• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.100-111
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• 2019

Glomerella leaf spot (GLS) caused by Colletotrichum spp. is a destructive disease of apple restricted to a few regions worldwide. The distribution and evolution of GLS symptoms were observed for two years in Uruguay. The recurrent ascopore production on leaves and the widespread randomized distribution of symptoms throughout trees and orchard, suggest that ascospores play an important role in the disease dispersion. The ability of ascospores to produce typical GLS symptom was demonstrated by artificial inoculation. Colletotrichum strains causing GLS did not result in rot development, despite remaining alive in fruit lesions. Based on phylogenetic analysis of actin, ${\beta}$-tubulin and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene regions of 46 isolates, 25 from fruits and 21 from leaves, C. karstii was identified for the first time causing GLS in Uruguay and C. fructicola was found to be the most frequent (89%) and aggressive species. The higher aggressiveness of C. fructicola and its ability on to produce abundant fertile perithecia could help to explain the predominance of this species in the field.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.338-340
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• 2021

Morus alba, known as White Mulberry, is one of the most common species of mulberry found in South Korea, along with M. australis, known as Korean Mulberry. During a routine survey to investigate fungal diseases on deciduous broad-leaved trees in 2020, leaf spots were consistently observed on the White Mulberry in Sejong-si (36°30'12.8"N 127°17'34.5"E) and Wonju-si (37°15'29.6"N 128°11'37.9"E), South Korea, with a disease incidence of approximately 70 to 80%. Symptoms included circular, tan or necrotic lesions surrounded by a dark margin on leaves, which, in some cases, the lesions coalesced to form relatively large necrotic regions. The pathogen was successfully isolated from M. alba, and was identified as Cladosporium pseudocladosporioides based on the phylogenetic analysis and morphology. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of leaf spot disease on M. alba caused by C. pseudocladosporioides in South Korea.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.111-120
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• 2023

Three fungal strains designated as KNUF-23-MG32, KNUF-23-YC8, and KNUF-23-MJ82 were isolated from the abnormal symptomatic apple trees during screening fungal pathogens collected in Jeollanam-do and Gyeongsangbuk-do, Korea. These fungal strains were found to have similar cultural and morphological characteristics close to the genus Botryosphaeria. Morphological characteristics were matched with B. kuwatsukai CBS 135219 but different with B. dothidea KACC 45481 and B. sinensis HMAS 246714^T. Pathogenicity tests of strain KNUF-23-MG32 showed that this strain causes rot in Fuji apples. Molecular phylogenetic analysis based on the sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions, translation elongation factor 1-alpha (TEF1α), and partial β-tubulin (TUB2) showed that these strains are B. kuwatsukai. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of an apple ring rot fungus Botryosphaeria kuwatsukai in Korea.

• Mycobiology
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.231-237
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• 2022

Penicillium species have been actively studied in various fields, and many new and unrecorded species continue to be reported in Korea. Moreover, unidentified and misidentified Korean Penicillium species still exist in GenBank. Therefore, it is necessary to revise the Korean Penicillium inventory based on accurate identification. We collected Korean Penicillium nucleotide sequence records from GenBank using the newly developed software, GenMine, and re-identified Korean Penicillium based on the maximum likelihood trees. A total of 1681 Korean Penicillium GenBank nucleotide sequence records were collected from GenBank. In these records, 1208 strains with four major genes (Internal Transcribed Spacer rDNA region, b-tubulin, Calmodulin and RNA polymerase II) were selected for Penicillium reidentification. Among 1208 strains, 927 were identified, 82 were identified as other genera, the rest remained undetermined due to low phylogenetic resolution. Identified strains consisted of 206 Penicillium species, including 156 recorded species and 50 new species candidates. However, 37 species recorded in the national list of species in Korea were not found in GenBank. Further studies on the presence or absence of these species are required through literature investigation, additional sampling, and sequencing. Our study can be the basis for updating the Korean Penicillium inventory.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.491-504
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• 2023

To explore fungal diversity in orchard soil where fire-blighted apple trees are buried, we collected soil samples from apple orchards in Chungju, Korea. Fungal isolates were obtained from DG18 agar and identified at the species level based on morphological features and phylogenetic analyses. The colony characteristics and microstructures were examined using a light microscope and a scanning electron microscope after culturing on potato dextrose agar (PDA), malt extract agar (MEA), Czapek yeast agar (CYA), and oatmeal agar (OA) The PCR-amplified products of the ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region and 28S large subunit of the nuclear ribosomal RNA gene, as well as partial sequences of the β-tubulin, calmodulin, and translation elongation factor 1-α genes were sequenced and analyzed phylogenetically. Seven previously unknown fungal species were explored in Korea. All samples, including Aspergillus aureolatus, Botryotrichum atrogriseum, Dactylonectria novozelandica, Fusarium denticulatum, Paecilomyces tabacinus, Sarcopodium tibetense and Talaromyces stollii, had ascomycetes. Herein, we report their descriptions and features.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.254-265
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• 2018

