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344
Mycobiology
Phylogenetic Status of Two Undescribed
Zygomycete Species from Korea: Actinomucor
elegans and Mucor minutus
Thuong T. T. Nguyen , Hee-Young Jung , Youn Su Lee , Kerstin Voigt and Hyang Burm Lee *
Division of Food Technology, Biotechnology and Agrochemistry, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Chonnam National
University, Gwangju 61186, Korea
School of Applied Biosciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Korea
Division of Bioresource Sciences, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 24341, Korea
JMRC at Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology e.V. HKI and Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07745
Jena, Germany
Abstract During a survey of fungal diversity of the order Mucorales, three zygomycete isolates, CNUFC-YR113-1, CNUFC-
KNU16-7, and CNUFC-BS1-1 were isolated from freshwater and soil samples in Korea. The strains were analyzed both
morphologically and phylogenetically based on internal transcribed spacer and 28S rDNA gene sequences. Based on their
morphology and phylogeny, the CNUFC-YR113-1 and CNUFC-KNU16-7 isolates were identified as Actinomucor elegans, and
CNUFC-BS1-1 was identified as Mucor minutus. To the best of our knowledge, the species A. elegans and M. minutus, belonging
to an undiscovered taxon, have not been previously described in Korea.
Keywords Actinomucor elegans, Mucor minutus, Undiscovered taxa, Zygomycete fungi
Actinomucor and Mucor belong to the subphylum
Mucoromycotina, order Mucorales, family Mucoraceae [1].
The genus Actinomucor was originally described in 1898
by Schostakowitsch [2]. Although the genus is closely
related to Mucor, it differs in having branched stolons that
give rise to rhizoids and sporangiophores. It is also distinct
from the other two genera Rhizopus and Absidia in its
arrangement of the columellae and sporangiophores. The
genus originally contained two species, A. elegans (Eidam)
C. R. Benj. & Hesselt., and A. taiwanensis S. C. Jong &
G. F. Yuan [3, 4]. A. taiwanensis was differentiated from A.
elegans by its larger sporangiospore size and by their differing
maximum growth temperatures: 37
o
C for A. taiwanensis
and 32
o
C for A. elegans. Later, Zheng and Liu [5] renamed
A. taiwanensis to A. elegans var. meitauzae based on
morphological characteristics and molecular analyses. Recently,
Khan et al. [6] proposed the addition of a new variety, A.
elegans var. kuwaitensis. In Index Fungorum (2017; http://
www.indexfungorum.org), the genus Actinomucor contains
only one species named Actinomucor elegans.
Actinomucor species are found in dung, soil, food, and
human sources [5-7]. Some of them are commonly used
for producing popular fermented soybean foods including
Sufu and Chao [8]. In addition, A. elegans is also considered
a good source of glycine aminopeptidase and glucosamine
[9, 10]. A. elegans var. elegans has been reported as a potential
biocontrol agent against the chafer beetle [11].
Mucor Fresen. (Mucoraceae, Mucorales) is characterized
by the formation of non-apophysate sporangia, producing
simple or branched sporangiophores without basal rhizoids.
Zygospores have opposed, non-appendaged suspensors [12].
Mucor species have frequently been detected on substrates
that support the growth of a fungal host, such as in soil,
dung, fruit, and plants [13-15]. Several species are able to
produce enzymes with biotechnological applications [16,
17], while some species are considered the causal agent of
cutaneous zygomycosis in humans [18]. Although there are
more than 300 named species described in the literature,
only approximately 50 are known and described [15].
Research Article
Mycobiology 2017 December, 45(4): 344-352
https://doi.org/10.5941/MYCO.2017.45.4.344
pISSN 1229-8093 • eISSN 2092-9323
© The Korean Society of Mycology
*Corresponding author
E-mail: hblee@jnu.ac.kr
Received October 25, 2017
Revised December 5, 2017
Accepted December 20, 2017
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted
non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original work is properly cited.
Two New Records of Zygomycete Species in Korea 345
Traditional taxonomy of Mucor species has been determined
based on morphological characteristics such as size and
shape of sporangia as well as the mode of reproduction
(sexual or asexual).
Recently, molecular data have been used to evaluate
mucoralean species [19, 20]. These studies indicated that
Mucor is polyphyletic. Based on the phylogeny of internal
transcribed spacer (ITS) and large subunit (LSU) rDNA
regions of several mucoralean species, Walther et al.
