• 한국균학회소식:학술대회논문집
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• 2015.05a
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• pp.61-61
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• 2015

Rice blast, caused by the fungal pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae, is one of the most destructive diseases of rice worldwide. The rice - M. oryzae pathosystem has become a model in the study of plant - fungal interactions due to its economic importance and accumulating knowledge. During the evolutionary arms race with M. oryzae, rice plants evolved a repertoire of Resistance (R) genes to protect themselves from diseases in a gene-for-gene fashion. M. oryzae secretes a battery of small effector proteins to manipulate host functions for its successful infection, and some of them are recognized by host R proteins as avirulence effectors (AVR), which turns on strong immunity. Therefore, the analysis of interactions between AVRs and their cognate R proteins provide crucial insights into the molecular basis of plant - fungal interactions. Rice blast resistance genes Pik, Pia, Pii comprise pairs of protein-coding ORFs, Pik-1 and Pik-2, RGA4 and RGA5, Pii-1 and Pii-2, respectively. In all three cases, the paired genes are tightly linked and oriented to the opposite directions. In the AVR-Pik/Pik interaction, it has been unraveled that AVR-Pik binds to the N-terminal coiled-coil domain of Pik-1. RGA4 and RGA5 are necessary and sufficient to mediate Pia resistance and recognize the M. oryzae effectors AVR-Pia and AVR1-CO39. A domain at the C-terminus of RGA5 characterized by a heavy metal associated domain was identified as the AVR-binding domain of RGA5. Similarly, physical interactions among Pii-1, Pii-2 and AVR-Pii are being analyzed.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.281-289
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• 2016

The transcription cofactor Swi6 plays important roles in regulating vegetative growth and meiosis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Functions of Swi6 ortholog were also characterized in Fusarium graminearum which is one of the devastating plant pathogenic fungi. Here, we report possible role of FgSwi6 in the interaction between F. graminearum and Fusarium graminearum virus 1 (FgV1) strain DK21. FgV1 perturbs biological characteristics of host fungi such as vegetative growth, sporulation, pigmentation, and reduction of the virulence (hypovirulence) of its fungal host. To characterize function(s) of FgSWI6 gene during FgV1 infection, targeted deletion, over-expression, and complementation mutants were generated and further infected successfully with FgV1. Deletion of FgSwi6 led to severe reduction of vegetative growth even aerial mycelia while over-expression did not affect any remarkable alteration of phenotype in virus-free isolates. Virus-infected (VI) FgSWI6 deletion isolate exhibited completely delayed vegetative growth. However, VI FgSWI6 over-expression mutant grew faster than any other VI isolates. To verify whether these different growth patterns in VI isolates, viral RNA quantification was carried out using qRT-PCR. Surprisingly, viral RNA accumulations in VI isolates were similar regardless of introduced mutations. These results provide evidence that FgSWI6 might play important role(s) in FgV1 induced phenotype alteration such as delayed vegetative growth.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.8-16
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• 2010

The phytopathogenic fungus Magnaporthe oryzae is a major limiting factor in rice production. To understand the genetic basis of M. oryzae pathogenic development, we previously analyzed a library of T-DNA insertional mutants of M. oryzae, and identified ATMT0879A1 as one of the pathogenicity-defective mutants. Molecular analyses and database searches revealed that a single TDNA insertion in ATMT0879A1 resulted in functional interference with an annotated gene, MGG00056, which encodes a short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase (SDR). The mutant and annotated gene were designated as $MoSDR1^{T-DNA}$ and MoSDR1, respectively. Like other SDR family members, MoSDR1 possesses both a cofactor-binding motif and a catalytic site. The expression pattern of MoSDR1 suggests that the gene is associated with pathogenicity and plays an important role in M. oryzae development. To understand the roles of MoSDR1, the deletion mutant ${\Delta}Mosdr1$ for the gene was obtained via homology-dependent gene replacement. As expected, ${\Delta}Mosdr1$ was nonpathogenic; moreover, the mutant displayed pleiotropic defects in conidiation, conidial germination, appressorium formation, penetration, and growth inside host tissues. These results suggest that MoSDR1 functions as a key metabolic enzyme in the regulation of development and pathogenicity in M. oryzae.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.598-608
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• 2019

