• Mycobiology
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.429-439
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• 2018

To develop a convenient promoter analysis system for fungi, a null-pigment mutant (NPG) of Aspergillus nidulans was used with the 4'-phosphopantetheinyl transferase (PPTase) gene, npgA, which restores the normal pigmentation in A. nidulans, as a new reporter gene. The functional organization of serially deleted promoter regions of the A. nidulans trpC gene and the Cryphonectria parasitica crp gene in filamentous fungi was representatively investigated to establish a novel fungal promoter assay system that depends on color complementation of the NPG mutant with the PPTase npgA gene. Several promoter regions of the trpC and crp genes were fused to the npgA gene containing the 1,034-bp open reading frame and the 966-bp 3' downstream region from the TAA, and the constructed fusions were introduced into the NPG mutant in A. nidulans to evaluate color recovery due to the transcriptional activity of the sequence elements. Serial deletion of the trpC and crp promoter regions in this PPTase reporter assay system reaffirmed results in previous reports by using the fungal transformation step without a laborious verification process. This approach suggests a more rapid and convenient system than conventional analyses for fungal gene expression studies.

• Mycobiology
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.440-447
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• 2018

Dual biocontrol of both insects and plant pathogens has been reported for certain fungal entomopathogens, including Beauveria bassiana and Lecanicillum spp. In this study, we demonstrate, for the first time, the dual biocontrol potential of two fungal isolates identified by morphological and phylogenetic analyses as Isaria javanica. Both these isolates caused mortality in the greater wax moth, and hence can be considered entomopathogens. Spores of the isolates were also pathogenic to nymphs of the green peach aphid (Myzus persicae), with an $LC_{50}$ value of $10^7spores/mL$ 4 days after inoculation and an $LT_{50}$ of 4.2 days with a dose of $10^8spores/mL$. In vitro antifungal assays also demonstrated a strong inhibitory effect on the growth of two fungi that are pathogenic to peppers, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and Phytophthora capsici. These results indicate that I. javanica isolates could be used as novel biocontrol agents for the simultaneous control of aphids and fungal diseases, such as anthracnose and Phytophthora blight, in an integrated pest management framework for red pepper.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.7
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• pp.978-989
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• 2021

Allyl isothiocyanate (AITC), as a fumigant, plays an important role in soil control of nematodes, soil-borne pathogens, and weeds, but its effects on soil microorganisms are unclear. In this study, the effects of AITC on microbial diversity and community composition of Capsicum annuum L. soil were investigated through Illumina high-throughput sequencing. The results showed that microbial diversity and community structure were significantly influenced by AITC. AITC reduced the diversity of soil bacteria, stimulated the diversity of the soil fungal community, and significantly changed the structure of fungal community. AITC decreased the relative abundance of dominant bacteria Planctomycetes, Acinetobacter, Pseudodeganella, and RB41, but increased that of Lysobacter, Sphingomonas, Pseudomonas, Luteimonas, Pseudoxanthomonas, and Bacillus at the genera level, while for fungi, Trichoderma, Neurospora, and Lasiodiplodia decreased significantly and Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Fusarium, Penicillium, and Saccharomyces were higher than the control. The correlation analysis suggested cellulase had a significant correlation with fungal operational taxonomic units and there was a significant correlation between cellulase and fungal diversity, while catalase, cellulose, sucrase, and urease were the major contributors in the shift of the community structure. Our results will provide useful information for the use of AITC in the assessment of environmental and ecological security.

