• Journal of Life Science
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.737-748
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• 2016

By this time, insect antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been characterized more than 150 peptides since purification of cecropin in the hemolymph of pupae from Hyalophora cecropia in 1980. Therefore, it is considered that insects are good sources of AMP selection. Insect AMPs are small (low molecular weight) and cationic, and amphipathic with variable length, sequence, and structure. They perform a pivotal role on humoral immunity in the insect innate immune system against invading pathogens such as bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses. Most of the insect AMPs are induced rapidly in the fat bodies and other specific tissues of insects after septic injury or immune challenge. Then the AMPs subsequently released into the hemolymph to act against microorganisms. These peptides have a broad antimicrobial spectrum against various microbes including anticancer activities. Insect AMPs could be divided into four families based on their structures and sequences. That is the α-helical peptides, cysteine-rich peptides, proline-rich peptides, and glycine-rich peptides/proteins. For instance, cecropins, insect defensins, proline-rich peptides, and attacins are common insect AMPs, but gloverins and moricins have been identified only in lepidopteran species. This review focuses on AMPs from insects and discusses current knowledge and recent progress with potential applications of insect AMPs.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.11-18
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• 2019

Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici is a soil borne pathogenic fungus associated with wheat roots. The accurate quantification of gene expression during the process of infection might be helpful to understand the pathogenic molecular mechanism. However, this method requires suitable reference genes for transcript normalization. In this study, nine candidate reference genes were chosen, and the specificity of the primers were investigated by melting curves of PCR products. The expression stability of these nine candidates was determined with three programs-geNorm, Norm Finder, and Best Keeper. $TUB{\beta}$ was identified as the most stable reference gene. Furthermore, the exopolygalacturonase gene (ExoPG) was selected to verify the reliability of $TUB{\beta}$ expression. The expression profile of ExoPG assessed using $TUB{\beta}$ agreed with the results of digital gene expression analysis by RNA-Seq. This study is the first systematic exploration of the optimal reference genes in the infection process of Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.35 no.2_spc
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• pp.332-346
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• 2022

Shortage of protein feed resources is the major challenge to the world farm animal industry. Insects are known as an alternative protein source for poultry. A wide range of insects are available for use in poultry diets. Insect larvae thrive in manure, and organic waste, and produce antimicrobial peptides to protect themselves from microbial infections, and additionally these peptides might also be functional in poultry feed. The feed containing antimicrobial peptides can improve the growth performance, nutrient digestibility, intestinal health, and immune function in poultry. Insect meal contains a higher amount of essential amino acids compared to conventional feedstuffs. Black soldier fly, mealworm, housefly, cricket/Grasshopper/Locust (Orthoptera), silkworm, and earthworm are the commonly used insect meals in broiler and laying hen diets. This paper summarizes the nutrient profiles of the insect meals and reviews their efficacy when included in poultry diets. Due to the differences in insect meal products, and breeds of poultry, inconsistent results were noticed among studies. The main challenge for proper utilization, and the promising prospect of insect meal in poultry diet are also addressed in the paper. To fully exploit insect meal as an alternative protein resource, and exert their functional effects, modes of action need to be understood. With the emergence of more accurate and reliable studies, insect meals will undoubtedly play more important role in poultry feed industry.

• BMB Reports
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• v.43 no.8
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• pp.573-578
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• 2010

Several organophosphorus (OP) insecticides can selectively kill the silkworm maggot, Exorista sorbillans (Es) (Diptera: Tachinidae), while not obviously affecting the host (Bombyx mori) larvae, but the mechanism is not yet clear. In this study, the cDNA encoding an acetylcholinesterase (AChE) from the field Es was isolated. One point mutation (Gly353Ala) was identified. The Es-353G AChE and Es-353A AChE were expressed in baculovirus-insect cell system, respectively. The inhibition results showed that for eserine and Chlorpyrifos, Es-353A AChE was significantly less sensitive than Es-353G AChE. Meanwhile, comparison of the I50 values of eserine, dichlorvos, Chlorpyrifos and omethoate of recombinant Es AChEs with its host (Bombyx mori) AChEs indicated that, both Es AChEs are more sensitive than B. mori AChEs. The results give an insight of the mechanism that some OP insecticides can selectively kills Es while without distinct effect on its host, B. mori.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.64-74
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• 2015

Beetles Protaetia brevitarsis seulensis Kolbe (Coleoptera: Cetoniidae) and Allomyrina dichotoma Linn. (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) are widely used in traditional medicine, and the number of insect-rearing farms is increasing in South Korea. The purpose of this study was to establish a multiplex PCR-based assay for rapid simultaneous detection of multiple pathogens causing insect diseases. Six insect parasites such as fungi Beauveria bassiana (Bals.-Criv.) Vuill. (Hypocreales: Cordycipitaceae) and Metarhizium anisopliae (Metschn.) Sorokin (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae), bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner (Bacillales: Bacillaceae), Pseudomonas aeruginosa Migula (Pseudomonadales: Pseudomonadaceae), and Serratia marcescens Bizio (Enterobacteriales: Enterobacteriaceae), and Oryctes rhinoceros nudivirus were chosen based on the severity and incidence rate of insect diseases in South Korea. Pathogen-specific primers were designed and successfully applied for simultaneous detection of multiple infectious agents in farm-bred insects P. b. seulensis and A. dichotoma using multiplex PCR and high resolution capillary electrophoresis. Our results indicate that multiplex PCR is an effective and time-saving method for simultaneous detection of multiple infections in insects, and the QIAxcel capillary electrophoresis system is useful for quantitative evaluation of the individual impact of each infectious agent on the severity of insect disease. The approach designed in this study can be utilized for rapid and accurate diagnostics of infection in insect farms.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.11
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• pp.1753-1759
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• 2006

