• Korean journal of applied entomology
• /
• v.51 no.3
• /
• pp.245-253
• /
• 2012

Benzylinedeneacetone (BZA) is a bacterial metabolite which is synthesized by at least two entomopathogenic bacteria, namely Xenorhabdus nematophila and Photorhabdus temperata subsp. temperata. It has been shown to possess inhibitory effects on insect cellular and humoral immune responses as well as antimicrobial activities against various species of bacteria and fungi. However, its relatively high phytotoxicity, and nonsystematic effect have thus far prevented its development into an optimal pesticide. This study screened five different BZA derivatives in order to select an optimal compound, which would have relatively high solubility and low phytotoxicity while retaining sufficient degrees of the immunosuppressive and antimicrobial activities associated with BZA. Hydroxylation of the benzene ring of BZA was found to significantly suppress its immunosuppressive and antimicrobial activities. Transformation of the ketone of BZA by carboxylation also suppressed the inhibitory activities. However, a shortening of the aliphatic chain of BZA into acetate form (4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid: HPA) did not decrease the inhibitory activity. HPA also showed much less phytotoxicity against the hot pepper plant Capsicum annuum, when compared to BZA. This study identified an optimal BZA derivative, which exhibited relatively little phytotoxicity, but retained a high degree of inhibitory activity to suppress insect immune responses and antimicrobial activities against plant pathogens.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
• /
• v.27 no.8
• /
• pp.900-906
• /
• 2005

The responses of two luminescence-based biosensors were studied on various heavy metals in aqueous solutions. One was recombinant E. coli ($DH5{\alpha}$/pSB311), genetically modified luminescence-based bacteria, and the other was Vibrio fisheri used for the LumisTox system. The recombinant E. coli was marked with the lux CDABE gene from multicopy plasmid, pACYC184, originally isolated from Photorhabdus luminescens. The $DH5{\alpha}$/pSB311 had a characteristic of no organic substrate for its luminescence reaction. Among the tested heavy metals Zinc and cadmium were less toxic than copper and mercury. The recombinant E. coli was more sensitive to toxicity of heavy metals than the LumisTox. The order of toxicity of the heavy metals to the recombinant E. coli was $Hg^{2+}>Cu^{2+}>Zn^{2+}>Cd^{2+}$. In case of the LumisTox, the order of the toxicity of heavy metals was $Hg^{2+}>Cu^{2+}>Cd^{2+}>Zn^{2+}$. The genetically modified luminescence-based biosensor offers a range of sensitive, rapid, and easy to use methods for assessing the potential toxicity of heavy metals in aqueous samples.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.40 no.3
• /
• pp.248-253
• /
• 2004

To scrutinize the physiological diversity by BIOLOG microplate, the carbon source utilization patterns of 168 strains of oligotrophic bacteria and 132 strains of psychrotrophic bacteria isolated from Lake Baikal during 2000 and 2002 were investigated. Eighty-six percent (56 strains) of oxidase test positive group (GN-NENT group) and 89 % (92 strains) of oxidase test negative group (GN-ENT group) among oligotrophic bacteria, and 82% (85 strains) of oxidase test negative group among psychrotrophic bacteria were able to utilize $\alpha$-D-glucose as a sole-carbon-source, and 93% (26 strains) of oxidase test positive group among psychrotrophic bacteria were able to utilize bromosuccinic acid as a sole-carbon-source. However, most strains except few oligotrophic bacteria with oxidase test negative group were not able to utilize $\alpha$-D-lactose as a sole-carbon-source. Most dominant genus among 300 strains was Pseudomonas (49 strains). Other dominant genera belonged to Salmonella, Serratia, Buttiauxella, Pantoea, Yersinia, Brevundimonas, Hydrogenophaga, Photorhabdus, Sphingomonas, and Xenorhabdus. Our results by BIOLOG identification system were able to provide basic data to determine community-level carbon source utilization patterns and to accomplish the efficient and reliable identification for microbial community structure in Lake Baikal.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
• /
• v.62 no.4
• /
• pp.277-285
• /
• 2023

