• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.371-376
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• 2017

In a nationwide survey of the occurrence and density of the migratory locust (Locusta migratoria), high density was continuously observed in the reclaimed areas of Mangun-myeon in Muan-gun, Jeollanam-do, and Sanye-myeon in Haenam-gun, Jeollanam-do, Korea. We have analyzed the nucleotide sequences of NADH dehydrogenase subunit (NAD) 2, NAD4, and NAD5 genes in order to determine the origins of the migratory locusts at two sites. According to the analysis, the migratory locusts in Haenam-gun were closely related with those in Liaoning Province and Heilongjiang Province in the northeast China. In contrast, the migratory locusts in Muan-gun were most similar to those in Japan. Because Korean migratory locusts were not included in the previous global study on the evolution and migration of migratory locusts, we did not know the origin of Korean migratory locusts, earlier. Phylogenetic analyses this study suggested that the migratory locusts from the northeast Chinese population might have migrated and settled in Haenam-gun in Korea. Moreover, another northeast Chinese population might have migrated to Muan-gun in Korea though Sakhalin, Russia and Hokkaido, Japan. However, the possibility that the migratory locusts moved from northeast China might be isolated from each other in Korea, and that the Muan population might migrate to Japan cannot be excluded.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.55 no.4
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• pp.523-528
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• 2016

The migratory locust Locusta migratoria, one of the world's most notorious insect pests, has polyphenic (gregarious or solitarious) characteristics. Although this species is known to have several morphological variants, it is genetically divided into two different lineages using mitochondrial genome analysis: Southern (Africa, Southern Europe, Southern Asia, and Australia) and Northern (East Asia and the Eurasian continent). In 2014, a large number of orange black-colored gregarious L. migratoria nymphs suddenly appeared at Haenamgun, Jeollanamdo in the south of Korea. This is the first report of gregarious phase locusts occurring in Korea. In this study, mitochondrial COI sequences of one nymph and 11 adults of L. migratoria were analyzed to examine the genetic lineage of the gregarious nymphs of L. migratoria. Our results showed that all 12 individuals belong to the Northern linage and have low intraspecific genetic divergences (0.0% - 0.9%).

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.301-308
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• 2017

Locusts, Locusta migratoria (Orthoptera: Acrididae) are periodical unpredictable agricultural pests worldwide and cause serious damage to crop production; however, little consideration has been given to the management of this pest. Herein, we constructed a locust-pathogenic fungal library and confirmed that some fungi could be used as resources for locust management. First, the entomopathogenic fungi were collected from sampled soils using a Tenebrio molitor-based baiting system. For the locust assay, a locust colony was obtained from the National Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology. A total of 34 entomopathogenic fungal granules, which were produced by solid cultures, were placed in the plastic insect-rearing boxes (2 g/box) and nymphs of locust were contained in the box. In 3-7 days, mycosis was observed on the membranous cuticles of the head, abdomen, and legs of locusts. In particular, Metarhizium anisopliae, M. lepidiotae, and Clonostachys rogersoniana exhibited high virulence against the locust. Given that the 34 isolates could be used in field applications, their conidial production and stability (thermotolerance) were further characterized. In the thermotolerance assay, Paecilomyces and Purpureocillium isolates had higher thermotolerance than the other isolates. Most of the fungal isolates produced ca. >$1{\times}10^8conidia/g$ on millet grain medium. In a greenhouse trial, the granular application of M. anisopliae isolate on the soil surface resulted in 85.7% control efficacy. This work suggests that entomopathogenic fungi in a granular form can be effectively used to control the migratory locust.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.421-426
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• 2017

These experiments were conducted to investigate the morphological characteristics, occurrence ecology, host preference, and oviposition of Locusta migratoria to create a forecasting manual in preparation for outbreaks of this species. The sex ratio (female:male) of 274 adult of L. migratoria which occurred naturally in the Muan region of Jeollanam-do was 18.2 : 81.8, 60.9% individuals were of the green type and 39.1% were of the brown type. Body length and body weight were 6.5 cm and 2.8 g for females and 5.0 cm and 1.5 g for males, respectively; body size did not differ between differently colored individuals. Spawning activity in the field was observed from late August to late October. Eggs laid between late September and early October hatched in late May the following year. Female adults fed 3.5 g of corn leaf and male adult was 1.6 g for a day. The host preference of L. migratoria was in the order corn > foxtail millet > millet > silver grass > rice, and preference for silver grass and rice was very low. Pure sand was most favorable for the spawning of L. migratoria, and the cumulative amount of hatching was higher when the soil moisture content was higher after spawning began.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.10
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• pp.1104-1110
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• 2019

Recently, there has been an increase in the elderly population of the world. Consequently, bone metabolic diseases such as osteoporosis are emerging as a social problem. Osteoclasts play a role in bone resorption, and osteoporosis is induced when bone resorption occurs excessively. Because currently used bone resorption inhibitors may cause side effects when used for a long period of time, it is necessary to develop a new material that effectively inhibits osteoclast differentiation. This study aimed to confirm the inhibitory effect of ethanol extract of Locusta migratoria on RANKL-induced osteoclast differentiation and its mechanism. The toxicity and proliferation effects of LME on RAW264.7 osteoclasts were measured by an MTS assay. There was no cytotoxicity or proliferation when the osteoclasts were treated with up to $2,000{\mu}g/ml$ of LME. In order to confirm the effect of LME on the differentiation of osteoclasts, osteoclasts were treated with RANKL alone or with LME for 3 days. As a result of a TRAP (tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase) assay, the increasing osteoclast differentiation by RANKL decreased in a concentration-dependent manner with the treatment of LME. In addition, LME suppressed the expression of differentiation-related marker genes (TRAP, RANK, NFATc1, and CK) and proteins (NFATc1 and c-Src) that had been increased by RANKL. Also, LME influenced the $NF-{\kappa}B$, ERK and JNK signaling pathways, resulting in the inhibition of osteoclast differentiation. These results suggest that LME may be used as a novel functional material for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis by playing a role in inhibiting bone absorption.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.55 no.4
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• pp.459-464
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• 2016