[21] observed that some Mucor species with curved
sporangiophores were grouped with Backusella Hesselt. &
J. J. Ellis. Therefore, these Mucor species were transferred
to Backusella.
In Korea, two new Mucor species have been currently
reported by authors: Mucor koreanus from tangerine fruit
[14] and Mucor stercorarius from rat feces [22]. Only seven
species have been recorded: M. circinelloides, M. hiemalis,
M. mucedo, M. piriformis, M. racemosus, M. fragilis, and M.
irregularis [15, 23]. To our knowledge, there are no specific
published literature records of these species in Korea.
The objective of the present study was to perform
morphological and molecular analyses to characterize two
unrecorded zygomycete species in Korea: Actinomucor
elegans and Mucor minutus.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Fungal strain isolation from freshwater and soil
samples. Freshwater samples were collected from the
Yeongsan River located in Gwangju, Korea. Soil samples
were collected from the garden of the Chonnam National
University located in Gwangju and a field in Gyeongnam,
Korea. These samples were transported in sterile 50-mL
Falcon tubes, and stored at 4
o
C until examination. Fungi
were isolated using the serial dilution plating method. In
this technique, 1 mL water or 1 g of soil was mixed with
9 mL of sterile distilled water and shaken for 15 min at
25
o
C; serial dilutions ranging from 10
1
to 10
4
were then
made. An aliquot of 0.1 mL from each dilution was
transferred to potato dextrose agar (PDA) and incubated at
25
o
C for 3–7 days. Individual colonies of fungi that showed
varying morphologies were picked up and purely transferred
to another PDA plate. All pure isolates, including A. elegans
and M. minutus, were maintained in PDA slant tubes
and stored in 20% glycerol at −80
o
C at the Environmental
Microbiology Laboratory Fungarium, Chonnam National
University, Gwangju, Korea, as CNUFC-YR113-1, CNUFC-
KNU16-7, and CNUFC-BS1-1. CNUFC-KNU16-7 and
CNUFC-BS1-1 were also deposited at the Collection of
National Institute of Biological Resources (NIBR), Incheon,
Korea; CNUFC-YR113-1 deposited at Culture Collection
of Nakdonggang National Institute of Biological Resources
[NNIBR], Sangju, Gyeongbuk province, Korea.
Morphological studies. For detailed morphological
studies, CNUFC-YR113-1 and CNUFC-BS1-1 strains were
cultured on synthetic mucor agar (SMA; 40 g dextrose, 2 g
asparagine, 0.5 g KH
2
PO
4
, 0.25 g MgSO
4
·7H
2
O, 0.5 g thiamine
chloride, and 15 g agar in 1 L of deionized water). The
plates were incubated at 10, 20, 25, 30, and 35
o
C in the
dark for 7 days. Fragments of mycelia were removed from
cultures, placed on microscope slides with lactophenol
solution (Junsei Chemical Co. Ltd., Tokyo, Japan) and
observed under a light microscope (Olympus, Tokyo, Japan).
DNA extraction, PCR, and sequencing. Genomic DNA
was extracted directly from the mycelia of fungal isolates,
using the Solgent Genomic DNA prep Kit (Solgent Co.
Ltd., Daejeon, Korea). The ITS region and large subunit of
28S rDNA were amplified with the primer pairs ITS4 and
ITS5 [24], and LROR and LR5F [25], respectively. The
PCR amplification mixture (total volume, 20 µL) contained
fungal DNA template, 5 pmol/µL of each primer, and
Accupower PCR Premix (Taq DNA polymerase, dNTPs,
buffer, and a tracking dye; Bioneer Corp., Daejeon,
Korea). PCR products were purified using the Accuprep
PCR Purification Kit (Bioneer Corp.) according to the
manufacturer’s instructions. DNA sequencing was performed
on an ABI 3700 Automated DNA sequencer (Applied
Biosystems Inc., Foster City, CA, USA).
Phylogenetic analysis. The fungal sequences obtained
from the GenBank database (Table 1) were aligned using
Clustal_X v.1.83 [26] and edited with Bioedit v.5.0.9.1 [27].
Table 1 . Taxa, collection numbers, sequences, and GenBank accession numbers used in this study
Taxon name Collection No.
(isolate No.)
GenBank accession No.
