Yoon-E Choi
Korea University · 環境科学
研究室紹介
Professor Yoon-E Choi's research lab focuses on fungal pathogenesis and environmental microbiology, with a strong emphasis on understanding molecular mechanisms underlying fungal virulence, mycotoxin production, and host-pathogen interactions in agriculturally important pathogens such as *Fusarium verticillioides* and *Mycosphaerella graminicola*. The lab investigates key signaling pathways—like the cAMP-PKA and velvet gene regulatory networks—that control development, secondary metabolism, and disease progression in fungi. Additionally, the lab explores sustainable biotechnological solutions for environmental challenges, including the control of harmful algal blooms and the valorization of industrial by-products like crude glycerol through microbial processes. Their work bridges fundamental fungal biology with practical applications in food safety, agriculture, and environmental bioremediation.
Research Overview
Research Output Trend
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
Selected Papers
15Fusarium verticillioides is one of the most important fungal pathogens of maize. Mycotoxin, fumonisins produced by this pathogen pose a threat to human and animal health. Because cAMP signaling has been implicated in regulating diverse developmental and infection processes in fungal pathogens, in this study, we aimed to elucidate the function of the cAMP-protein kinase A (PKA) pathway in toxin production and plant infection in F. verticillioides. Targeted deletion mutants were generated for the
Fusarium verticillioides (teleomorph Gibberella moniliformis) and F. graminearum (teleomorph G. zeae) are well known to cause devastating diseases on cereal crops. Despite their importance, our understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in these host-pathogen interactions is limited. The FSR1 locus in F. verticillioides was identified by screening REMI mutants for loss of virulence in maize stalk rot inoculation studies. FSR1 encodes an 823-codon open reading frame interrupted by two int
The ascomycete fungus Mycosphaerella graminicola is an important pathogen of wheat that causes Septoria tritici blotch. Despite the serious impact of M. graminicola on wheat production worldwide, knowledge about its molecular biology is limited. The velvet gene, veA, is one of the key regulators of diverse cellular processes, including development and secondary metabolism in many fungi. However, the species analyzed to date are not related to the Dothideomycetes, the largest class of plant-patho
Microcystis aeruginosa is one of the predominant species responsible for cyanobacterial-harmful algal blooms (Cyano-HABs) in water bodies. Cyano-HABs pose a growing number of serious threats to the environment and public health. Therefore, the demand for developing safe and eco-friendly solutions to control Cyano-HABs is increasing. In the present study, the adsorptive strategy using chitosan was applied to remove M. aeruginosa cells from aqueous phases. Using a simple immobilization process, ch
White colony-forming yeasts (WCFYs) often appear in fermented foods, depending on the storage method. Despite the ongoing research on fermented foods, the community and genome features of WCFYs have not been well studied. In this study, the community structures of WCFYs on fermented vegetables (kimchi) prepared with various raw materials were investigated using deep sequencing. Only eight operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were detected, indicating that the community structure of WCFYs on kimchi
In this study, bacterial cellulose production from pure and crude glycerol by Gluconacetobacter xylinusKCCM 41431 was achieved under static culture condition. The effect of crude glycerol-derived inhibitorswas investigated (glycerol concentration, pH, and salts concentration). Significant inhibitory effects instatic cultivation were observed in the following conditions: above 40 g/L of initial glycerol concentration,pH 6, or 10 g/L of salts concentration. Especially, inhibition in bacterial cell
Mycosphaerella graminicola is an important wheat pathogen causing Septoria tritici blotch. To date, an efficient strategy to control M. graminicola has not been developed. More significantly, we have a limited understanding of the molecular mechanisms of M. graminicola pathogenicity. In this study, we attempted to characterize an MCC1-encoding c-type cyclin, a gene homologous to FCC1 in Fusarium verticillioides. Four independent MCC1 knock-out mutants were generated via Agrobacterium tumefaciens
In this study, we attempted to understand signaling pathways behind lipid biosynthesis by employing a chemical genetics approach based on small molecule inhibitors. Specific signaling inhibitors of MAP kinase or modulators of cAMP signaling were selected to evaluate the functional roles of each of the key signaling pathways in three different microalgal species: Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, Chlorella vulgaris, and Haematococcus pluvialis. Our results clearly indicate that cAMP signaling pathways a
In the present study, the relationship between the amount of anionic or cationic binding sites and adsorption capacities of biosorbents is discussed through potentiometric titration and mathematical model equations (proton-binding models). The poly(acrylic) acid-modified biomass (PAAB) and polyethylenimine-modified biomass (PEIB) derived from raw biomass (RB) Corynebacterium glutamicum (C. glutamicum) were used as cationic and anionic binding site-enhanced biosorbents, respectively. To obtain th