Diversity of Marine-DerivedAspergillusfrom Tidal Mudflats and Sea Sand in Korea

Abstract

Aspergillus (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 Aspergillus species have been reported in Korea, with most species located in terrestrial environments. In our study, Aspergillus species were isolated from mudflats and sea sand along the western and southern coasts of Korea. A total of 84 strains were isolated and identified as 17 Aspergillus species in 11 sections on the basis of both morphological characteristics and sequence analysis of the calmodulin gene (CaM) locus. Commonly isolated species were A. fumigatus (26 strains), A. sydowii (14 strains), and A. terreus (10 strains). The diversity of Aspergillus species isolated from mudflats (13 species) was higher than the diversity of those from sea sand (five species). Four identified species—A. caesiellus, A. montenegroi, A. rhizopodus, and A. tabacinus—are in the first records in Korea. Here, we provide detailed descriptions of the morphological characteristics of these four species.

Five New Records of the Family Aspergillaceae in Korea, Aspergillus europaeus, A. pragensis, A. tennesseensis, Penicillium fluviserpens, and P. scabrosum

“…These were isolated from different sources including meju [48], chronic granulomatous patient [61], poultry farming soil [62], tidal mudflats, and sea sand [17]. In this study, A. tennesseensis was isolated from sea water and dead moths.…”

“…Recently, a new Aspergillus species, A. koreanus, has been described [16]. Six more species were recorded recently from Korea, A. allahabadii and A. caninus from soil, A. sojae from meju, and A. montenegroi, A. rhizopodus, and A. tabacinus from tidal mudflats and sea sand [17][18][19][20].…”

Stimulation of Vibrio vulnificus Pyruvate Kinase in the Presence of Glucose to Cope With H2O2 Stress Generated by Its Competitors

“…Therefore, we sought to determine whether the glucose-dependent activation of PykA in V. vulnificus has anything to do with the glucose-dependent H 2 O 2 production by its fungal neighbors. Because the V. vulnificus CMCP6 strain was originally isolated from a patient in the west coast of Korea ( Kim et al, 2003 ), we tested the GOX activity from the two fungal strains belonging to the Aspergillus genus isolated from the west coast of Korea ( Lee et al, 2016 ) ( Figure 4A ). Both zymographic analyses ( Figure 4B ) and coupled enzyme assays with peroxidase and o -dianisidine ( Figure 4C ) revealed that A. welwitschiae produced a significant amount of GOX when grown in the presence of glucose, whereas little GOX was detected in the crude extract of A. fumigatus cells.…”

Impacts of a Changing Earth on Microbial Dynamics and Human Health Risks in the Continuum between Beach Water and Sand

“…Harwood took the lead on reviewing and editing the final draft assisted by Michael J. Sadowsky, Julie L. Kinzelman and Warish Ahmed. (Lee et al 2016, Sabino et al 2014 Fungi Candida albicans Candidosis (systemic and localized) Not available (Loureiro et al 2005, Vogel et al 2007, WHO 2003 CFU: colony forming unit; PFU: plaque forming unit. Eichmiller, J.J., Borchert, A.J., Sadowsky, M.J. and Hicks, R.E.…”