• Journal of Life Science
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• v.25 no.8
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• pp.942-946
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• 2015

The Korean rhinoceros beetle (Allomyrina dichotoma) is popular as a pet and as a food ingredient, and it is commercially distributed in Korea. It is also traditionally regarded as a medicine for liver-related diseases. Recently, the Oryctes rhinoceros nudivirus was introduced from Southeast Asia. This virus is reported as a disease factor for A. dichotoma in mass-rearing facilities, and economic losses due to this viral infection have been increasing in Korea since the 2010s. In this study, we observed serious structural changes in the fat body and the intestine of virus-infected beetles. We report five genes that are up-regulated by the viral infection in the intestine: BTF3H4-like (transcription factor BTF3 homolog 4-like), SPS-like (serine proteinase stubble-like), COPB1 (coatomer protein complex, subunit beta 1), T-CP (T-complex 1 subunit gamma), and HSP70 HSP70 (heat shock protein 70). The results may provide a clue for the early diagnosis and disease-treatment that occurs in mass-rearing facilities. The improvement of stable productivity will increase the farmers’ income, and quality control of beetle-breeding will help industries to utilize this beetle as a promising food ingredient.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.26 no.11
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• pp.1336-1340
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• 2016

Korean rhinoceros beetles (Allomyrina dichotoma), which can be found in broad-leaved forests in mountainous habitats and lives for around one year in wild. This beetle is currently popular as a pet and traditionally regarded as a medicine for liver-related diseases in Korea. It is reported that the economic losses in the mass-rearing facilities by virus infection have been increased since the 2010s in Korea. The causing virus for the A. dichotoma was firstly reported as an Oryctes rhinoceros nudivirus (OrNV) in 2015. We, here, observes that serious morphological changes in the intestinal tube from the OrNV-infected beetles, and report five genes, which are regulated by OrNV infection in the intestine; Krueppel-like factor 15 (Klf15), Endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 2 (ERAP2), U5 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein 200 kDa helicase (Snrnp200), Muscleblind-like protein 2a (mbnl2a), and MIMI_L93. The results may provide a clue to the early diagnosis and disease treatment during the mass-rearing facilities of the A. dichotoma.

• 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.