ITS 28S
Actinomucor elegans ATCC 46123 AM745430 -
A. elegans CBS 338.72 JN205824 -
A. elegans CBS111562 AB113009 -
A. elegans CBS 100.09 - JN206491
A. elegans CBS154.86 - HM849686
A. elegans CNUFC-YR113-1 MG206066 MG206071
A. elegans CNUFC-YR113-2 MG206067 MG206072
A. elegans CNUFC-KNU16-7 MG206068 MG206073
A. elegans var. elegans ATCC22814
T
AY492092 -
346 Nguyen et al.
Table 1 . Continued
Taxon name Collection No.
(isolate No.)
GenBank accession No.
ITS 28S
A. elegans var. kuwaitiensis CBS117697
T
JN205823 JN206493
A. elegans var. meitauzae ATCC52370
T
AM745432 -
A. elegans var. meitauzae CBS 111558 - JN206492
Backusella circina CBS 128.70
T
- JN206529
B. grandis CBS 186.87
T
- JN206527
B. lamprospora CBS 118.08
T
- JN206531
Benjaminiella multispora CBS 421.70 - KU561719
Blakeslea sinensis CBS 564.91 - JN206515
Choanephora infundibulifera CBS 153.51 - JN206513
Cokeromyces recurvatus CBS 168.59 - JN206408
C. recurvatus CBS 158.50 - KU561716
Mucor aligarensis CBS 993.70
T
- JN206461
M. circinelloides B5-2 KT876701 -
M. circinelloides CBS 108.16 JN205954 -
M. fragilis CBS 236.35 JN205979 -
M. fragilis EML-PUKI06-1 KY047147 -
M. fragilis EML-PUKI06-2 KY047150 -
M. flavus CBS 230.35
T
JN206061 JN206464
M. flavus CBS 681.73 JN206070 -
M. flavus CBS 893.73 - JN206465
M. flavus CBS 182.90 - JN206472
M. fuscus CBS 132.22 JF723619 -
M. fuscus CBS 230.29 JN206204 -
M. genevensis CBS 114.08
T
HM623318 -
M. genevensis CBS 404.71 JN206042 -
M. heterogamus CBS 338.74 JN206169 JN206488
M. heterogamus CBS 252.85 - JN206490
M. heterogamus CBS 405.58 JN206167 -
M. hiemalis CBS 242.35 JN206134 -
M. hiemalis CBS 115.18 JN206127 -
M. irregularis CBS 977.68 JX976259 -
M. irregularis EML-PUKI12-1 KY047151 -
M. irregularis EML-PUKI12-2 KY047146 -
M. koreanus EML-QT1 KT936259 -
M. koreanus EML-QT2 KT936260 -
M. luteus CBS 243.35 JX976254 -
M. minutus CBS 586.67
T
JN206048 JN206463
M. minutus CNUFC-BS1-1 MG206069 MG206074
M. minutus CNUFC-BS1-2 MG206070 MG206075
M. mucedo CBS 542.66 JN206086 JN206480
M. mucedo CBS 987.68 JN206089 JN206480
M. nidicola EML-SBD1 KY047148 -
M. nidicola EML-SBD2 KY047149 -
M. plasmaticus CBS 275.49 - JN206483
M. saturninus CBS 974.68 - JN206458
M. stercoraria CNUFC-UK2-1 KX839689 -
M. stercoraria CNUFC-UK2-2 KX839680 -
M. strictus CBS 100.66 - JN206477
M. racemosus CBS 260.68 JF723556 -
M. velutinosus UTHSC 04-1961 JF299208 -
M. velutinosus UTHSC 04-1981 JF299212 -
U. nan a NRRL 22420 KM017731 KM017708
Bold letters indicate isolates and accession numbers determined in our study.
ITS, internal transcribed spacer; ATCC, American Type Culture Collection, Manassas, VA, USA; CBS, Centraalbureau voor Schim-
melcultures, Utrecht, The Netherlands; CNUFC, Chonnam National University Fungal Collection, Gwangju, South Korea; EML, Environ-
mental Microbiology Laboratory Fungarium, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, South Korea; NRRL (ARS Culture Collection,
Peoria, Illinois); T, ex-type strain.
Two New Records of Zygomycete Species in Korea 347
Phylogenetic analyses were performed using MEGA 6
software [28], and maximum likelihood was constructed
by Kimura’s two-parameter correction method. The fungus
Umbelopsis nana was used as an outgroup. The reliability
of internal branches was assessed using the p-distance
substitution model with 1,000 bootstrap replications.
