• KSBB Journal
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.255-261
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• 1990

Cell fusion between complementary mutants isolated from astaxanthin-producing yeast, Phaffia rhodozyma, was carried out to obtain astaxanthin-overproducing strains by protoplast fusion technique. The frequency of protoplast fusion was ranged from 2.3$\times$10-5 to 6.0$\times$10-5, and nuclear fusion in the cells of hybrids was demonstrated by several techniques such as isolation of recombinants after mitotic segregation of parental genetic markers, estimation of DNA content, direct observation of nuclei with nuclear staining, and comparison of survival rate to UV exposure. One of several hybrids, Fl, showed approximately 3-fold increase in astaxanthin content when compared with wild parent.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.34-40
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• 2007

In budding yeast, G2/M transition is tightly correlated with bud morphogenesis regulated by Swel and septin that plays as a scaffold to recruits protein components. BNI5 isolated as a suppressor for septin defect is implicated in septin organization and cytokinesis. The mechanism by which Bni5 regulates normal septin function is not completely understood. Here, we show that Bni5 phosphorylation is required for mitotic entry regulated by Swel pathway. Bni5 modification was evident from late mitosis to G1 phase, and CIP treatment in vitro of affinity-purified Bni5 removed the modification, indicative of phosphorylation on Bni5. The phosphorylation-deficient mutant of BNI5 (bni5-4A) was defective in both growth at semi-restrictive temperature and suppression of septin defect. Loss of Bni5 phosphorylation resulted in abnormal bud morphology and cell cycle delay at G2 phase, as evidenced by the formation of elongated cells with multinuclei. However, deletion of Swel completely eliminated the elongated-bud phenotypes of both bni5 deletion and bni5-4A mutants. These results suggest that the bud morphogenesis and mitotic entry are positively regulated by phosphorylation-dependent function of Bni5 which is under the control of Swel morphogenesis pathway.

• 한국균학회소식:학술대회논문집
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• 2014.10a
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• pp.43-43
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• 2014

The rice blast disease caused by of Magnaporthe oryzae is one of the most destructive diseases of rice. By the microarray analysis, we profiled expression changes of genes during conidiation and found out many putative genes that are up-regulated. Among those, we first selected MGG_06399 encoding a dual-specificity tyrosine-regulated protein kinase (DYRK), homologous to YAK1 in yeast. To investigate functional roles of MoYAK1, We made ${\Delta}Moyak1$ mutants by homology dependent gene replacement. The deletion mutant showed a remarkable reduction in conidiation and produced abnormally shaped conidia smaller than those of wild type. The conidia form ${\Delta}Moyak1$ were able to develop a germ tube, but failed to form apppressoria on a hydrophobic coverslip. The ${\Delta}Moyak1$ formed appressria on a hydrophobic cover slip when exogenous cAMP was induced, but the appressoria shape was abnormal. The ${\Delta}Moyak1$ also formed appressoria abberent in shape on onion epidermis and rice sheaths and failed to penetrate the surface of the plants. These data indicate that MoYAK1 is associated with cAMP/PKA pathway and important for conidiation, appressorial formation and pathogenic development in Magnaporthe oryzae. Detailed characterization of MoYAK1 will be presented.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.399-405
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• 2014

Autophagy targets cytoplasmic cargo to a lytic compartment for degradation. Autophagy-related (Atg) proteins, including the transmembrane protein Atg9, are involved in different steps of autophagy in yeast and mammalian cells. Functional classification of core Atg proteins in plants has not been clearly confirmed, partly because of the limited availability of reliable assays for monitoring autophagic flux. By using proUBQ10-GFP-ATG8a as an autophagic marker, we showed that autophagic flux is reduced but not completely compromised in Arabidopsis thaliana atg9 mutants. In contrast, we confirmed full inhibition of auto-phagic flux in atg7 and that the difference in autophagy was consistent with the differences in mutant phenotypes such as hypersensitivity to nutrient stress and selective autophagy. Autophagic flux is also reduced by an inhibitor of phosphatidylinositol kinase. Our data indicated that atg9 is phenotypically distinct from atg7 and atg2 in Arabidopsis, and we proposed that ATG9 and phosphatidylinositol kinase activity contribute to efficient autophagy in Arabidopsis.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.317-320
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• 2003