Paenibacillus sp. HY-8 isolated from the digestive tracts of the longicorn beetle, Moechotypa diphysis, produced an extracellular endoxylanase with a molecular weight of 20 kDa estimated by SDS-PAGE. The xylanase was purified to near electrophoretic homogeneity from the culture supernatant after ammonium sulfate precipitation, gel filtration, and ionexchange chromatography. The purified xylanase exhibited the highest activities at pH 6.0 and $50^{\circ}C$. The $K_m\;and\;V_{max}$ values were 7.2 mg/ml and 16.3 U/mg, respectively, for birchwood xylan as the substrate. Nucleotide sequence of the PCR-cloned gene was determined to have the open reading frame encoding a polypeptide of 212 amino acids. The N-terminal amino acid sequence and the nucleotide sequence analyses predicted that the precursor xylanase contained a signal peptide composed of 28 amino acids and a catalytically active 19.9-kDa peptide fragment. The deduced amino acid sequence shared extensive similarity with those of the glycoside hydrolase family 11 of xylanases from other bacteria. The predicted amino acid sequence contained two glutamate residues, previously identified as essential and conserved for active sites in other xylanases of the glycoside hydrolase family 11.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.15-23
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• 2016

One major constraint in the development and implementation of a successful and cost-effective area-wide integrated pest management (AW-IPM) programme with a SIT component for Bactrocera oleae (Diptera: Tephritidae) is the ability to produce a large number of high quality mass-reared individuals. The aim of this study was to develop a more efficient and practical egg collection system in an attempt to improve the mass-rearing of this species. The following basic parameters were examined: egg production per female, egg hatch, pupal recovery, pupal weight, adult emergence and percentage of fliers. Three different strains (Israel wild-type, France wild-type, and Greece laboratory) were tested and each strain was evaluated for six generations. Female flies of the Israel strain produced significantly more eggs per female than the other two strains, but egg hatch was significantly lower. Egg hatch of the France wild type and the Greece laboratory strain was similar. For all other parameters, there was no significant difference between strains; however, there was a significant generational effect for all parameters observed. As a result of this study, a protocol was developed for the mass-rearing of this species that included the use of large adult holding cages that could house up to 96,000 flies per cage. The newly developed method of egg collection using a flat wax panel as one of the sides of an adult holding cage proved to be cost-effective, efficient, making colony growth easier for industrial mass-rearing.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.45 no.3 s.144
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• pp.301-307
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• 2006

A ligniolytic bacterial strain was isolated from the digestive tract of a red dragonfly, Sympetrum dopressiusculum. It was identified as a Serratia marcescens HY-5 by 16S rDNA sequence analysis and physiological and biochemical analysis. The isolated strain showed proportional increase of ligninolytic activity to the cell growth in the culture media which include lignin compounds. It showed about 25-45% decomposition of lignin compound by 48 hr incubation especially, showed effective decomposition of monomer lignin compounds, vanillin and guaiacol, and a dimer, dealkaline lignin. PCR amplification of 16S rDNA followed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis showed high density of S. marcescens HY-5 in the gut of the S. depressiusculum at both gut samples which collected at different site.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.417-428
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• 2007

Most oriental medicinal plants in domestic markets have been imported, but these medicines are being easily exposed to many insect pests because of the poorness of storage facilities. This study was carried out to identify stored products insect pests occurring in 158 storage medicinal plants belonging to 134 genera of 67 families. No insect pests were not observed in 44 medicinal plants including Artemisia argyi Levl. et Vant., Cassia sieboldii Presl., and Juniperus chinensis L. Most commonly observed stored products insect pests in the surveyed medicinal plants were the order of as follows; Ahasverus advena(Waltl) 12.3%, Lasioderma serricorne F. 11.5%, Oryzaephilus surinamensis L. 10.3%, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) 9.4%, Stegobium paniceum L. 8.4%, and Plodia interpunctella(Hbner) 7.9%. And these insects also are likely to prefer more root or rhizome part than the other ones. Based on these basic survey results, natural products researchers can obtain an important information in finding an insecticidal or fumigant compounds contained in the medicinal plants which any insect pests do not attack.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.100-105
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• 2017

Under natural conditions, black soldier fly, Hermetia illucens (L.) (Diptera: Stratiomyidae), colonizes in warm temperate regions, and is active in Korea from May through October. Information on black soldier fly rearing, which is affected by seasonal factors in Korea, is limited. Oviposition by black soldier flies is dependent on light intensity and wavelength. Therefore, continuous mass rearing of this fly requires determination of optimal artificial conditions of illumination. In this study, we compared the number of eggs laid under an artificial light source (750 watt HPL lamp) versus nature sunlight. Our results showed that compared to oviposition under natural sunlight, the use of one or two lamps for 7 hours, resulted in only 43 and 76%, of the total number of eggs laid under natural sunlight, respectively. We also investigated the hatchability of oviposited eggs under artificial illumination and under natural sunlight. The hatching rate under the former was much significantly lower than under the latter. Further detailed research is required to develop methods for successful mass rearing of black soldier fly throughout the year by means of an indoor system.