• Mycobiology
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.55-65
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• 2022

Lichen is a symbiotic mutualism of mycobiont and photobiont that harbors diverse organisms including endolichenic fungi (ELF). Despite the taxonomic and ecological significance of ELF, no comparative investigation of an ELF community involving isolation of a pure culture and high-throughput sequencing has been conducted. Thus, we analyzed the ELF community in Parmotrema tinctorum by culture and metabarcoding. Alpha diversity of the ELF community was notably greater in metabarcoding than in culture-based analysis. Taxonomic proportions of the ELF community estimated by metabarcoding and by culture analyses showed remarkable differences: Sordariomycetes was the most dominant fungal class in culture-based analysis, while Dothideomycetes was the most abundant in metabarcoding analysis. Thirty-seven operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were commonly observed by culture-and metabarcoding-based analyses but relative abundances differed: most of common OTUs were underrepresented in metabarcoding. The ELF community differed in lichen segments and thalli in metabarcoding analysis. Dissimilarity of ELF community intra lichen thallus increased with thallus segment distance; inter-thallus ELF community dissimilarity was significantly greater than intra-thallus ELF community dissimilarity. Finally, we tested how many fungal sequence reads would be needed to ELF diversity with relationship assays between numbers of lichen segments and saturation patterns of OTU richness and sample coverage. At least 6000 sequence reads per lichen thallus were sufficient for prediction of overall ELF community diversity and 50,000 reads per thallus were enough to observe rare taxa of ELF.

• Mycobiology
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• v.49 no.6
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• pp.559-581
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• 2021

The coastal marine ecosystems of Vietnam are one of the global biodiversity hotspots, but the biodiversity of marine fungi is not well known. To fill this major gap of knowledge, we assessed the genetic diversity (ITS sequence) of 75 fungal strains isolated from 11 surface coastal marine and deeper waters in Nha Trang Bay and Van Phong Bay using a culture-dependent approach and 5 OTUs (Operational Taxonomic Units) of fungi in three representative sampling sites using next-generation sequencing. The results from both approaches shared similar fungal taxonomy to the most abundant phylum (Ascomycota), genera (Candida and Aspergillus) and species (Candida blankii) but were different at less common taxa. Culturable fungal strains in this study belong to 3 phyla, 5 subdivisions, 7 classes, 12 orders, 17 families, 22 genera and at least 40 species, of which 29 species have been identified and several species are likely novel. Among identified species, 12 and 28 are new records in global and Vietnamese marine areas, respectively. The analysis of enzyme activity and the checklist of trophic mode and guild assignment provided valuable additional biological information and suggested the ecological function of planktonic fungi in the marine food web. This is the largest dataset of marine fungal biodiversity on morphology, phylogeny and enzyme activity in the tropical coastal ecosystems of Vietnam and Southeast Asia. Biogeographic aspects, ecological factors and human impact may structure mycoplankton communities in such aquatic habitats.

• Mycobiology
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• v.49 no.6
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• pp.534-550
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• 2021

During a survey of fungal diversity associated with insects, mud, soil, and freshwater niches in different areas in Korea, nine interesting fungal strains were isolated. Based on their morphological characteristics and molecular phylogeny analyses, using a combined data set of b-tubulin (BenA), calmodulin (CaM), and second largest subunit of RNA polymerase (RPB2) sequences, the strains CNUFC AM-44, CNUFC JCW3-4, CNUFC S708, CNUFC WT202, CNUFC AS1-29, CNUFC JCW3-5, CNUFC JDP37, and CNUFC JDP62 were identified as Aspergillus alabamensis, A. floridensis, A. subversicolor, Penicillium flavigenum, P. laevigatum, P. lenticrescens, Talaromyces adpressus, and T. beijingensis, respectively. The strain CNUFC JT1301 belongs to series Westlingiorum in section Citrina and is phylogenetically related to P. manginii. However, slow growth when cultivated on CYA, MEA, CREA is observed and the property can be used to easily distinguish the new species from these species. Additionally, P. manginii is known to produce sclerotia, while CNUFC JT1301 strain does not. Herein, the new fungal species is proposed as P. aquadulcis sp. nov. Eight species, A. alabamensis, A. floridensis, A. subversicolor, P. flavigenum, P. laevigatum, P. lenticrescens, T. adpressus, and T. beijingensis, have not been previously reported in Korea. The present study expands the known distribution of fungal species belonging to the families Aspergillaceae and Trichocomaceae in Korea.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.404-413
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• 2022