Genome-wide systematic deletion mutants were generated using a PCR-based targeted mutagenesis of Schizosacchaaromyces pombe. In a drug-sensitivity assay using thiabendazole(TBZ), an inhibitor of microtubule assembly, a heterozygous nda2 mutant ($nda2^+/nda2^-$), deleting one copy of nda2 encoding the microtubule subunit alpha1 demonstrated a distinct sensitivity to TBZ, indicating TBZ-induced haploinsufficiency. This result suggests that profiling drug-induced haploinsufficiency can be exploited to identify target genes for drugs and discover new drugs.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.10 no.5
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• pp.561-567
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• 1995

Using superoxide dismutase (SOD)-deficient mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the oxygen toxicity induced by paraquat was studied. In aerobic culture condition, yeasts lacking MnSOD (milochondrial SOD) showed more significant growth retardation than CuZnSOD (cytoplasmic SOD)-deficient yeasts. However, not so big differences in growth pattern of those mutants compared with wild type were observed under anaerobic condition. When exposed to paraquat, the growth of yeasts lacking CuZnSOD was severely affected by higher than 0.01mM of paraquat in culture medium. By the analysis of several cellular components ivolved in free radical generating and scavenging system, it was found that, under aerobic condition, the content of lipid peroxides in cell membrane as well as cellular activity of glutathion peroxidase of CuZnSOD-deficient mutants was increased in the presence of paraquat, although significant decrease of catalase activity was observed in those stratns. In MnSOD-deficient yeast, however, increment in cellular activity of glutathion peroxldase and catalase by paraquat was observed without any deterioration of membrane lipid. It implies that the lack of mitochondrial SOD could be compensated by both of glutathion peroxldase and catalase, but that only glutathion peroxidase might act for CuZnSOD in cytoplasm. In contrast, all of SOD-deficient mutants showed a significant decrease in catalase activity, but slight increase in the activities of glutathion peroxidase, when cultivated anaerobically in the medium containing paraquat. Nevertheless, any significant changes of lipid peroxides in cell membranes were not observed during anaerobic cultivation of SOD-deficient mutants. It suggests that a little amount of free radicals generated by paraquat under anaerobic condition could be sufficiently overcome by glutathion peroxidase but not by catalase.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2013

COP9 signalosome (CSN), which is originally identified as the regulator of the photomorphogenic development in plant, is highly conserved protein complex in diverse eukaryotic organisms. Most eukaryotic CSN complex is composed of 8 subunits, which is structurally and functionally similar to the lid subunit of 26S proteasome and eIF3 translation initiation complex. CSN play important functions in the regulation of cell cycle and checkpoint response by controlling Cullin-Ring E3 ubiquitin ligases (CRL) activities. CSN exhibits an isopeptidase activity which cleaves the neddylated moiety of cullin components. In fission yeast, S-phase cell cycle progression was delayed and the sensitivity to g-ray or UV was increased in CSN1 and CSN2 deletion mutants, indicating that yeast CSN is also involved in the checkpoint regulation. CSN in fungal system more closely resembles that of the higher organisms in the structure and assembly of their components. Functionally, CSN is associated with the regulation of conidiation rhythms in Neurospora crassa and the sexual development in Aspsergillus nidulans. Recent studies also revealed that CSN functions as an essential cell cycle regulator, playing key roles in the regulation of DNA replication and DNA damage response in Aspergillus. Overall, CSN of microorganisms, such as fission yeast and fungi, share functionally common aspects with higher organisms, implying that they can be useful tools to study the role of CSN in the CRL-mediated diverse cellular activities.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.68-72
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• 2002

