Nuclear distribution within the extra-radical fungal structures and during spore production in the arbuscular mycorrhizae fungus Glomus intraradices was examined using an in vitro monoxenic culture system. A di-compartmental monoxenic culture system was modified using a nitrocellulose membrane and a coverglass slip for detailed observations. Nuclear distribution was observed using the fluorescent DNA binding probes SYBR Green I and DAPI. Both septate and non-septate mycelial regions were observed, but cytoplasmic contents were only found within non-septate mycelia. Nuclear fluorescent staining revealed that the non-septate hyphal region contained nuclei only with cytoplasm, and that nuclear distribution was limited by septa. Swollen hyphal bodies were often associated with septate and empty-looking hyphae. Cytoplasmic contents filled the swollen hyphal body from the non-septate hyphal region following removal of the septa. As a consequence, the swollen body developed into a new spore. These observations provide understanding about the distribution of AM fungal nuclei within extra-radical mycelia and during spore formation. The results suggest a mechanism by which the development of a cytoplasm-containing mycelium is controlled by the formation or removal of septa to efficiently maintain and proliferate essential contents. This mechanism may provide a survival strategy to the fungus.
Collodion ; Cytoplasm ; DNA ; Fungal Structures ; Fungi ; Hyphae ; Indoles ; Membranes ; Mycelium ; Mycorrhizae ; Organic Chemicals ; Spores

The mycelia were directly isolated from eight species of fungal basidiocarps, confirmed to the ectomycorrhiza in the roots from the fields (forestry); Suillus bovinus, Paxillus involutus, Lactarius hysginus, Russula fragilis, Lepista nuda, Lyophyllum shimeji, Tricholoma matsutake, and Russula integra. The mycelia were pure-cultured with several transferring in various agars, and inoculated to the roots of pine (Pinus densiflora) seedling by in vitro method. After ten months growth under artificially aseptic conditions, all pine seedlings inoculated were stimulated at the growth-height, whereas those not inoculated were nearly dead. Also, the ramifications of ectomycorrhizal pine roots formed in the synthetic in vitro systems and were various according to the different mycelia. Synthesis of ectomycorrhiza were clearly confirmed in ten months growth, but not distinguished at this moment. It was clearly proved that the mycelia isolated caused the ectomycorrhizae in the roots of pine seedlings.
Agar ; Fruiting Bodies, Fungal ; Fungi* ; Mycorrhizae ; Pinus* ; Seedlings* ; Tricholoma

BACKGROUND: Elafin is a serine proteinase inhibitor first discovered in keratinocytes from hyperproliferative human epidermis. In addition to the proteinase inhibiting domain, elafin contains multiple transglutaminase substrate domains which enable cross-linking to extracellular and cell envelope proteins. Several characteristics of elafin suggest potential anti-microbial activity. Elafin is absent in normal skin at protein level, but is induced in inflammatory and infectious dermatoses which threat the epidermal integrity by vesicopustule formation and neutrophilic cell infiltration. Cutaneous fungal infection is one of the well-known examples of diseases characterized by such condition. The purpose of this study was to check out the possibility that elafin may be involved in the pathomechanism of fungal infection. METHODS: The biopsy samples taken from 10 cases of superficial fungal infections, 10 cases of deep and systemic mycoses, 2 cases of slide culture specimens of Candida species, were used for the immunohistochemical tissue staining for elafin expression. Polyclonal anti-elafin was used in 1:300 dilution. As control, biopsy smaples of normal skin, ichthyosis, psoriasis were used for the staining for elafin expression. RESULTS: In the normal and ichthyotic epidermis, elafin expression was virtually negative. In superficial mycoses except candidiasis, elafin was expressed in the spinous layer of infected epidermis, and fungal structures in the stratum corneum were stained with elafin antisera. In the cases of dermatophytosis of ichthyosis patients, while fungal hyphae were stained with elafin antisera, epidermal cell did not express elafin. In candidial esophagitis, elafin was expressed in the esophgeal mucosa, but spores were not stained with elafin anti-sera. In slide culture of Candida species, spores were not stained with elafin antisera, also. In cases of systemic and deep mycoses, fungal hyphae and spores were stained with elafin antisera and epidermis adjacent to severe dermal inflammatory reaction showed elafin expression. CONCLUSION: Elafin may have certain role in systemic and cutaneous fungal infection to contribute to high resistance of the epidermis against proteolysis and fungal infections, and it is shown that elafin or elafin-like protein may also be produced and utilized by fungi themselves.
Biopsy ; Candida ; Candidiasis ; Elafin* ; Epidermis* ; Esophagitis ; Fungal Structures ; Fungi ; Humans ; Hyphae ; Ichthyosis ; Immune Sera ; Immunohistochemistry ; Keratinocytes ; Mucous Membrane ; Mycoses ; Neutrophils ; Proteolysis ; Psoriasis ; Serine Proteases ; Skin ; Skin Diseases ; Spores ; Tinea