The onion moth, Acrolepiopsis sapporensis, was monitored in the farms cultivating the welsh onion, Allium fistulosum, using sex pheromone from transplantation to harvest. Two occurrence peaks were observed at early June and late July after the overwintering population. However, the population sizes were varied among different years and the cultivating environments. To effectively control A. sapporensis with microbial pesticides, different Bacillus thuringiensis strains were screened to select B. thuringiensis kurstaki (BtK). To enhance the insecticidal virulence of BtK, the culture broth of Photorhabdus temperata temperata (Ptt) was added to the BtK. This mixture of two entomopathogenic bacteria was called 'BtPlus', which was superior to BtK alone in the insecticidal virulence. The enhanced virulence was explained by the immunosuppressive activity of the secondary metabolites contained in the Ptt extract. The metabolites inhibited both cellular and humoral immune responses of A. sapporensis, resulting in the enhanced virulence of BtK. These results suggest that A. sapporensis occurs in the welsh onion fields and the resulting economic damage would be effectively prevented by BtPlus application.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
• /
• v.53 no.5
• /
• pp.752-760
• /
• 2020

Acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND), previously known as early mortality syndrome (EMS), is an emerging disease in shrimp caused by Vibrio parahaemolyticus. Some V. parahaemolyticus strains are associated with foodborne diseases in humans. To date, studies on the relationship between AHPND and pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus are very limited. In this study, we monitored the thermostable direct hemolysin-related hemolysin (trh) gene and AHPND-related genes, such as Photorhabdus insect-related (pir) genes, in 892 strains of V. parahaemolyticus isolated and identified in 24 areas of the West Coast of Korea from May to October 2019. The trh gene was detected in 9.6% of the isolates from short neck clam samples. However, the pirA and pirB genes related to AHPND were not found in any of the isolates despite using both duplex and nested PCR assays, suggesting that AHPND-related genes were nonexistent in the V. parahaemolyticus strains isolated. This study contributes to the current understanding of the relationship between AHPND and V. parahaemolyticus in Korea, as well as provides data on spatial and seasonal distributions of V. parahaemolyticus.

• Proceedings of the Microbiological Society of Korea Conference
• /
• 2006.05a
• /
• pp.29-31
• /
• 2006

In a previous report, we showed that enzyme $IIA^{Glc}(EIIA^{Glc}$ of Escherichia coli phosphotransferase system (PTS) interacts with and regulates activity of FrsA (fermentation/respiration switch protein). A BLAST search revealed that orthologs of FrsA exist only in some Gram-negative bacteria such as E. coli, Salmonella typhimurium, Shigella flexneri, Yersinia pestis, Vibrio cholerae, Vibrio vulnificus, Vibrio parahemeolyticus, and Photorhabdus luminescens and all of these species are facultative anaerobes belonging to the ${\gamma}-proteobacterial$ group, and most of them are highly pathogenic. Ligand-fishing experiments using $EIIA^{Glc}$ of Vibrio vulnificus ($vEIIA^{Glc}$) as bait revealed that $vEIIA^{Glc}$ also interacts with vFrsA in a phosphorylation state-dependent manner. The frsA mutant of Vibrio vulnificus showed remarkably reduced cytotoxicity to HeLa cells and reduced lethality to mice compared to wild type. Comparison of extracellular proteomes between the mutant and wild type indicated that hemolysin was not produced in the frsA mutant. Characterization of another protein interacting with $vEIIA^{Glc}$ will be discussed.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
• /
• v.51 no.1
• /
• pp.47-58
• /
• 2012