RESULTS
Phylogenetic analysis. Phylogenetic analyses of the
two sequence datasets (ITS and 28S rDNA) showed that
the strains CNUFC-YR113-1, CNUFC-YR113-2, CNUFC-
KNU16-7, CNUFC-BS1-1, and CNUFC-BS1-2 were placed
within the same clade with species of Actinomucor and
Mucor (Figs. 1 and 2).
In the BLASTn analysis of the ITS sequence, CNUFC-
YR113-1 and CNUFC-BS1-1 represented 99.8% (535/536
bp) and 99.4% (613/617 bp) sequence identity values with
A. elegans (GenBank accession No. JN205824) and M.
minutus (GenBank accession No. JN206048), respectively.
In the BLASTn analysis of the 28S sequence, CNUFC-
YR113-1 and CNUFC-BS1-1 strains showed 98.1% (634/
Fig. 1. Phylogenetic tree based on maximum likelihood analysis of internal transcribed rDNA sequences for Actinomucor
elegans CNUFC-YR113-1, A. elegans CNUFC-YR113-2, A. elegans CNUFC-KNU16-7, Mucor minutus CNUFC-BS1-1, and M.
minutus CNUFC-BS1-2. Umbelopsis nana was used as an outgroup. Bootstrap support values of ≥50% are indicated at the
nodes. The bar indicates the number of substitutions per position.
348 Nguyen et al.
644 bp) and 100% (682/682 bp) identity values with A. elegans
(GenBank accession No. JN205827) and M. minutus
(GenBank accession No. JN206463), respectively.
Taxonomy of CNUFC-YR113-1.
Actinomucor elegans (Eidam) C. R. Benj. & Hesselt.,
Mycologia 49: 241 (1957) (Table 2, Fig. 3).
Table 2 . Morphological characteristics of CNUFC-YR113-1 and the reference Actinomucor elegans grown on synthetic mucor
agar medium at 25
o
C
Character CNUFC-YR113-1 Actinomucor elegans
a
Colony color Rapid-growing, first white then deep olive-buff,
reverse white
Rapid-growing, first white then deep olive-buff,
reverse white to pale olive-buff
Sporangiophores 12.2–20.5 µm in width, variable in length Up to 30 µm in width, variable in length
Primary sporangia Globose to subglobose, multispored, 42.3–83.5 ×
39.9–82.1 µm
Less than 80 µm, multispored
Secondary sporangia Globose to subglobose, multispored, 29.9–46.2 ×
27.5–44.3 µm
Mostly 20–50 µm in diameter, multispored
Columellae inside
primary sporangia
Diverse in shape, oval, pyriform, oblong, 23.3–44.8 ×
22.6–42.9 µm
Elongate-oval to pyriform, 50–60 × 30–40 µm
Columellae inside
secondary sporangia
Globose, 14.5–26.5 × 17.8–30.4 µm Globose, 12–30 µm
Sporangiospores Globose to subglobose, 6.1–8.5 × 5.8–8.1 µm Globose, mostly 6–8 µm in diameter
Chlamydospores Present Present
Zygospores Absent Unknown
a
From the description by Benjamin and Hesseltine [3].
Fig. 2. Phylogenetic tree based on maximum likelihood analysis of 28S rDNA sequences for Actinomucor elegans CNUFC-
YR113-1, A. elegans CNUFC-YR113-2, A. elegans CNUFC-KNU16-7, Mucor minutus CNUFC-BS1-1, and M. minutus CNUFC-
BS1-2. Umbelopsis nana was used as an outgroup. Bootstrap support values of ≥50% are indicated at the nodes. The bar
indicates the number of substitutions per position.
Two New Records of Zygomycete Species in Korea 349
=Rhizopus elegans Eidam, Jahresber. Schles. Ges. Vaterl.
Kultu. 61: 232 (1884).
=Mucor elegans (Eidam) J. Schröt., Kryptogamen-Flora
von Schlesien 3-1: 207 (1886).
=Mucor corymbosus Harz, Bull. Soc. Imp. Nat. Moscou
44: 143 (1871).
=Actinomucor repens Schostak., Ber. Dtsc. Bot. Ges. 16:
155 (1898).
=Glomerula repens Bainier, Bull. Soc. Mycol. Fr. 19: 154
(1903).
=Mucor botryoides Lendn., Bull. Soc. Bot. Genève 2: 79
(1910).
