Mycobiology

Hispidin is an important styrylpyrone produced by Sanghuangporus sanghuang . To analyze hispidin biosynthesis in S. sanghuang , the transcriptomes of hispidin-producing and non-producing S. sanghuang were determined by Illumina sequencing. Five PKSs were identified using genome annotation. Comparative analysis with the reference transcriptome showed that two PKSs ( ShPKS3 and ShPKS4 ) had low expression levels in four types of media. The gene expression pattern of only ShPKS1 was consistent with the yield variation of hispidin...

Aspergillus is one of the largest and diverse genera of fungi with huge economical, biotechnological, and social significance. Taxonomically, Aspergillus is divided into six subgenera comprising 27 sections. In this study, 235 strains of Aspergillus subgenus Circumdati (section: Candidi , Circumdati , Flavi , Flavipedes , Nigri, and Terrei ) preserved at the Korean Agricultural Culture Collection (KACC) were analyzed and re-identified using a combined dataset of partial β-tubulin ( BenA ), Calmodulin ( CaM ) gene sequences and morphological data...

The nucleolus is the largest, membrane-less organelle within the nucleus of eukaryotic cell that plays a critical role in rRNA transcription and assembly of ribosomes. Recently, the nucleolus has been shown to be implicated in an array of processes including the formation of signal recognition particles and response to cellular stress. Such diverse functions of nucleolus are mediated by nucleolar proteins. In this study, we characterized a gene coding a putative protein containing a nucleolar localization sequence (NoLS) in the rice blast fungus, Magnaporthe oryzae ...

Talaromyces is a genus within the phylum Ascomycota (class Eurotiomycetes , order Eurotiales , family Trichocomaceae ). Many species in this genus are known to produce diverse secondary metabolites with great potential for agricultural, medical, and pharmaceutical applications. During a survey on fungal diversity in the genus Talaromyces in Korea, six strains were isolated from soil, indoor air, and freshwater environments. Based on morphological, physiological, and multi-locus (ITS, BenA, CaM, and RPB2 ) phylogenetic analyses, we identified five previously unrecorded species in Korea ( T...

Lichens play crucial roles in the ecosystems, contributing to soil formation and nutrient cycling, and being used in biomonitoring efforts to assess the sustainability of ecosystems including air quality. Previous studies on heavy metal accumulation in lichens have mostly relied on manipulated environments, such as transplanted lichens, leaving us with a dearth of research on how lichens physiologically respond to heavy metal exposure in their natural habitats. To fill this knowledge gap, we investigated lichens from two of South Korea's geographically distant regions, Gangwon Province and Jeju Island, and examined whether difference in ambient heavy metal concentrations could be detected through physiological variables, including chlorophyll damage, lipid oxidation, and protein content...

The symbiotic association between fungus-gardening termites Macrotermes and its fungal symbiont has a moderate degree of specificity-although the symbiotic fungi ( Termitomyces ) form a monophyletic clade, there is not a one-to-one association between termite species and their fungus-garden associates. Here, we aim to determine the origin and phylogenetic relationships of Termitomyces in Oman. We used sequences of the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) and the nuclear large subunit ribosomal RNA (LSU rRNA, 25S) gene and analyzed these with sequences of Termitomyces from other geographic areas...

Tricholoma matsutake has been the most valuable ectomycorrhizal fungi in Asia because of its unique flavor and taste. However, due to the difficulty of artificial cultivation, the cultivation of T. matsutake has relied on natural growth in forests. To cultivate the T. matsutake artificially, microorganisms in fairy rings were introduced. In this study, we isolated 30 fungal species of microfungi from the soil of fairy rings. Among them, one single fungal strain showed a promoting effect on the growth of T. matsutake ...

Phytophthora species, classified under Oomycota, cause significant damage to various crops and trees. The present study introduced Phytophthora species, P. nagaii and P. tentaculata , new to Korea, which pose notable risks to their respective host plants. Our research provided a comprehensive description of these species taking into account their cultural features, morphological characteristics, and molecular phylogenetic analysis using the internal transcribed spacer rDNA region and cytochrome c oxidase subunit mtDNA genes ( cox 1 and cox 2) sequences...

Lkh1, a LAMMER kinase homolog in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe , acts as a negative regulator of filamentous growth and flocculation. It is also involved in the response to oxidative stress. The lkh1- deletion mutant displays slower cell growth, shorter cell size, and abnormal DNA content compared to the wild type. These phenotypes suggest that Lkh1 controls cell size and cell cycle progression. When we performed microarray analysis using the lkh1- deletion mutant, we found that only four of the up-regulated genes in the lkh1- deletion were associated with the cell cycle...

Hydnum is a genus of ectomycorrhizal fungi belonging to the Hydnaceae family. It is widely distributed across different regions of the world, including North America, Europe, and Asia; however, some of them showed disjunct distributions. In recent years, with the integration of molecular techniques, the taxonomy and classification of Hydnum have undergone several revisions and advancements. However, these changes have not yet been applied in the Republic of Korea. In this study, we conducted an integrated analysis combining the morphological and molecular analyses of 30 specimens collected over a period of approximately 10 years in the Republic of Korea...

