우리나라 여러 해양환경 지역으로부터 확보한 370주의 해양세균, 균류, 미세조류로부터 기초생 리활성(항산화, 항염, 항균, 항암, 항바이러스)을 조사하여 채집지, 분리원, 종(種) 수준에서의 활성결과를 비교하였다. 해양세균의 경우, 일반적으로 유용성이 많이 알려진 Streptomyces 속 과 Bacillus 속에 속하는 균주들이 두드러진 강한 효능이 관찰되었고, 주로 해양퇴적물로부터 유용한 자원을 분리할 수 있었다. 해양균류와 미세조류의 경우에도 종 특이적으로 활성이 강 하게 나타나는 결과를 확인할 수 있었고, 효능 특이적으로 활성을 보이는 결과도 얻을 수 있었 다. 이러한 결과를 바탕으로 추후 특정질병에 선택적으로 효능을 보이는 화학물질 연구 또는 자원 기반 연구 수행 시 유용성을 전제로 한 자원 확보 전략 수립과 산업 활성화를 위한 전 략소재로 우선적 접근이 용이할 수 있는 연구결과라 생각된다. 또한, 이들 결과를 해양바이오 뱅크를 통한 분양소재로 활용함으로써 학계, 산업계에서 활용하여 해양바이오산업 활성화에 좀 더 빠른 접근을 도울 수 있다고 생각한다.

Marine macroalgae are important in coastal ecosystems and interact with marine microorganisms. In this study, we isolated fungi from seven types of marine macroalgae including Cladophora sp., Gloiopeltis furcate, Gracilariopsis chorda, Hydroclathrus clathratus, Prionitis crispata, Sargassum micracanthum, and Ulva lactuca collected in Korea. Morphological and phylogenetic analyses identified the isolates as four Aspergillus spp. (A. fumigatus, A. sydowii, A. tamarii, and A. terreus), three Penicillium spp. (P. crustosum, P. jejuense, and P. rubens), and Cladosporium tenuissimum. Among them, A. fumigatus TOPU2, A. tamarii SH-Sw5, and A. terreus GJ-Gf2 strains showed the activities of all enzymes examined (amylase, chitinase, lipase, and protease). Based on the enzymatic index (EI) values in solid media, A. terreus GJ-Gf2 and C. tenuissimum UL-Pr1 exhibited the highest amylase and lipase activities, respectively. Chitinolytic activity was only observed in A. terreus GJ-Gf2, A. tamarii SH-Sw5, and A. fumigatus TOP-U2. Penicillium crustosum ULCl2 and C. tenuissimum UL-Pr1 showed the highest protease activities. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of lipolytic and proteolytic activities in a marine-derived C. tenuissimum strain. Overall, the fungal strains isolated from the marine macroalgae in this study actively produced industrially important enzymes.

L-asparaginase (ASNase) is a therapeutic enzyme used to treat acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Currently, the most widely used ASNases are originated from bacteria. However, owing to the adverse effects of bacterial ASNases, new resources for ASNase production should be explored. Fungal enzymes are considered efficient and compatible resources of natural products for diverse applications. In particular, fungal species belonging to the genus Trichoderma are well-known producers of several commercial enzymes including cellulase, chitinase, and xylanase. However, enzyme production by marine-derived Trichoderma spp. remains to be elucidated. While screening for extracellular ASNase-producing fungi from marine environments, we found four strains showing extracellular ASNase activity. Based on the morphological and phylogenetic analyses using sequences of translation elongation factor 1-alpha (tef1α), the Trichoderma isolates were identified as T. afroharzianum, T. asperellem, T. citrinoviride, and Trichoderma sp. 1. All four strains showed different ASNase activities depending on the carbon sources. T. asperellem MABIK FU00000795 showed the highest ASNase value with lactose as a carbon source. Based on our findings, we propose that marine-derived Trichoderma spp. are potential candidates for novel ASNase production.