• ALGAE
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.187-195
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• 2010

The genus Rosenvingea is well known in the tropics. Four species have been reported from Pacific Mexico: R. floridana, R. antillarum, R. intricata and R. sanctae-crucis. We collected a plant (Boca del Cielo, Chiapas) that we identified as Rosenvingea orientalis, a species not previously reported from Pacific Mexico. We were able to characterize the life cycle of this species for the first time in laboratory culture. It reproduced exclusively by plurilocular sporangia (plurangia). The mature plants were up to 6 cm long with cylindrical to compressed fronds (to 2 mm wide) with dichotomous branches in the upper half of the thallus. The medulla was hollow with 2-3 layers of large inflated colourless cells at the periphery. The cortex was comprised of 1 layer of small cells, each with a single chloroplast and pyrenoid. Linear plurangial sori with phaeophycean hairs formed along the mature fronds. Zoospore germlings developed into prostrate filamentous systems, each with a single phaeophycean hair that gave rise to a single erect shoot with multiple hairs arising near the tip. Molecular phylogeny using the psaA gene placed this isolate within the Scytosiphonaceae. It does not confirm the exact identification of R. orientalis, although its placement close to other Rosenvingea sequences was confirmed and morphological evidence supports its placement in R. orientalis. Our culture investigations indicated that it has an asexual life cycle. Further collections are needed to resolve the full generic and specific relationships of Rosenvingea and related taxa, and their reproductive patterns.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.47-56
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• 2015

Ailanthus altissima, which is recognized as an invasive tree in the Western world, has been widely observed in Japan. To investigate how A. altissima expanded within-population and to new populations within a region, 446 A. altissima trees were sampled from three separate sites (A, B, and C) including 35 distantly positioned patches, with three chloroplast DNA markers and nine nuclear microsatellite markers. We detected 2, 2, and 3 chloroplast haplotypes in sites A, B, and C, respectively. In addition, 271, 40, and 41 nuclear genotypes were detected in sites A, B, and C, respectively. The clonal richness value was 0.85, 0.78, and 0.53 in sites A, B, and C, respectively. Most trees with the same genotypes were distributed in the same patch, indicating that range expansion by asexual reproduction was limited to a maximum of 45 meters. According to autocorrelation analysis, the extent of nonrandom spatial genetic structure was approximately 0-2 km in sites A and C. KINGROUP analyses showed that 812, 74, and 111 nuclear genotype pairs were detected to have kinship in sites A, B, and C, respectively. Most nuclear genotype pairs were detected within the same patches or sites. These results indicate that the number of A. altissima trees gradually increased from seeds, some of which were produced by trees within sites, meaning that this species could regenerate naturally. This shows the need for the future management of A. altissima as an invasive species in Japan.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.236-244
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• 2014

The plant pathogen Fusarium graminearum causes Fusarium head blight in cereal crops and produces mycotoxins that are harmful to animals and humans. For the initiation and spread of disease, asexual and sexual reproduction is required. Therefore, studies on fungal reproduction contribute to the development of new methods to control and maintain the fungal population. Screening a previously generated transcription factor mutant collection, we identified one putative $C_2H_2$ zincfinger transcription factor, pcs1, which is required for both sexual and asexual reproduction. Deleting pcs1 in F. graminearum resulted in a dramatic reduction in conidial production and a complete loss of sexual reproduction. The pathways and gene ontology of pcs1-dependent genes from microarray experiments showed that several G-protein related pathways, oxidase activity, ribosome biogenesis, and RNA binding and processing were highly enriched, suggesting that pcs1 is involved in several different biological processes. Further, overexpression of pcs1 increased conidial production and resulted in earlier maturation of ascospores compared to the wild-type strain. Additionally, the vegetative growth of the overexpression mutants was decreased in nutrient-rich conditions but was not different from the wild-type strain in nutrient-poor conditions. Overall, we discovered that the pcs1 transcription factor positively regulates both conidiation and sexual reproduction and confers nutrient condition-dependent vegetative growth.

• Mycobiology
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.61-66
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• 2006

Chestnut blight disease caused by Cryphonectria parasitica is widely distributed throughout chestnut tree plantations in Korea. We surveyed 65 sites located at 9 provinces in South Korea, and isolated 248 virulent and 3 hypovirulent strains of chestnut blight fungus. Hypovirulent strains had dsRNA virus in the cytoplasm, which is one of the typical characteristics of hypovirulent strains. In addition, they showed more characteristics of hypovirulent strains, i.e., suppressed conidiation, reduced pigmentation in colony color, and reduced phenol oxidase activity as well as reduced pathogenicity. Hypovirulent strains, KCPH-22, KCPH-135 and KCPH-136, had a genomic dsRNA band with the molecular weight of 12.7 kb, which is the L-dsRNA of CHV1. They also had a 2.7 kb defective dsRNA band. Single conidia isolated from hypovirulent strains were cultured and various phenotypes and absence of dsRNA bands were obtained from single conidial cultures, which means that hypovirulence transmission is unstable in asexual reproduction and variations in viral heredity by asexual reproduction. Biocontrol trial using hypovirulent strains was also carried out in the chestnut tree plantations, and canker expansion in the treated trees was stopped and healed by callus formation at the margin of the canker. These results show the potentials in successful biocontrol of chestnut blight if the vegetatively compatible hypovirulent strains could be directly used around the canker formed by compatible virulent strains.

