with umbelliferone (7-bydroxycournarin) and scopoletin (6-methoxy-7-hydroxycoumarin) containing a free hydroxyl group at position 7 to investigate the structure-activity relationship. In vitro, most of 50% growth inhibitory concentrations ($IC_{50}$) were over $200{\mu}g/mL$, indicating that they have relatively weak antifungal activity. The antifungal activity of decursin and scopoletin, containing cyclic alkoxy groups instead of free hydroxyl group at position 7, was stronger than umbelliferone and scopoletin. Especially, decursin and imperatorin showed potent antifungal activities against Pythium ultimum and Magnaporthe grisea, respectively, with $IC_{50}$ values less than $25{\mu}g/mL$. In vivo, decursin and imperatorin showed potent antifungal activity against rice blast, whereas other coumarins hardly controlled the development of 6 plant diseases tested. These results suggest that the antifungal activity of 7-hydroxycoumarin derivative is substantially increased when the hydroxyl group at position 7 is protected by a stable cyclic alkoxy grouping.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.31-38
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• 2004

An endophytic bacterial strain EB215 that was isolated from cucumber (Cucumis sativus) roots displayed a potent in vivo antifungal activity against Colletotrichum species. The strain was identified as Burkholderia cepacia based on its physiological and biochemical characteristics, and 16S rDNA gene sequence. Optimal medium and incubation period for the production of antifungal substances by B. cepacia EB215 were nutrient broth (NB) and 3 days, respectively. An antifungal substance was isolated from the NB cultures of B. cepacia EB215 strain by centrifugation, n-hexane partitioning, silica gel column chromatography, preparative TLC, and in vitro bioassay. Its chemical structure was determined to be pyrrolnitrin by mass and NMR spectral analyses. Pyrrolnitrin showed potent disease control efficacy of more than 90% against pepper anthracnose (Colletotrichum coccodes), cucumber anthracnose (Colletotrichum orbiculare), rice blast (Magnaporthe grisea) and rice sheath blight (Corticium sasaki) even at a low concentration of $11.1\;{\mu}g/ml$. In addition, it effectively controlled the development of tomato gray mold (Botrytis cinerea) and wheat leaf rust (Puccinia recondita) at concentrations over $33.3\;{\mu}g/ml$. However, it had no antifungal activity against Phytophthora infestans on tomato plants. Further studies on the development of microbial fungicide using B. cepacia EB215 are in progress.