Young Woon Lim

Pyrosequencing, a non-electrophoretic method of DNA sequencing, was used to investigate the extensive fungal community in soils of three islands in the Yellow Sea of Korea, between Korea and China. Pyrosequencing was carried out on amplicons derived from the 5' region of 18S rDNA. A total of 10,166 reads were obtained, with an average length of 103 bp. The maximum number of fungal phylotypes in soil predicted at 99% similarity was 3,334. The maximum numbers of phylotypes predicted at 97% and 95%

Tricholoma matsutake (pine mushroom, PM) is a prized mushroom in Asia due to its unique flavor and pine aroma. The fruiting body of PM forms only in its natural habitat (pine forest), and little is known regarding the natural conditions required for successful generation of the fruiting bodies in this species. Recent studies suggest that microbial interactions may be associated with the growth of PM; however, there have been few studies of the bacterial effects on PM growth. In this study, we su

Two bacterial strains associated with the white-rot fungus Phanerochaete sordida were subjected to taxonomic investigation. The isolates, designated KCTC 12081(T) and KCTC 12082, were Gram-negative, non-motile, non-spore-forming and ovoid to rod-shaped. The strains contained major amounts of hexadecanoic acid, cyclo-heptadecanoic acid and omega-7-cis-octadecenoic acid in their cell envelopes. Strain KCTC 12081(T) contained ubiquinone-8 as the major isoprenoid quinone and the G+C content of its g

Tricholoma matsutake, the pine mushroom, is a valuable forest product with high economic value in Asia, and plays an important ecological role as an ectomycorrhizal fungus. Around the host tree, T. matsutake hyphae generate a distinctive soil aggregating environment called a fairy ring, where fruiting bodies form. Because T. matsutake hyphae dominate the soil near the fairy ring, this species has the potential to influence the microbial community. To explore the influence of T. matsutake on the

Distinguishing individual Russula species has been difficult due to extensive phenotypic plasticity and obscure morphological and anatomical discontinuities. Due to highly similar macroscopic features, such as the presence of a red-cap, species identification within the Russula subgenus Amoenula is particularly difficult. Three species of the subgenus Amoneula have been reported in Korea. We used a combination of morphology and three molecular markers, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), 28S

The Black Pine, Pinus thunbergii, is widely distributed along the eastern coast of Korea and its importance as a shelterbelt was highlighted after tsunamis in Indonesia and Japan. The root endophytic diversity of P. thunbergii was investigated in three coastal regions; Goseong, Uljin, and Busan. Fungi were isolated from the root tips, and growth rates of pure cultures were measured and compared between PDA with and without 3% NaCl to determine their saline resistance. A total of 259 isolates wer

Species of Laccaria (Hydnangiaceae, Basidiomycota) are important in forest ecosystems as ectomycorrhizal fungi. Nine of the 75 described Laccaria species worldwide been reported from Korea. Most of these have European and North American names, and their identities are based solely on morphological features. To evaluate the taxonomy of Korean Laccaria, we used 443 specimens collected between 1981 and 2016 in a phylogenetic analysis based on sequence data from nuc rDNA internal transcribed spacer

<i>Penicillium</i>, the most common genus plays an important ecological role in various terrestrial and marine environments. However, only a few species have been reported from rhizosphere soil. As part of a project to excavate Korean indigenous fungi, we investigated rhizosphere soil of six plants in the forest (terrestrial habitat) and sand dunes (coastal habitat) and focused on discovering <i>Penicillium</i> species. A total of 64 strains were isolated and identified as 26 <i>Penicillium</i>

<i>Aspergillus</i> (Trichocomaceae, Eurotiales, and Ascomycota) is a genus of well-defined asexual spore-forming fungi that produce valuable compounds such as secondary metabolites and enzymes; however, some species are also responsible for diseases in plants and animals, including humans. To date, 26 <i>Aspergillus</i> species have been reported in Korea, with most species located in terrestrial environments. In our study, <i>Aspergillus</i> species were isolated from mudflats and sea sand alon

Leptographium pyrinum, Leptographium terebrantis, Ophiostoma aureum, Ophiostoma clavigerum, and Ophiostoma robustum are very similar in morphology, host trees choice, and the way they are disseminated by bark beetles. Their phylogenetic relationships were clarified using rDNA and protein coding genes including actin, β-tubulin, and translation elongation factor-1α. Protein coding gene trees showed better resolution than the rDNA tree, which generated three clades: O. clavigerum, L. terebrantis/L

Pine mushroom (PM, Tricholoma matsutake) is an important ectomycorrhizal fungus in Asia primarily due to its value as a food delicacy. Recent studies have shown that fairy rings of PM have distinctive fungal communities, which suggests that other fungi influence the growth of PM. Trichoderma is a well-known saprotrophic fungus commonly found in pine roots within PM fairy rings; however, little is known about the diversity of Trichoderma associated with PM and how these species influence PM growt

The taxonomic status of Flavobacterium resinovorum Delaporte and Daste 1956 (Approved Lists 1980) was investigated using a polyphasic approach. The 16S rRNA gene sequence of F. resinovorum NCIMB 8767(T) was almost identical to that of the type strain of Novosphingobium subarcticum (Nohynek et al. 1996) Takeuchi et al. 2001, with 99.85 % sequence similarity. The DNA-DNA relatedness value between the type strains of these species was 100 %. Phenotypic comparison based on API 20E, API NE and API ZY

White-rot fungi of the genus Bjerkandera are cosmopolitan and have shown potential for industrial application and bioremediation. When distinguishing morphological characters are no longer present (e.g., cultures or dried specimen fragments), characterizing true sequences of Bjerkandera is crucial for accurate identification and application of the species. To build a framework for molecular identification of Bjerkandera, we carefully identified specimens of B. adusta and B. fumosa from Korea bas

<i>Agarum clathratum,</i> a brown macroalgae species, has recently become a serious environmental problem on the coasts of Korea. In an effort to solve this problem, fungal diversity associated with decaying <i>A. clathratum</i> was investigated and related β-glucosidase and endoglucanase activities were described. A total of 233 fungal strains were isolated from <i>A</i>. <i>clathratum</i> at 15 sites and identified 89 species based on morphology and a multigene analysis using the internal tran