An outbreak of the migratory locust, Locusta migratoria, in the environment-friendly reclaimed plantations of forage crops in Sanyimyeon, Haenam-gun, Jellanam-do, Korea in August 2014 caused severe damages to various crops. Owing to its first occurrence in the Korean history, the causes underlying the outbreak and phase-transition of the migratory locust were not known. It is critical to establish the genetic relationship of the migratory locust in Sanyimyeon, Haenam-gun with the other previously reported strains in the world in order to understand the mechanisms responsible for its outbreak. The gene sequences of the 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and displacement-loop (D-loop) of the mitochondria of various regional species of the migratory locust were used to perform the phylogenetic analysis. Our results suggested that the migratory locusts in Sanyimyeon, Haenam-gun are closely related with the Eurasian strains of the northern lineage. In future, these two mitochondrial genes can be used for elucidating the genetic population structures in migratory locusts in various regions. In addition, the sequence information of these genes can be used to enhance our understanding of the genetic basis of the outbreak of migratory locusts.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.28 no.11
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• pp.1332-1338
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• 2018

Activated microglia, induced by various pathogens, protect neurons and maintain homeostasis of the central nervous system (CNS). However, severe activation causes neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease because of the secretion of various neurotoxic molecules, such as nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin (PG), and pro-inflammatory cytokines. Because chronic microglial activation endangers neuronal survival, negative regulators of microglial activation have been identified as potential therapeutic candidates for treatment of many neurological diseases. One potential source of these regulators is Locusta migratoria, a grasshopper of the Acrididae, usually 4-6 cm in size, belonging to the family of large insects in Acrididae. This grasshopper is an edible insect resource that can be consumed by humans as protein source or used for animal feed. The aim of the present study was to examine the inhibitory effects of a L. migratoria ethanol extract (LME) on the production of inflammatory mediators in LPS-stimulated BV-2 microglia cells. The extract significantly inhibited the NO, iNOS, COX-2, and pro-inflammatory cytokine ($TNF-{\alpha}$, IL-6 and $IL-1{\beta}$) levels in BV-2 microglia cell. Because the inhibition of microglial activation may be an effective solution for treating brain disorders like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, these results suggest that LME may be a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of brain disorders induced by neuroinflammation.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.28 no.12
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• pp.1448-1454
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• 2018

Insects have been investigated as a novel source of food and biomaterial in several recent studies. However, their osteoblastogenic cell activity has not been sufficiently researched and so, to investigate the potential of this natural material for promoting osteoblastogenesis, we studied the activity of Locusta migratoria ethanol extract (LME) on MG-63 pre-osteoblast cells. The cytotoxicity and proliferation effects of LME on MG-63 cells were measured by MTS assay, and there was no cytotoxicity up to $1,000{\mu}g/ml$. With LME treatment of 500 and $1,000{\mu}g/ml$ for 48 hr, cell proliferation increased to 105% and 116% versus control, respectively. The osteoblastogenic activity of the LME was measured through alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining at three and five days. As a result, both 500 and $1,000{\mu}g/ml$ LME concentrations were seen to increase ALP activity by more than three times compared with control at three and five days. In addition, the expression level of the osteogenic markers ALP and RUNX2 was markedly increased after LME treatment. These results demonstrate that Locusta migratoria ethanol extract promotes osteoblastogenesis as evidenced by the increased osteogenic markers and suggest that LME may be a potential agent for bone formation and osteoporosis prevention.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.60 no.2
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• pp.175-183
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• 2021

As a baseline study of (common name) Locusta migratoria (Orthoptera: Acrididae) to utilize as a food source, we investigated the developmental characteristics of ovaries and eggs. Locusta migratoria had a pair of ovaries and more than 90-104 panoistic ovarioles. The ovary length in the adult stage was longer than it is in the 5th nymph stage. The length on the first day of the adult stage was 2.5-fold longer than the first day of 5^th instar. The ovary length showed a tendency to increase until the 30th day of the adult phase, but decreased from the 35^th day. Ovarioles length was about half of the ovary length, showing a similar tendency to the variation of ovary length. The lengths of the ovaries and the ovarioles increased proportionally to body weight. The matured eggs were identifiable from the 15^th day of the adult stage, and the number was the highest on the 30^th day at 50.6 individuals. Spermatheca size was also affected by the ovary development. The ovaries of L. migratoria were highly matured until the 30th day of adult stage. Weight and size of eggs increased sharply from the 4th day after egg oviposition and remained from the 7th day after spawning. Based on the above results, we found that the ovary of L. migratoria was most developed on the 30th day of adult phase, and 1st nymph is being hatched on the 10th day of the oviposition.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.57 no.4
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• pp.287-295
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• 2018

A meridic artificial diet, including whole milk powder, wheat bran, maize leaf powder, and sucrose as the main nutrients, was tested for rearing Locusta migratoria (Orthoptera: Acrididae). When locusts were supplied with only the artificial diet over their entire life cycle, a second generation was not produced. The same result was observed when the diet was supplied daily and fresh maize leaves were supplied every other day. However, when the diet and fresh maize leaves were supplied alternately every other day, four generations of L. migratoria were produced. Fecundity in adults reared with the alternating diet was higher than that in adults supplied with both the diet and maize leaves daily. These results indicate that this artificial diet could be used as a supplementary food for rearing of L. migratoria.