To obtain a yeast mutant with high RNA content and high growth rate, Saccharomyces cerevisiae MTY62 was mutated with ethylmethane sulfonate. Among the selected mutants that were sensitive to the high concentration of KCl, M40-10 strain was finally selected due to its rapid cell growth and high RNA content in the tube and baffled-flask cultures. In the batch culture of M40-10 mutant, the maximum specific growth rate ($\mu_{max}$) of $0.38 h^{-1}$ , RNA concentration of 3210 mg-RNA/1, and RNA content of 183 mg-RNA/g-DCW were obtained, which were 23%, 15%, and 12% increased levels, respectively, compared to those of MTY62 parent strain. The intermittent fed-batch culture of M40-10 strain resulted in the maximum cell concentration of 35.6 g-DCW/1, RNA concentration of 5677 mg/1, and RNA content of 160 mg-RNA/g-DCW. Through the constant fed-batch culture, the maximum cell concentration of 46.4 g-DCW/1, RNA concentration of 6270 mg-RNA/1, and RNA content of 135 mg-RNA/g-DCW were obtained. At the 20 h culture time in the fed-batch cultures of M40-10 strain, the cell and RNA concentrations were increased by 30% and 10%, respectively, over the parent strain MTY62. In addition, it was also found that the accumulated RNA within the mutant cell was not degraded until the end of fed-batch cultivation, indicating that the M40-10 cell is a mutant with weak acidic RNase activity.y.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.158-164
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• 2008

The fusants which contain starch utilizing ability and alcohol fermenting ability were developed by protoplast fusion of Saccharomyces cerevisiae KOY-1 and Saccharomyces diastaticus KCTC 1804. Sacharomyces cerevisiae KH-12 was obtained by haploid induction from Saccharomyces cerevisiae KOY-1. The auxotropic mutants of yeast were obtained by using an ethylmethane sulfonate (EMS). The frequency of protoplast formation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae KOY-1 $(Met^-)$ and Saccharomyces diastaticus KCTC 1804 $(Trp^-)$ were 90.5% and 97.7%, respectively. The frequency of fusant formation was $1.79{\times}10^{-4 }$ for the regenerated protoplast and the 1,000 fusants were obtained. Fusant FA 776 was selected as a potential yeast which contain an alcohol fermenting ability in the starch medium. The genetic stability was 4.64% for 10 passages of generation. Fusant FA 776 produced 13mg/ml of alcohol in 24% starch medium and showed 1.86-fold higher alcohol fermenting ability than Saccharomyces diastaticus KCTC 1804.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.297-304
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• 2007

For large and rapid screening of high-yielding mutants of lovastatin produced by filamentous fungal cells of Aspergillus terreus, one of the most important stage is to test as large amounts of mutated strains as possible. For this purpose, we intended to develop a miniaturized cultivation method using $7m{\ell}$ culture tube instead of traditional $250m{\ell}$ flask (working volume $50m{\ell}$). For obtaining large amounts of conidiospores to be used as inoculums for miniaturized cultures, 4 components i.e., glucose, sucrose, yeast extract and $KH_2PO_4$ were intensively investigated, which had been observed to show positive effect on enhancement of spore production through Plackett-Burman design experimet. When optimum concentrations of these components that were determined through application of response surface method (RSM) based on central composite design (CCD) were used, maximum spore numbers amounting to $1.9\times10^{10}$ spores/plate were obtained, resulting in approximately 190 fold increase as compared to the commonly used PDA sporulation medium. Using the miniaturized cultures, intensive strain development programs were carried out for screening of lovastatin high-yielding as well as highly reproducible mutants. It was observed that, for maximum production of lovastatin, the producers should be activated through 'PaB' adaptation process during the early solid culture stage. In addition, they should be proliferated in condensed filamentous forms in miniaturized growth cultures, so that optimum amounts of highly active cells could be transferred to the production culture-tube as reproducible inoculums. Under these highly controlled fermentation conditions, compact-pelleted morphology of optimum size (less than 1 mm in diameter) was successfully induced in the miniaturized production cultures, which proved essential for maximal utilization of the producers' physiology leading to significantly enhanced production of lovastatin. As a result of continuous screening in the miniaturized cultures, lovastatin production levels of the 81% of the daughter cells derived from the high-yielding producers turned out to be in the range of 80%$\sim$120% of the lovastatin production level of the parallel flask cultures. These results demonstrate that the miniaturized cultivation method developed in this study is efficient high throughput system for large and rapid screening of highly stable and productive strains.