Effect of a new crop protectant 'Bt-Plus' on natural enemies was analyzed in this study. Tested natural enemies included two parasitic species of $Aphidius$ $colemani$ and $Eretmocerus$ $eremicus$, and four predatory species of $Harmonia$ $axyridis$, $Orius$ $laevigatus$, $Amblyseius$ $swirskii$, and $Phytoseiulus$ $persimilis$. 'Bt-Plus' was formulated by combination of three entomopathogenic bacteria ($Xenorhabdus$ $nematophila$ (Xn), $Photorhabdus$ $temperata$ subsp. $temperata$ (Ptt), $Bacillus$ $thuringiensis$ (Bt)) and bacterial metabolite (BM). All three types of 'Bt-Plus' showed significantly higher toxicities against fourth instar $Plutella$ $xylostella$ larvae than Bt single treatment. Two types of bacterial mixtures ('Xn+Bt' and 'Ptt+Bt') showed little toxicity to all natural enemies in both contact and oral feeding assays. However, 'BM+Bt' showed significant toxicities especially to two predatory mites of $A.$ $swirskii$ and $P.$ $persimilis$. The acaricidal effects of different bacterial metabolites were evaluated against two spotted spider mite, $Tetranychus$ $urticae$. All six BM chemicals showed significant acaricidal effects. The BM mixture used to prepare 'Bt-Plus' showed a high acaricidal activity with a median lethal concentration at 218.7 ppm (95% confidence interval: 163.2 - 262.3). These toxic effects of bacterial metabolites were also proved by cytotoxicity test against Sf9 cells. Especially, benzylideneacetone, which was used as a main ingredient of 'BM+Bt', showed high cytotoxicity at its low micromolar concentration.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
• /
• v.44 no.1 s.138
• /
• pp.21-30
• /
• 2005

Feeding behavior of foraging ants including visiting numbers, species, and preference on insect cadavers killed by entomopathogenic nematodes <(Heterorhabditis sp. KCTC 0991BP (He) and Steinernema carpocapsae KCTC 0981BP (Sc)> and their symbiotic bacteria was investigated in Dongrae Benest Golf Club, Anyang Benest Golf Club, Gapyung Benest Golf Club and Ulsan Golf Club. The number of ants, kinds and numbers of cadavers taken away by ants were different depending on killing method, golf club and site within the golf courses (fairway and rough). The feeding preference of ants was the lowest on cadavers killed by He. At Dongrae Benest Golf Club Lasius japonicu ($75{\pm}5\%$) and Monomorium floricola ($10\%$) took away cadavers only at the rough. The visiting rate of ants was $85{\pm}6\%$ at the rough, but none at the fairway by 16 hours. The taken rate of cadavers by ants was the lowest on He-killed cadavers representing $16.7\%$ compared with $40.0\%$ on Sc-killed cadavers, $53.3\%$ on fenitrithion-killed cadavers, and $56.7\%$ on natural dead cadavers by 12 hours. At the rough of hole 6 in Anyang Benest Golf Club, Tetramorium tsushimae ($33{\pm}12\%$), Pheidole fervida ($17{\pm}15\%$), Camponatus japonicus ($10\%$), Formica japonica ($7{\pm}6\%$), Paratrechina flavipes ($3{\pm}6\%$), and Crematogaster matsumurai ($3{\pm}6\%$) took away cadavers, but $23{\pm}15\%$ of cadavers were not visited by ants. Ants took away $40\%$ of Sc-killed cadavers, $16.7\%$ of frozen-killed cadavers, and $3.4\%$ of He-killed cadavers. The number of visiting ants was low at the hole 9 of Cherry course in Gapyung Benest Golf Club and only Tetramorium tsuhimae and Paratrechina flavipes were found from one site. The density of entomopathogenic nematodes did not influence ant visiting on cadavers, but burying affected ant visiting. Although ants took away unburied cadavers, buried cadavers were taken away at the hole 6 of Dongrae Benest Golf Club by 16 hours. Ant visiting had the same tendency on symbiotic bacterium-treated biscuit as nematode-killed cadavers. The visiting was less on biscuit inoculated by Photorhabdus sp., a symbiotic bacterium of He than on biscuit inoculated by Xenorhabdus nematophila, a symbiotic bacterium of Sc.