Genomics and metabolomics are widely used to explore specialized metabolite diversity. The Paired Omics Data Platform is a community initiative to systematically document links between metabolome and (meta)genome data, aiding identification of natural product biosynthetic origins and metabolite structures.

Transformation-mediated mutagenesis in both targeted and random manners has been widely applied to decipher gene function in diverse fungi. However, a transformation system has not yet been established for lichen fungi, severely limiting our ability to study their biology and mechanism underpinning symbiosis via gene manipulation. Here, we report the first successful transformation of the lichen fungus, Umbilicaria muehlenbergii, via the use of Agrobacterium tumefaciens. We generated a total of 918 transformants employing a binary vector that carries the hygromycin B phosphotransferase gene as a selection marker and the enhanced green fluorescent protein gene for labeling transformants. Randomly selected transformants appeared mitotically stable, based on their maintenance of hygromycin B resistance after five generations of growth without selection. Genomic Southern blot showed that 88% of 784 transformants contained a single T-DNA insert in their genome. A number of putative mutants affected in colony color, size, and/or morphology were found among these transformants, supporting the utility of Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation (ATMT) for random insertional mutagenesis of U. muehlenbergii. This ATMT approach potentially offers a systematic gene functional study with genome sequences of U. muehlenbergii that is currently underway.

Data on about 27 new for South Korea species of lichen-forming and lichenicolous fungi, including one new for science genus Verseghya and 11 new for science species, i.e.:

Stigmidium cf. clauzadei, Strigula australiensis, Thelenella luridella, Vezdaea leprosa) are for the first time recorded for Korea. Additional locality records for South Korea (74 species) and China (3 species) are also given.Four new combinations, i.e.: Orientophila chejuensis (for Caloplaca chejuensis S. Y. Kondr. et Hur), Orientophila diffluens (for Lecanora diffluens Hue), Orientophila leucerythrella (for Lecanora leucerythrella Nyl.), and Pyrenodesmia duplicata (for Lecanora duplicata Vain.) are also proposed.

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