=Mucor botryoides var. minor C.N. Jensen, Bull.
Cornell Univ. Agric. Exp. Stn. 315: 457 (1912).
=Mucor cunninghamelloides Pispek, Acta Bot. Inst. Bot.
Univ. Zagreb. 4: 91 (1929).
=Actinomucor corymbosus Naumov, Opredelitel
Mukorovykh (Mucorales): 56 (1935).
=Actinomucor corymbosus f. palaestinus Rayss,
Palestine J. Bot. 3: 162 (1945).
Description: Colonies grew rapidly at 25
o
C on SMA,
filling the Petri dish after 5 days of incubation. The colony
color was initially white, later deep olive-buff. The colony
reverse was white. Sporangiophores were 12.2–20.5 µm
wide, erect, branched, irregular, and verticillate. Primary
sporangia were globose to subglobose, and measured 42.3–
83.5 × 39.9–82.1 µm. Secondary sporangia were formed with
same shape as the primary sporangia, and measured 29.9–
46.2 × 27.5–44.3 µm. Columellae inside the primary sporangia
were diverse in shape, oval, pyriform, oblong, and measured
23.3–44.8 × 22.6–42.9 µm. Columellae inside the secondary
sporangia were globose, and measured 14.5–26.5 × 17.8–
30.4 µm. Sporangiospores were globose to subglobose, and
measured 6.1–8.5 × 5.8–8.1 µm. Chlamydospore formations
were well-defined on the medium. Zygospores were not
observed.
Taxonomy of CNUFC-BS1-1.
Mucor minutus (Baijal & B. S. Mehrotra) Schipper, Stud.
Mycol. 10: 24 (1975) (Table 3, Fig. 4).
=Mucor griseoochraceus var. minuta Baijal & B. S.
Mehrotra, Sydowia 19: 206 (1966).
=Mucor saturninus var. minutus (Baijal & B. S. Mehrotra)
Milko, Opredeltiel mukoral’nykh gribov. 129 (1974).
Description: Colonies grew rapidly on SMA, attaining a
diameter of 70–72 mm after 5 days at 25
o
C. The colony
Fig. 3. Morphology of Actinomucor elegans CNUFC-YR113-1. A, Colonies on synthetic mucor agar; B–D, Sporangia on
branched sporangiophores (observed under stereo-microscope); E–H, Branched sporangiophores forming sporangia and
columellae (observed under light microscope); I, Sporangiospores (scale bars: B–D = 200 μm, E–H = 50 μm, I = 20 μm).
Table 3 . Morphological characteristics of CNUFC-BS1-1 and the reference species Mucor minutus grown on synthetic mucor
agar medium at 25
o
C
Character CNUFC-BS1-1 Mucor minutus
a
Colony color First white and later smoke gray Smoke gray, up to 19 mm in height
Sporangiophore 9–24.5 µm wide, variable in length Up to 20 µm, variable in length
Sporangia Globose, 37.1–109.8 µm × 36.4–103.4 µmUp to 175µm
Columella Globose to ellipsoidal, 27.9–95.2 µm × 24.8–84.5 µm Cylindrical to ellipsoid, 110–135 µm in width
Sporangiospores Globose, 4.3–5.6 µm × 4.1–5.0 µm Subspherical, 4–5 µm in diameter
Zygospore Absent Unknown
a
From the description by Schipper [29].
350 Nguyen et al.
color was initially white, later turning to smoke gray.
Sporangiophores were 9–24.5 µm wide, erect, mostly
branched, and irregular. Sporangia were globose, and
measured 37.1–109.8 µm × 36.5–103.4 µm. Columellae were
globose to ellipsoidal, and measured 27.9–95.2 µm×24.8–
84.5 µm. Sporangiospores were globose, and measured 4.3–
5.6 µm × 4.1–5.0 µm. Zygospores were not observed on
artificial media.
DISCUSSION
Despite the wide intraspecific variation found among some
taxa, the rDNA ITS and D1/D2 regions have been used as
critical barcode markers for identifying mucoralean fungi
at the species level, including taxa of Actinomucor and
Mucor [21].