Avian influenza recently damaged the poultry industry, which suffered a huge economic loss reaching billions of U.S. dollars in South Korea. Transmission routes of the pathogens would help plan to control and limit the spread of the devastating biological tragedy. Phylogenetic analyses of pathogen's DNA sequences could sketch transmission trees relating hosts with directed edges. The last decade has seen the methodological development of inferring transmission trees using epidemiological as well as genetic data. Here, I reanalyzed the DNA sequence data that had originated in the highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N8 outbreak of South Korea in 2014. The H5N8 viruses spread geographically contiguously from the origin of the outbreak, Jeonbuk. The Jeonbuk origin viruses were known to spread to four provinces neighboring Jeonbuk. I estimated the transmission tree of the host domestic and migratory wild birds after combining multiple runs of Markov chain Monte Carlo using a Bayesian method for inferring transmission trees. The estimated transmission tree, albeit with a rather large uncertainty in the directed edges, showed that the viruses spread from Jeonbuk through Chungnam to Gyeonggi. Domestic birds of breeder or broiler ducks were estimated to appear to be at the terminal nodes of the transmission tree. This observation confirmed that migratory wild birds played an important role as one of the main infection mediators in the avian influenza H5N8 outbreak of South Korea in 2014.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.25 no.12
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• pp.1354-1361
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• 2015

This study was aimed to investigate the distribution status and phylogenetic relationship of Myotis aurascens in Jeju Ialnd, which has not clearly confirmed until now. We found three groups of M. aurascens from three different cave enforcements (CEs). The bat population of Jeju Island had smaller levels of HBL and Hfcu, but greater levels of TL, EL, FAL, and Tra than those of the Korean Peninsula population. Jeju bats had wide range in the lengths of FAL and Hfcu comparing to those of European bats. From the bimonthly monitoring to each finding site, we have actually failed to observe those again, estimating that they use those CEs as the daily-roosting place in activating seasons. The sequences of CYTB and COI genes showed identical sequences among Jeju bats tested, indicating that they are maternally related. The results from molecular phylogeny showed that the sequences of these bats located on the same branch with those for M. aurascens in the phylogenetic trees. Besides, the nucleotide sequences of the Jeju bats showed the closest relation with that of Korean Peninsula. Consequently, these findings indicate that the bats of M. aurascens, verified the natural distribution in Jeju Island, have originated from a single maternal origin and differences in morphological and genetic backgrounds form those of Korean Peninsula and the other countries, and had probably immigrated via Korean Peninsula. These findings will contribute as basic information for understanding the migration history and biogeographic relationship of mammals on Jeju Island in East Asia.

• 한국균학회소식:학술대회논문집
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• 2015.05a
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• pp.55-55
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• 2015

Rust is one of the most destructive diseases on economically important plants such as agricultural and horticultural crops, as well as forest trees [1]. Chemical treatment is the most effective means to control rust, but use of the chemical fungicides involves inevitable risks to human health and environment [2]. Unfortunately, biocontrol is currently impracticable for rust disease management [3]. It is necessary to exploit biocontrol agents to help prevent rust diseases. As a fundamental research for future development of biocontrol agents for rusts, biodiversity of hyperparasites occurring on rust fungi was investigated. During 2006-2010, 197 fungal isolates of the rust hyperparasites were collected and isolated from various combinations of mycohosts and plant hosts in many regions of Korea. Based on morphological and molecular data, they were identified as 8 genera and 12 species. Besides, phylogenetic relationships between the hyperparasites and related taxa were inferred. A total of 114 isolates of Pseudovirgaria were obtained from rust pustules of Phragmidium spp. and Pucciniastrum agrimoniae infecting rosaceous plants. Phylogenetic analysis using multigene sequences revealed a high level of genetic variability among many isolates of Pseudovirgaria and close correlation between the isolates and mycohosts. Only two species of Pseudovirgaria, P. hyperparasitica and P. grisea are often difficult to distinguish by their morphological similarity, but on the molecular basis they were clearly differentiated from each other. There had been no previous record of P. grisea outside Europe, but the present study has proved its presence in Korea. Among six distinct groups (five of P. hyperparasitica and one of P. grisea) within the Pseudovirgaria isolates, each lineage of P. hyperparasitica was closely associated with specific mycohosts and thus might have cospeciated with their mycohosts, which probably led to coevolution. Although P. grisea possesses a host preference for Phragmidium species occurring on Rubus, it was not specific for a mycohost. P. grisea seems to evolve in the direction of having a broad mycohost range. Seventeen isolates of Verticillium-like fungi were isolated from rust sori. Based on morphological data and DNA sequence analysis, the isolates were identified as three Lecanicillium species, viz. L. attenuatum, Lecanicillium sp. 1, Lecanicillium sp. 2, and V. epiphytum. The unidenified two species of Lecanicillium appear to be previously unknown taxa. Sixty-six isolates of miscellaneous hyphomycetes belonging to 6 species of 5 genera were obtained from pustules of rust fungi. On the basis of morphological and molecular analyses, the miscellaneous hyphomycetes growing on rusts were identified as Acrodontium crateriforme, Cladophialophora pucciniophila, Cladosporium cladosporioides, Phacellium vossianum, Ramularia coleosporii, and R. uredinicola.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.821-834
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• 2002