During disease surveys of Angelica acutiloba plants in Korea, leaf spot symptoms were observed in a field in Andong in July 2019, and stem rot symptoms in vinyl greenhouses in Yangpyeong in April 2020. Incidence of leaf spot and stem rot of the plants ranged from 10 to 20% and 5 to 30%, respectively. Morphological and cultural characteristics of fungal isolates from the leaf spot and stem rot symptoms fitted into those of the genus Phoma . Molecular phylogenetic analyses of two single-spore isolates from the symptoms using concatenated sequences of LSU, ITS, TUB2, and RPB2 genes authenticated an independent cluster from other Didymella (anamorph: Phoma ) species...

Genus Penicillium comprising the most important and extensively studied fungi has been well-known as a rich source of secondary metabolites. Our study aimed to analyze and investigate biological activities, including in vitro anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic properties, of metabolites from a marine-derived fungus belonging to P. levitum . The chemical compounds in the culture broth of P. levitum strain N33.2 were extracted with ethyl acetate. Followingly, chemical analysis of the extract leaded to the isolation of three ergostane-type steroid components, namely cerevisterol (1) , ergosterol peroxide (2) , and (3β,5α,22E)-ergosta-6,8(14),22-triene-3,5-diol (3) ...

The aim of this study was to characterize a new fungal species, Acremonium conglutinatum , isolated from air samples collected in Wando, South Korea. Phylogenetic analysis based on the internal transcribed spacer and large subunit regions revealed its unique position within the genus Acremonium . The isolated strain displayed distinct morphological characteristics, including ellipsoid or bent-ellipsoid conidia formed in clusters on the phialides. These features differentiate the new species from closely related species within the genus...

Xylanase has been applied in various sectors, such as biomass conversion, paper, pulp, textiles, and pharmaceutical industries. This study aimed to isolate and screen potential xylanase-producing fungi from the soil of Suphan Buri Province, Thailand. Fifteen fungi were isolated, and their xylanase activities were tested by the qualitative method. The result showed that isolate SP3, SP10 and SP15 gave high xylanase activity with potency index (PI) of 2.32, 2.01 and 1.82, respectively. These fungi were selected for the xylanase quantitative test, isolate SP10 performed the highest xylanase activity with 0...

Glabridin is a well-known active isoflavone found in the root of licorice ( Glycyrrhiza glabra L.) that possess a wide range of biological activity. Plant cells, hairy roots, and fungal endophytes cultures are the most important alternative methods for plant resources conservation and sustainable production of natural compounds, which has received much attention in recent decades. In the present study, an efficient culture condition was optimized for the biomass accumulation and glabridin production from fungal endophyte Aspergillus eucalypticola SBU-11AE isolated from licorice root...

The seed borne disease such as bakanae is difficult to control. Crop yield loss caused by bakanae depending on the regions and varieties grown, ranging from 3.0% to 95.4%. Bakanae is an important disease of rice worldwide and the pathogen was identified as Fusarium fujikuroi Nirenberg (teleomorph: Gibberella fujikuroi Sawada). Currently, four Fusaria ( F. fujikuroi, F. proliferatum, F. verticillioides and F. andiyazi ) belonging to F. fujikuroi species complex are generally known as the pathogens of bakanae...

Onion ( Allium cepa L.) is an economically important vegetable crop worldwide. However, various fungal diseases, including Fusarium basal rot (FBR), neck rot, and white rot, reduce onion production or bulb storage life. FBR caused by Fusarium species is among the most destructive onion diseases. In this study, we identified Fusarium species associated with FBR in Jeolla and Gyeongsang Provinces in South Korea and evaluated fungicides against the pathogens. Our morphological and molecular analyses showed that FBR in onions is associated with Fusarium commune , Fusarium oxysporum , and Fusarium proliferatum ...

Species in the genus Trametes ( Basidiomycota, Polyporales ) have been used in natural medicine for a long time. Many studies reported that mycelia or fruiting bodies of Trametes spp. exhibited effects of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antimicrobial activities. However, comparative analysis in this genus is scarce due to limitation of morphological identification and the sample number. In this study, the 19 strains of seven Trametes species were chosen to generate a five-gene-based phylogeny with the 31 global references...

The cell wall integrity (CWI) signaling pathway plays important roles in the dissemination and infection of several plant pathogenic fungi. However, its roles in the pepper fruit anthracnose fungus Colletotrichum scovillei remain uninvestigated. In this study, the major components of the CWI signaling pathway-CsMCK1 (MAPKKK), CsMKK1 (MAPKK), and CsMPS1 (MAPK)-were functionally characterized in C. scovillei via homology-dependent gene replacement. The ΔCsmck1 , ΔCsmkk1 , and ΔCsmps1 mutants showed impairments in fungal growth, conidiation, and tolerance to CWI and salt stresses...

The fungal strain KNUF-22-18B, belonging to Cucurbitariaceae, was discovered from a stink bug ( Hygia lativentris ) during the investigation of insect microbiota in Chungnam Province, South Korea. The colonies of the strain KNUF-22-18B were wooly floccose, white to brown in the center on oatmeal agar (OA), and the colonies were buff, margin even, and colorless, reverse white to yellowish toward the center on malt extract agar (MEA). The strain KNUF-22-18B produced pycnidia after 60 days of culturing on potato dextrose agar, but pycnidia were not observed on OA...