Endophytic fungi have received much attention as plant growth promoters as well as biological control agents against many plant pathogens. In this study, 30 endophytic fungal species, isolated from various plants in China, were evaluated using in vitro dual culture assay against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum, causing wilt in cucumber. The results of the present study clearly showed that all the 30 endophytic fungal isolates were highly capable of inhibiting the mycelial colony growth of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum with inhibition % over 66% as compared to control treatments. Among all of them, 5 isolates were highly effective such as, Penicillium sp., Guignardia mangiferae, Hypocrea sp., Neurospora sp., Eupenicillium javanicum, and Lasiodiplodia theobromae, respectively. The Penicillium sp. and Hypocrea sp. were highly effective as compared to other isolates. From in vitro results 10 best isolates were selected for greenhouse studies. The results of the greenhouse studies showed that among all of them 3 endophytic fungal isolates successfully suppressed wilt severity when co-inoculation with pathogen Fusarium. oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum. The endophytic fungi also enhanced plant growth parameters of the host plants, the antagonistic fungal isolates increased over all plant height, aerial fresh, and dry weight as compared to control.

• Mycobiology
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.169-183
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• 2020

Nigrospora is a monophyletic genus belonging to Apiosporaceae. Species in this genus are phytopathogenic, endophytic, and saprobic on different hosts. In this study, leaf specimens with disease symptoms were collected from host plants from the Shandong Peninsula, China. The fungal taxa associated with these leaf spots were studied using morphology and phylogeny based on ITS, TEF1, and TUB2 gene regions. In this article, we report on the genus Nigrospora with N. gorlenkoana, N. oryzae, N. osmanthi, N. rubi, and N. sphaerica identified with 13 novel host associations including crops with economic importance such as bamboo and Chinese rose.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.661-672
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• 2017

Endophytic fungi are present in host plants and contribute to resistance to biotic and abiotic stress. Aquatic plants are living in aquatic environment such as saltwater or freshwater and exposed more water stress than other land plants. In this study, we investigated 4 wetlands in Jeju and collected 11 aquatic plants. Exogenous microbes were removed by preprocessing of plants and endophytic fungal strains were isolated from the plants. We isolated 126 fungal strains from Namsaengi-pond, 22 fungal strains from Sujangdong-marsh, 44 fungal strains from Yongsu-reservoir and 32 fungal strains from Gangjeongcheon. The fungal strains were identified using internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and analyzed the phylogeny and diversity. Endophytic fungi isolated from plants of Namsaengi-pond were classified to 30 genera, 19 families, 12 orders, 7 classes and 4 phyla. Endophytic fungi of Sujangdong-marsh were classified to 11 genera, 11 families, 6 orders, 5 classes and 4 phyla. Endophytic fungi of Yongsu-reservoir were classified to 13 genera, 12 families, 7 orders, 5 classes and 4 phyla. Endophytic fungi isolated from Gangjeongcheon were classified to 9 genera, 7 families, 5 orders, 2 classes and 1 phyla. Overall, they were divided 40 genera and Alternaria, Colletotrichum and Fusarium were isolated from 4 sites in common. By investigating the endophytic fungi in aquatic plants, it is for baseline data that determination of diversity and the ecological distribution of endophytic fungi.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.353-360
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• 2017

Background: Endophytic fungi play an important role in balancing the ecosystem and boosting host growth. In the present study, we investigated the endophytic fungal diversity of healthy Panax notoginseng and evaluated its potential antimicrobial activity against five major phytopathogens causing root-rot of P. notoginseng. Methods: A culture-dependent technique, combining morphological and molecular methods, was used to analyze endophytic fungal diversity. A double-layer agar technique was used to challenge the phytopathogens of P. notoginseng. Results: A total of 89 fungi were obtained from the roots, stems, leaves, and seeds of P. notoginseng, and 41 isolates representing different morphotypes were selected for taxonomic characterization. The fungal isolates belonged to Ascomycota (96.6%) and Zygomycota (3.4%). All isolates were classified to 23 genera and an unknown taxon belonging to Sordariomycetes. The number of isolates obtained from different tissues ranged from 12 to 42 for leaves and roots, respectively. The selected endophytic fungal isolates were challenged by the root-rot pathogens Alternaria panax, Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium solani, Phoma herbarum, and Mycocentrospora acerina. Twenty-six of the 41 isolates (63.4%) exhibited activity against at least one of the pathogens tested. Conclusion: Our results suggested that P. notoginseng harbors diversified endophytic fungi that would provide a basis for the identification of new bioactive compounds, and for effective biocontrol of notoginseng root rot.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.97-107
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• 2015