In the ITS and LSU phylogenetic trees, our strains
CNUFC-YR113-1, CNUFC-YR113-2, and CNUFC-KNU16-
7 were clustered within the elegans clade including A.
elegans, A. elegans var. meitauzae, and var. kuwaitiensis in a
well-supported clade. However, our strain CNUFC-YR113-
1 differed from A. elegans var. meitauzae and A. elegans
var. kuwaitiensis in sporangiospore size; CNUFC-YR113-1
strain exhibited smaller sporangiospores (6.1–8.5 × 5.8–8.1
µm) than A. elegans var. meitauzae (7–19.5 × 6–15 µm)
and A. elegans var. kuwaitiensis (5–12 µm). The maximum
growth temperature of our strain was 35
o
C, while A.
elegans var. meitauzae and A. elegans var. kuwaitiensis were
able to grow under higher temperatures up to 40
o
C.
Jong and Yuan [4] reported that growth temperature is a
criterion for distinguishing between A. elegans and A.
taiwanensis. These authors showed that A. taiwanensis has
a maximum growth temperature of 37
o
C, while A. elegans
does not grow at this temperature. Contrary to reports by
Jong and Yuan [4], maximum growth temperature is less
useful for distinguishing between the varieties [5, 6].
The morphological features of our isolates were in
line with the description of A. elegans by Benjamin and
Hesseltine [3], as the properties including shape, size of the
sporangiospores (6–8 µm), and maximum temperature for
growth were compared. Under these criteria, our isolate
was identified as A. elegans.
In the tree based on D1/D2 sequence analyses, the strains
CNUFC-BS1-1 and CNUFC-BS1-2 were placed into the
minutus clade within the M. flavus group as presented
by Walther et al. [21] including: M. flavus, M. saturninus,
M. aligarensis, and M. minutus (Fig. 2), and formed a
monophyletic group with M. minutus (type species). The
CNUFC-BS1-1 isolate was morphologically most similar to
M. minutus as described by Schipper [29], although there
were differences in the shape and size of columellae. The
size of columellae described by Schipper [29] was larger
(110–135 µm) than those (27.9–95.2 × 24.8–84.5 µm) observed
in our isolate. According to Schipper [29], the M. minutus
species is similar in morphology and closely related to M.
flavus because they produce columellae with the same size.
However, sporangiospores with different sizes and shapes
have been observed. M. minutus has smaller sporangiospores
(4–5 µm) than M. flavus (7–12 × 4–6.5 µm). Comparing
the colony morphology and culture characteristics of the
isolate with previous descriptions [29], the present isolate
was similar to M. minutus, with some exceptions. Our M.
minutus isolate presented one to three septa below the
columella, which were not described by Schipper [29].
Recently, several studies have focused on the increased
incidence of mucormycosis in both immunocompromised
and immunocompetent patients [30]. Some species belonging
to the order Mucorales (subphylum Mucoromycotina) are
considered opportunistic pathogens. Particularly, four families,
including Cunninghamellaceae, Lichtheimiaceae, Mucoraceae,
Fig. 4. Morphology of Mucor minutus CNUFC-BS1-1. A, Colonies on synthetic mucor agar; B, C, Sporangiophores with long
and short branches and sporangia (observed under stereo-microscope); D, E, Sporangia and sporangiophores (observed under
light microscope); F–J, Columellae with collarette and sporangial septa below the columellae (white arrow); K, Sporangiospores
(scale bars: B, C = 200 μm, D–J = 50 μm, K = 20 μm).
Two New Records of Zygomycete Species in Korea 351
and Syncephalastraceae, have been described to be responsible
for human infections [31].
More recently, A. elegans and A. elegans var. kuwaitiensis
have been reported as the agent of mucormycosis in humans
in several cases [6, 7, 32]. Morphological keys are available
for identifying Actinomucor. However, it is still difficult to
identify taxa to intraspecific rank in Actinomucor. Thus,
taxonomic revision and phylogenetic analysis are needed
in future studies.
Interestingly, A. elegans has been reported as protease
enzyme for generation of small peptides with ACE-inhibitory
activity from razor clam Sinonovacula constricta meat [33].
So this finding suggests that the strain CNUFC-YR113-1
may be a useful source for biotechnological applications.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This work was in part supported by the Graduate Program
for the Undiscovered Taxa of Korea, and in part by the
Project on Survey and Discovery of Indigenous Fungal
Species of Korea funded by NIBR and Project on Discovery
of Fungi from Freshwater and Collection of Fungarium
funded by NNIBR of the Ministry of Environment (MOE),
and in part carried out with the support of Cooperative
Research Program for Agriculture Science and Technology
Development (PJ012957), Rural Development Administration,
Republic of Korea.
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