• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.243-248
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• 2007

A biochemical characterization of the tannases from Paecilomyces variotii (produced at Unicamp), Aspergillus niger (purchased from Industrial Kerry Bio-Science) and A. niger cnpat 001 (purchased from Embrapa Agroindustrial Tropical-Brazil) was carried out. P variotii is a new strain obtained from the screening of 500 fungi that were tested for their production of tannase. The biochemical properties of this new tannase from P variotii were determined and compared with those of two other tannase preparations. The tannase produced from P. variotii showed optimum activity at pH 6.5. The functional temperature range of the tannases was from $20-70^{\circ}C$, with optima at $70^{\circ}C$ for P. variotii and at $60^{\circ}C$ for the commercially obtained tannase, whereas A. niger cnpat 001 showed optimum activity at $40^{\circ}C$. The effects of 1 mM preparations of cations and anions, inhibitors, surfactants, and chelators on the tannase activity from P. variotii were also studied.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.8-12
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• 2012

An anacardic acid analog (1) was isolated from the fungus Paecilomyces variotii which was derived from the giant jellyfish Nemopilema nomurai. Compound 1 was isolated from a natural source for the first time and was evaluated for antibacterial activity against human and marine pathogens, including MDR (multidrugresistant) strains. Compound 1 exhibited mild antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli DC 2, Streptococcus iniae, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus 3089 (MRSA).

• Mycobiology
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.248-259
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• 2016

During fungal diversity surveys of the order Eurotiales in Korea, two fungal strains, EML-DG33-1 and EML-NCP50, were isolated from samples of rat dung and fig tree leaf collected at a garden located in Gwangju in 2014. To complete the National Species List of Korea, it is a prerequisite to verify whether many questionable species, which were previously recorded but not confirmed, indeed present in Korea. Herein, the isolates were confirmed as undescribed species, Paecilomyces variotii and Talaromyces amestolkiae based on the combination of morphological and phylogenetic analyses of multigenes including the rDNA internal transcribed spacer, ${\beta}-tubulin$, and RNA polymerase II subunit 2.

• Journal of Mushroom
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2024

Mushrooms play crucial roles as reservoirs of naturally occurring bioactive compounds. Among these, Cordyceps militaris is significant because of its well-established reputation for organoleptic excellence and positive health effects, which have led to its widespread commercialization. In contrast, the key properties of Paecilomyces variotii, an ectomycorrhizal symbiont, has received limited attention. In alignment with current research trends, the study of the mycelia and culture media of these mushrooms hold promise in identifying potential sources of valuable bioactive compounds. In the present study, we investigated C. militaris and P. variotii for their phenolic acids and sterols, assessing antioxidant capacity, anti-inflammatory effects, and anti-proliferative activity. Interestingly, P. variotii mycelia exhibited higher concentrations of ergosterol and phenolic compounds, with comparable levels observed in the fruiting bodies, along with superior antioxidant activity compared to that of C. militaris. In contrast, C. militaris mycelia demonstrated anti-inflammatory effects (which were absent in P. variotii mycelia) and cytotoxicity comparable to, and at times exceeding, that of its fruiting bodies (in contrast to P. variotii). In addition, the species analyzed in this study displayed variations in growth rates and mycelial production, which merit consideration for potential future applications and further study.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.61-65
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• 2013

A bioassay-guided fractionation of the extract of the fungus Paecilomyces variotii, which was derived from the giant jellyfish Nemopilema nomurai, led to the isolation of antibacterial compounds viriditoxin and its monomeric subunit semi-viriditoxin. Viriditoxin showed significant antibacterial activity against several marine fish and human pathogens including MDR strains. Significant potencies against resistant pathogens such as VRE Enterococcus faecium, VRE Enterococcus faecalis, and MRSA were highly interesting. Viriditoxin also showed notable antibacterial activity against the fish pathogen Streptococcus iniae. Its potency was over 100-fold higher than oxytetracycline which is employed as a general antibiotic for aquaculture.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.282-288
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• 2015