Alteration of genetic make-up of the isolates and mono-sporidial strains of Tilletia indica causing Karnal bunt (KB) disease in wheat was analyzed using DNA markers and SDS-PAGE. The generation of new variation with different growth characteristics is not a generalized feature and is not only dependant on the original genetic make up of the base isolate/monosporidial strains but also on interaction with host. Host determinant(s) plays a significant role in the generation of variability and the effect is much pronounced in monosporidial strains with narrow genetic base as compared to broad genetic base. The most plausible explanation of genetic variation in presence of host determinant(s) are the recombination of genetic material from two different mycelial/sporidia through sexual mating as well as through parasexual means. The morphological and development dependent variability further suggests that the variation in T. indica strains predominantly derived through the genetic rearrangements.

• Mycobiology
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.448-456
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• 2022

In this study, the roots and rhizosphere soil of Abies koreana and Taxus cuspidata were collected from sites at two different altitudes on Mt. Halla. Ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) were identified by Illumina MiSeq sequencing. The proportion of EMF from the roots was 89% in A. koreana and 69% in T. cuspidata. Among EMF in rhizosphere soils, the genus Russula was the most abundant in roots of A. koreana (p < 0.05). The altitude did not affect the biodiversity of EMF communities but influenced fungal community composition. However, the host plants had the most significant effect on EMF communities. The result of the EMF community analysis showed that even if the EMF were isolated from the same altitudes, the EMF communities differed according to the host plant. The community similarity index of EMF in the roots of A. koreana was higher than that of T. cuspidata (p < 0.05). The results show that both altitude and host plants influenced the structure of EMF communities. Conifers inhabiting harsh sub-alpine environments rely strongly on symbiotic relationships with EMF. A. koreana is an endangered species with a higher host specificity of EMF and climate change vulnerability than T. cuspidata. This study provides insights into the EMF communities, which are symbionts of A. koreana, and our critical findings may be used to restore A. koreana.

• 한국균학회소식:학술대회논문집
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• 2015.05a
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• pp.59-59
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• 2015

Cryptococcus neoformans causes life-threatening meningoencephalitis in humans, but the treatment of cryptococcosis remains challenging. To develop novel therapeutic targets and approaches, signaling cascades controlling pathogenicity of C. neoformans have been extensively studied but the underlying biological regulatory circuits remain elusive, particularly due to the presence of an evolutionarily divergent set of transcription factors (TFs) in this basidiomycetous fungus. In this study, we constructed a high-quality of 322 signature-tagged gene deletion strains for 155 putative TF genes, which were previously predicted using the DNA-binding domain TF database (http://www.transcriptionfactor.org/). We tested in vivo and in vitro phenotypic traits under 32 distinct growth conditions using 322 TF gene deletion strains. At least one phenotypic trait was exhibited by 145 out of 155 TF mutants (93%) and approximately 85% of the TFs (132/155) have been functionally characterized for the first time in this study. Through high-coverage phenome analysis, we discovered myriad novel TFs that play critical roles in growth, differentiation, virulence-factor (melanin, capsule, and urease) formation, stress responses, antifungal drug resistance, and virulence. Large-scale virulence and infectivity assays in insect (Galleria mellonella) and mouse host models identified 34 novel TFs that are critical for pathogenicity. The genotypic and phenotypic data for each TF are available in the C. neoformans TF phenome database (http://tf.cryptococcus.org). In conclusion, our phenome-based functional analysis of the C. neoformans TF mutant library provides key insights into transcriptional networks of basidiomycetous fungi and ubiquitous human fungal pathogens.