• 한국균학회소식:학술대회논문집
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• 2015.11a
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• pp.28-28
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• 2015

Asexual reproduction or conidiation in aspergilli is a primary mean to produce their progenies that is environmentally and genetically controlled tightly. Previously, intensive researches in the model fungus Aspergillus nidulans disclosed some genes playing important roles in asexual and sexual development. Among them, one gene encoding a putative helix-loop-helix (HLH) transcription factor, named ndrA, has been isolated and characterized as a downstream regulator of developmental master regulator NsdD. By using comparative genome search of A. niduans NdrA protein, its orthologues have been identified in A. fumigatus and A. flavus, respectively (AfudrnA and AfldrnA). Deletion of the ndrA genes in both Aspergillus species made them unable to produce the conidia yet abundant production of sclerotia in A. flavus. Complementation of ndrA deletion strains by intact ndrA ORFs has restored the conidiation as in the control strains. In A. fumigatus, ndrA deletion also resulted in loss of conidiation phenotype. Northern analyses showed that the ndrA genes in both Aspergillus species are highly expressed at the early stage of the conidiation. Interestingly, the ndrA genes were found to be necessary for the proper expression of brlA genes. Antifungal sensitivity test revealed that the ndrA genes might be responsible for the sensitivity or resistance to some antifungal agents. However, ndrA deletion did not greatly influence the growth in both strains. And the A. flavus ndrA gene did not affect the aflatoxin production. Taken together, ndrA genes in Aspergillus species could be an important positive regulator of conidiation under the regulation of the nsdD gene yet upstream of the brlA gene.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.312-317
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• 2009

Genome analysis of a model filamentous fungus, Aspergillus nidulans, revealed that there are six putative forkhead genes. Among them, fkhF (AN8949.2) showed A. nidulans-specific. fkhF gene is located in chromosome VII and composed of 2,337 bp coding region for 778 amino acid. Since little is known about the involvement of the forkhead proteins in the developmental process of the filamentous fungi, including A. nidulans, we generated a deletion mutant of fkhF gene and analyzed. Deletion of fkhF resulted in less-dense conidiophore formation in a solid culture. However, the sexual developmental process or cleistothecia formation was normal. Furthermore, fkhF deletion mutant produced conidiophores and conidia under the submerged culture, suggesting that the fkhF gene is involved in repression of inappropriated induction and maturation of asexual developmental process but not in sexual development.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.134-138
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• 1993

Monascus anka 732Y3 was induced from Monascus anka KFCC 11832 (IFO 4478, ATCC 16360) by ultra-violet light irradiation. The growth of this new fungus is frequently more dependent on sexual propagation than asexual propagation, compared with that of its parental strain, M. anka KFCC 11832. Less conidia than those of M. anka KFCC 11832 were observed by a microscope. The optical density of the red pigments ($OD_{500}$) produced by M. anka 732Y3 was 157, which was about 10 times higer than that of M. anka KFCC 11832. Such high production of the red pigments by the mutant could be explained by the following observations.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.581-585
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• 2007

Swarm formation of Scapholeberis kingi Sars 1903 was observed in a shallow reservoir on 27 May 2007 (Dongpan Reservoir) for the first time. Dense swarms composed of asexual females, only occurred during daytime (13:00-17:00, local time) at the littoral zone. Correlation between density of S. kingi and environmental factors such as water temperature and density of juvenile fish were positively significant. Therefore, it is suggested that the swarming of S. kingi seems to be induced for predator avoidance than increase of mating chance, and water temperature may affect their swarming behavior.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.83-94
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• 1993

After coming this century, as the propagative method of plants on a scientific foundation has been accompanied systematically, it has played an important part in the improvement of cultivar. But an existing propagative technique is not a few defects in our tasks and industrial structure which changes every hour and envirnment which undergoes a sudden change. To use developed biological knowledge recently, and existing propagative method which is main axis in sexual reproductive crossing, is increased much in the inside of internal organs by asexual reproductive means which is on a different level, and by, introducing a new character, it improves an inherited character etc. We have observed methods which supplement or replace a defect. These methods are not yet ripe for putting to practical use in the present research phase but convinced that they will offer an epoch-marking turning point.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.171-174
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• 2009

The antigen location of Cryptosporidium parvum, which stimulates antibody formation in humans and animals, was investigated using infected human sera. Immuno-electron microscopy revealed that antigenicity-inducing humoral immunity was located at various developmental stages of parasites, including asexual, sexual stages, and oocysts. The amount of antigen-stimulating IgG antibodies was particularly high on the oocyst wall. The sporozoite surface was shown to give stimulation on IgG and IgM antibody formation. Trophozoites implicated the lowest antigenicity to humoral immunity, both IgG and IgM, by showing the least amount of gold labeling. Immunogold labeling also provided clues that antigens were presented to the host-cell cytoplasm via feeder organelles and host-parasite junctions.