Viriditoxin is a fungal metabolite isolated from Paecilomyces variotii, which was derived from the giant jellyfish Nemopilema nomurai. Viriditoxin was reported to inhibit polymerization of FtsZ, which is a key protein for bacterial cell division and a structural homologue of eukaryotic tubulin. Both tubulin and FtsZ contain a GTP-binding domain, have GTPase activity, assemble into protofilaments, two-dimensional sheets, and protofilament rings, and share substantial structural identities. Accordingly, we hypothesized that viriditoxin may inhibit eukaryotic cell division by inhibiting tubulin polymerization as in the case of bacterial FtsZ inhibition. Docking simulation of viriditoxin to ${\beta}-tubulin$ indicated that it binds to the paclitaxel-binding domain and makes hydrogen bonds with Thr276 and Gly370 in the same manner as paclitaxel. Viriditoxin suppressed growth of A549 human lung cancer cells, and inhibited cell division with G2/M cell cycle arrest, leading to apoptotic cell death.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.41-51
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• 1982

The soil microfungal flora of the paddy fields in Korea was investigated at four different seasons. The fungi were isolated by the dilution plate method from soil samples of two selected sites around Seoul. A total of 85 isolates was obtained as pure cultures and 30 species 13 genera were identified and 11 isolates were unidentified. Among these, 6 species of Deuteromycetous fungi, Penicillium spp., were found to be dominant in paddy field soils. Penicillium funiculosum, P. piceum, P. roqueforti and P. verruculosum were described as new to Korea. P. piceum has remarkable characteristics of the typical columnar head similar to a compact spruce-like evergreen tree. P. requeforti has penicilli variable in pattern with compactly branched metulae and appressed or Paecilomyces variotii were also described. In addition, Zygorhynchus moelleri, a remarkably dominant Zygomycete in Korean paddy soils, produces subglobose sporangia with oval columella and dark colored zygospores of about $35\mu\textrm{m}$ in diameter.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.24 no.10
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• pp.1337-1345
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• 2014

A novel antifungal protein produced by the fungal strain Penicillium citrinum W1, which was isolated from a Southwest Indian Ocean sediment sample, was purified and characterized. The culture supernatant of P. citrinum W1 inhibited the mycelial growth of some plant pathogenic fungi. After saturation of P. citrinum W1 culture supernatants with ammonium sulfate and ion-exchange chromatography, an antifungal protein (PcPAF) was purified. The N-terminal amino acid sequence analysis showed that PcPAF might be an unknown antifungal protein. PcPAF displayed antifungal activity against Trichoderma viride, Fusarium oxysporum, Paecilomyces variotii, and Alternaria longipes at minimum inhibitory concentrations of 1.52, 6.08, 3.04, and $6.08{\mu}g/disc$, respectively. PcPAF possessed high thermostability and had a certain extent of protease and metal ion resistance. The results suggested that PcPAF may represent a novel antifungal protein with potential application in controlling plant pathogenic fungal infection.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.620-628
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• 2015

A fungal strain, R9, was isolated from the South Atlantic sediment sample and identified as Aspergillus fumigatus. An antifungal protein, AfAFP_R9, was purified from the culture supernatant of Aspergillus fumigatus R9. AfAFP_R9 was identified to be restrictocin, which is a member of the ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIPs), by MALDI-TOF-TOF-MS. AfAFP_R9 displayed antifungal activity against plant pathogenic Fusarium oxysporum, Alternaria longipes, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, Paecilomyces variotii, and Trichoderma viride at minimum inhibitory concentrations of 0.6, 0.6, 1.2, 1.2, and 2.4 μg/disc, respectively. Moreover, AfAFP_R9 exhibited a certain extent of thermostability, and metal ion and denaturant tolerance. The iodoacetamide assay showed that the disulfide bridge in AfAFP_R9 was indispensable for its antifungal action. The cDNA encoding for AfAFP_R9 was cloned from A. fumigatus R9 by RT-PCR and heterologously expressed in E. coli. The recombinant AfAFP_R9 protein exhibited obvious antifungal activity against C. gloeosporioides, T. viride, and A. longipes. These results reveal the antifungal properties of a RIP member (AfAFP_R9) from marine-derived Aspergillus fumigatus and indicated its potential application in controlling plant pathogenic fungi.