The process of manufacturing craft beer involves a wide variety of spontaneous microorganisms, acting in different stages of the brewing process, that contribute to the distinctive characteristics of each style. The objective of this work was to compare the structure of microbial communities associated with two different craft beer styles (Doppelbock and Märzen lagers), at a late maturation stage, and to identify discriminative, or style-specific taxa. Bacterial and fungal microbial communities were analyzed by Illumina sequencing of 16S rRNA gene of prokaryotes and the ITS 2 spacer of fungi (eukaryotes). Fungal communities in maturating beer were dominated by the yeast Dekkera, and by lactic acid (Lactobacillus and Pediococcus) and acetic acid (Acetobacter) bacteria. The Doppelbock barrels presented more rich and diverse fungal communities. The Märzen barrels were more variable in terms of structure and composition of fungal and bacterial communities, with occurrence of exclusive taxa of fungi (Aspergillus sp.) and bacteria (L. kimchicus). Minority bacterial taxa, differently represented in the microbiome of each barrel, may underlie the variability between barrels and ultimately, the distinctive traits of each style. The composition of the microbial communities indicates that in addition to differences related to upstream stages of the brewing process, the contact with the wood barrels may contribute to the definition of style-specific microbiological traits.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.255-262
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• 2022

In this study, the fungal strain KNUF-21-F39 was isolated from a declined apple tree (Malus domestica) in the Chungcheongbuk province in Korea. The strain KNUF-21-F39 presented a slow growth rate and a variety of macroconidia shapes and sizes ranging from ovoid to fusoid and 1- to 5-septate, primarily showing 3- and 4-septate, with "S" -shaped macroconidia rarely observed. The strain was identified based on morphological characteristics along with phylogenetic analysis performed using the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) and partial sequences of translation elongation factor 1-α (tef1), RNA polymerase largest subunit (rpb1), and calmodulin (cal) genes. The fungal strain KNUF-21-F39 was identified as Fusarium diversisporum, which has not been previously reported in Korea. The ice nucleation activity (INA) of the strain was also evaluated, identifying the strain as positive for INA. This is the first report characterizing F. diversisporum as an IN-active fungal species.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.265-276
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• 2023

This study aimed to isolate and characterize fungi from freshwater environments in South Korea and evaluate their extracellular enzyme activities. Fungal strains were collected from various freshwater sources and identified using phylogenetic analysis. The isolated fungi included known aquatic hyphomycetes and previously unreported species. Extracellular enzyme, including those of protease, amylase, lipase, cellulase, laccase, and chitinase, activities were evaluated. Among the isolated strains, several showed high enzyme activity, suggesting their potential role in organic matter decomposition in freshwater ecosystems. This research expands our knowledge of the diversity and enzyme activities of the fungi in freshwater environments, contributing to our understanding of their ecological roles.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.111-126
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• 2024

Korean bamboo forests encompass 22,067 hectares and are dominated by Phyllostachys species. These forests serve as vital ecosystems, providing nourishment and habitat for diverse flora, fauna, and microorganisms. Among these inhabitants, various fungal species have been documented worldwide, displaying ecological roles as saprobes, parasites, and symbionts within or outside the bamboo host. However, a comprehensive study of bambusicolous fungi within the Korean bamboo ecosystem remains a critical gap in our knowledge. In this study, we conducted an extensive survey of bamboo materials collected from various bamboo forests and subsequently undertook fungal isolation. Primary identification of bambusicolous fungi was achieved through analysis of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. As a result, we identified seven previously unrecorded bambusicolous fungal species (Fusarium bambusarum, Fusicolla violacea, Macroconia gigas, Neopestalotiopsis camelliae-oleiferae, Neopestalotiopsis iberica, Neopestalotiopsis longiappendiculata, and Thyridium punctulatum). Phylogenetic analysis using protein-coding genes appropriate for each taxon and morphological observation were conducted to ensure accurate identification. This study contributes to our understanding of fungal diversity within bamboo forests in Korea.