The Kingdom fungus has a unique structure and organization. Recent advances in electron microscopy and use of specific cytochemical technique enable the ultrastructures to be visualized. The hypha is a tube-like structure with a rigid wall, containing a moving slug of protoplasm. Hypha grows only at the tapered apical tip region, which is called extension zone. Extreme tip area has apical vesicle cluster which is responsible for tip growth. Unique fungal structure, Spitzenk rper, is thought to be a central region of the apical vesicle cluster. Most hyphal structures except the species belong to Zygomycetes have septa. But the septum is not completely blocked and it has different types of opening pores. The simple septal pores with Woronin bodies, which are found in Ascomycetes and Deuteromycetes, can be plugged in two different mechanisms. During normal differentiation the pores become occluded by a gradual deposition of plugged material. Loss of cytoplasm from damaged hyphae can be reduced and blocked by the rapid occlusion of septal pores by Woronin bodies or hexagonal crystal bodies. Septal sealing in Basidiomycetes which have dolipore septum is made by the rapid formation of electron-dense pore plugs. The shape of the fungal cell is the shape of fungal wall. Fungal walls appear to be composed of layers, which are thought to merge into one another to form one structure. The cytoskeleton consists of microtubules and microfilaments with motor proteins, and they seems to act together in the fungal cells.
Actin Cytoskeleton ; Ascomycota ; Basidiomycota ; Cytoplasm ; Cytoskeleton ; Fungal Structures ; Fungi ; Gastropoda ; Hyphae ; Microscopy, Electron ; Microtubules ; Mitosporic Fungi

The ectomycorrhizal roots were collected from the soils around the bases of basidiocarps of the four edible mushrooms in the stands of Pinus densiflora or Querus acutissima communities (Mt. Wol-Ak in Eastern Chung-Puk): The basidiocarps of Tricholoma matsutake (TM), Sarcodon asparatus (SA), S. imbricatum (SI), and Polyozellus multiplex (PM) are usually collected. The ectomycorrhizal roots of TM, PM and SI were related to the roots of P. densiflora, but the other to the roots of Q. acutissima in Korea. Particularly, the basidiocarps of PM were collected in the mixed stand of both P. densiflora and Q. acutissima. The morphologies of the ectomycorrhizal roots were observed to be the yellowish brown coral (dichromatous) or pyramid types in the roots of the pine, but dark brown un-branched sticks (roots) in the ends of ectomycorrhizal roots of Querus plants. The un-branched roots were covered with the dark mycelia (rhizomorph) around them. Therefore, the ectomyorrhizal roots of PM were observed to have two kinds of types; The single blackish un-branched roots were observed to be attached to the yellowish coral type roots. The bundles of TM mycelia were filled with cortical cells (in the roots of P. densiflora), but the mycelia of the other fungi (Aphylloporales) were massed between the cortical cells of P. densiflora or Q. acutissima. Their anatomical and gross features were considered to be simailar but very important in the ectomycorrhizal roots for these edible mushrooms.
Agaricales ; Anthozoa ; Fruiting Bodies, Fungal* ; Fungi ; Korea ; Mycorrhizae ; Pinus ; Soil ; Tricholoma

OBJECTIVETo select a proper Ganoderma luciderm strain for the fruiting body production.

METHODThe strains were cultivated on the agar media and in the liquid media, respectively. Then the strains were inoculated onto the solid medium made from agricultural products (such as wheat bran, corn powder, wood meal, etc.) and cultured for a certain period.

RESULTStrains, which were easier to produce polyporic tissues at the vegetative growth stage, would be more quickly to form fruiting body with high quality and yield of the spores.

CONCLUSIONAppearance of the polyporic tissues at the mycelium vegetative growth stage could be used as a marker for the strain selection for the G. luciderm substituted cultivation.