In order to measure the inter- and intraspecific genetic divergences within the genus Alexandrium, the variations within the internal transcribed spacer (ITS1 and ITS2) regions and 5.85 ribosomal RNA gene of eight Alexandrium species were examined for 33 strains from diverse geographical locations by direct sequencing. Five isolates of A. tamarense (AT-2, AT-6, AT-10, AT-A and AT-B) from Jinhae Bay, Korea were found to be completely identical to a Japanese strain OFX151-A. The length of the amplified ITSI-5.85-ITS2 region varied from 481 nucleotides (in A. margalefi) to 528 nucleotides (in A. affine CU1-1). ITS1 and ITS2 nucleotide lengths were negatively correlated, whereas a positive correlation was found between their G＋C content. The degree of sequence divergence ranged from 0.3% (1 bp) to a maximum of 53% (305 Up). Pairwise sequence comparisons revealed a small degree of divergence between A. tamarense and A. Pundyense isolates (1.2 - 2.3% ＝ 6-12 bp), but a high degree of divergence between A. tamarense and A. catenella (19.8% ＝ 102 bp), and between A. catenella and A. Pundyense (19.7%). Although most nodes were weakly supported by bootstrap values, some types tend to form independent molecular groups. A. catenella isolates also formed an independent molecular sub-group, with relaticula strong bootstrap values (94% or 85% and 79% or 98%, respectively in PAUP and NJ trees). Interestingly, A. cohorticula and A. frateculus always clustered within the same sub-group, this result being supported by strong bootstrap values. Our results indicate that the ITS regions provide useful informations on hierarchical population genetic structure and a high phylogenetic resolution in intraspecific and interspecific Alexandrium population.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.341-354
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• 2005

For the genetic assessment of the cattle breeds including Hanwoo, eleven microsatellite markers on ten bovine autosomes were genetically characterized for 618 individuals of nineteen cattle breeds; North Eastern Asian breeds (Korean cattle, Korean Black cattle, Japanese Black cattle, Japanese Brown cattle, Yanbian cattle), Chinese yellow cattle (Luxi cattle, Nanyang cattle), European Bas taurus (Angus, Hereford, Charolais, Holstein, Limousin), African Bas taurus (N'Dama, Baoule), African Bas indicus (Kavirondo Zebu, White Fulani), Asian Bas indicus (Sahiwal, Nelore) and one Bali cattle, Bas banteng as an outbreed-reference population. Allele frequencies derived from the genotyping data were used in estimating heterozygosities, gene diversities and genetic distances. The microsatellite loci were highly polymorphic, with a total of 162 different alleles observed across all loci. Variability in allele numbers and frequencies was observed among the breeds. The average expected heterozygosity of North Eastern Asian breeds was higher than those of European and African taurines, but lower than those of Asian and African indicines. Genetic distances were estimated using Nei's DA genetic distance and the resultant DA matrix was used in the construction of the phylogenetic trees. The genetic distances between North Eastern Asian cattle breeds and Bas indicus were similar with those between European Bas taurus and Bas indicus, and African Bas taurus and Bas indicus, respectively. The clusters were clearly classified into North Eastern Asian, European and African taurines groups as well as different cluster with Chinese mainland breeds, firstly out-grouping with Bas indicus. These results suggest that Korean cattle, Hanwoo, had not been originated from a crossbred between Bas primigenius in Europe and Bas indicus in India and North Eastern Asian Bas taurus may be have separate domestication from European and African Bas taurus.