Bioreactors ; Culture Media ; Fruiting Bodies, Fungal ; growth & development ; Ganoderma ; growth & development ; Mycelium ; growth & development ; Triticum ; Zea mays

The present study was carried out to investigate morphological characteristics of pseudosclerotia of Grifola umbellata formed by artificial cultures. Isolate G. umbellata DUM GUS-01 was obtained from sclerotium cultivated in field. The fungal isolate was cultured on PDYM broth, PDYMA(potato dextrose yeast malt agar) and oak sawdust media at 20degrees C under the dark condition. G. umbellata DUM GUS-01 showed a volumetric increment of fungal lumps rather than mycelial growth. Particularly, G. umbellata DUM GUS-01 produced a large amount of melanin pigments in all culture treatments. The color of the fungal mass has been changed into grey gradually, and then formed melanized rind-like structure on its superficial part. The fungal structures which were covered with melanized rind-like layer were named as pseudosclerotia of G. umbellata. The pseudosclerotia of G. umbellata DUM GUS-01 formed a new white mycelial mass, which was swollen out of the melanized rind structure for its volumetric increment. When the pseudosclerotia were sectioned, their structure was discriminated from two structures such as a melanized rind-like structure layer formed by aggregation of aged mycelia and a white mycelial mass with high density. As results of scanning electron microscopic examination, the pseudosclerotia of G. umbellata DUM GUS-01 which were formed in in vitro conditions were similar to the sclerotia of G. umbellata cultivated in natural conditions except for the crystals formed in medula layer of natural sclerotia. Although size, solidity of rind structure and mycelial compactness of pseudosclerotia were more poor than those of natural sclerotia, the morphological structure and growth pattern of pseudosclerotia were very similar to those of natural sclerotia. Therefore, it is probable to induce pseudosclerotia to sclerotia of G. umbellata in in vitro conditions. Consequently, it seems that the induced pseudosclerotia can be used as inoculum sources to substitute natural sclerotia in field cultivation.
Fungal Structures ; Glucose ; Grifola* ; Melanins ; Yeasts

OBJECTIVETo develop a convenient, practical low-cost and efficient Ganoderma spore collector.

METHODThe spore collector was made from common materials such as white cardboard and oil-lustrous paper, temperature and humidity were used as indexes to study the effect of the collector on the growth environment of Ganoderma and spore collection.

RESULTThe spore collector developed could effectively separate Ganoderma fruit bodies from the outside to form an independent closed space and stop free flow of spores. The use of the collector had few effects on temperature and humidity that influenced the growth of G. spp. and development of the fruit bodies. In addition, the fluctuation of the relative humidity inside the collector tended to be small.

CONCLUSIONThis collector could efficiently collect quality spores and the yield of spores accounted for 38.3% of the total yield of spores and fruit bodies when this collector was applied on a large scale.

Agriculture ; methods ; Equipment Design ; Equipment and Supplies ; Fruiting Bodies, Fungal ; growth & development ; Ganoderma ; growth & development ; Plants, Medicinal ; growth & development ; Spores, Fungal ; growth & development

The leaf spot of Belamcanda chinensis often appears in May to June and spreads rapidly during the flowering stage(July to September) in the cultivation fields, seriously affecting the yield and quality of B. chinensis. To identify and characterize the pathogens of the leaf spot, we isolated two species of Alternaria, identified them according to Koch's postulates, and tested their pathogenicity and biological characteristics. Furthermore, we determined the inhibitory effects of 6 chemical fungicides, 1 plant fungicide, and 3 microbial fungicides on the pathogens by using mycelial growth rate and plate confrontation method to select the appropriate control agents. The results showed that the two pathogens causing B. chinensis leaf spot were Alternaria tenuissima and A. alternata. The conidia of A. tenuissima often formed long chains with no or a few branches, while those of A. alternata often formed short branched chains. The optimum growth temperature of both A. tenuissima and A. alternata was 25 ℃. The two pathogens grew well in alkaline environment. The indoor fungicide screening experiments showed that 40% flusilazole had good inhibitory effects on the two pathogens, with the EC_(50) values of 12.42 mg·L~(-1) and 12.78 mg·L~(-1) for A. tenuissima and A. alternata, respectively. The results of this study provide a theoretical basis for the subsequent theoretical research and field control of B. chinensis leaf spot.
Fungicides, Industrial/pharmacology* ; Research ; Iris Plant ; Spores, Fungal ; Mycelium

We present here a case of phaeornycotic subcutaneous abscess caused by Wangiella dermatitidis in a 34-year-old male, who had multiple asymptomatic subcutaneous masses of 7 months duration over the neck and right axilla. ]n this case, we could observe typical gross colony morphology of W. dermatitidis. which showed creamy greyish, yeast-like colony with aerial mycelia after 3 to 4 weeks. ]n histopathologic study, we found mixed cell granuloma and fungal structure in biopsy specimen. We comfirmed W. dermatitidis by exoantigen test, and treated the subcutaneous lesions by surgical excision and ketoconazole with good result. This case is the first reported in Korea.
Abscess* ; Adult ; Axilla ; Biopsy ; Exophiala* ; Fungal Structures ; Granuloma ; Humans ; Ketoconazole ; Korea ; Male ; Neck