• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.117-123
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• 2010

BT toxin is produced by a soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis and has long been used as a biological insecticide without any competition. Recently, Photorhabdus, a symbiotic bacterium from entomopathogenic nematodes, family Heterorhabditae, has been researched and discussed as alternatives to B. thuringiensis. Photorhabdus, which lives in the gut of entomopathogenic nematodes, is a highly virulent pathogen of a wide range of insect larvae. When an insect is infected by the nematodes, the bacteria are released into the cadaver, and produce a number of insecticidal toxins. The biological role of the different Photorhabdus toxins in the infection process is still unclear. Photorhabdus toxin complex (Tc) is highly secreted gut-active toxin and has been characterized as a potent three-component (A, B and C) insecticidal protein complex. These components are necessary for full oral activity against insect larvae. The Photorhabdus PirAB binary toxins exhibit a potent injectable activity for Galleria mellonella larvae, and have oral toxicity against mosquitoes and caterpillar pest Plutella xylostella. Other toxin, 'makes caterpillars floppy' (Mcf) showed injectable activity on caterpillars. Recombinant Mcf triggers apoptosis in both insect hemocytes and the midgut epithelium and carries a BH3 domain. In this review, the relationship between the Photorhabdus and the nematode is discussed and recent important insecticidal toxins from Photorhabdus are described.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.141-145
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• 2000

Entomopathogenic nematodes are being used for insect control. We purified a toxin secreted by the insect-pathogenic bacterium, Xenorhadbus nematophilus, which lives in the gut of entomopathogenic nematodes. Culture broth of X. nematophilus was separated by centrifugation and concentrated by ultration. The concentrated culture broth was applied to a DEAE Sephadex A-50 column, and proteins were eluted stepwise with increasing concentrations of KCI. Fractions column. The molecty weight of purified toxin was39 kDa on SDS-PAGE, and Fourier tranformed infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy indicated that this toxin could be a new protein exhiting the charactristics of C=O stretching peak near 1650cm-1.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2001.09a
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• pp.107-110
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• 2001

The biological control potential of entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN) can be enhanced by improved culture efficiency. Optimization of media is a key factor for improving in vitro mass production of entomopathogenic nematodes. EPN yield was dependant of complex medium concentration, of which mixture is carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, salts, and growth factors, on the growth of Heterorhabditis bacteriophora and its symbiotic bacterium Photorhabdus luminescensLipids.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.9 no.5
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• pp.379-382
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• 2004

Entomopathogenic nematodes are used for insect control. Herein, an extracellular protease was partially purified from a culture supernatant of Xenorhabdus nematophilus, a symbiotic bacterium of an entomopathogenic nematode, Steinernema glaseri: using precipitation with $80\%$ v/v isopropyl alcohol followed by gel permeation chromatography with a packed Sephacryl S-300 HR media. The partially purified protease exhibited maximal activity at pH 7 in the presence of 1 mM $CaCl_2$. The protease was identified as a metallo-protease based on the inhibition of its activity by the metal chelating agent, EDTA.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.225-231
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• 2002

The entomopathogenic nematodes, Steinernema carpocapsae All strain (ScA), S.glaseri NC strain (SgN) and H. bacteriophora NC 1 strain (HbN), were evaluated for the effects on egg mass formation by the northern root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne hapla in pot experiment using tomato. In the first experiment, 2.5$\times$10$^{5}$ infective juveniles (Ijs) of entomopathogenic nematodes were inoculated to 100 g of the soil infected with ca. 450 Ijs of M. hapla/100 ㎤ in 150 $mell$ container. The number of egg mass was significantly decreased to 9.4-36.5 in ScA, to 5.7-24.7 in SgN and to 11.2-16.0 in HbN treatments compared with 62.5 in M.hapla alone. In the second experiment, ScA and S.carpocapsae Pocheon strain (ScP) and SgN and S.glaseri Dongrae strain (SgD) were treated to 350 g of the soil infected with 100, 200 M.hapla larvae/100 ㎤ in 450 $mell$ container The entomopathogenic nematodes were inoculated at the rate of 2,020 Ijs and 1.6$\times$105 Ijs in 350 g soil. The number of egg mass of M.hapla were significantly decreased in the entomopathogenic nematode treatments compared with M.hapla alone although no differences were observed among Steinernema species, strains, or infection concentrations. Treatments of entomopathogenic nematodes 3 days before M.hapla inoculation were more effective on reduction of egg mass formation than those of 3 days after M.hapla treatments. Growth of tomato was not affected by entomopathogenic nematode treatments.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.31-37
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• 1998

A simple method for the in vivo production of third-stage infective juveniles(IJs) of Steinernema glaseri was developed. Using Galleria mellonella larvae, only IJs can be rapidly generated inadequate quantities for field application. The nematode inoculation concentration and incubation temperature were critically important. The most effective temperature for infectivity of Steinernema glaseri IJs to Galleria mellonella larvae was 33$^\circ C$. However, the total number of menatodes harvested at 25$^\circ C$ about 66,000 IJs per larva was significantly greater than those at other temperatures. The optimal inoculation number of nematodes was 60 to 80 nematodes per host larva. The higher nematode inoculation concentration of 100 IJs per larva caused a rapid decrease in the total number of IJs harvested. As the inoculation medium pH increased, the number of IJs harvested increased and reached about 110,000 IJs per larva at pH 9.0. The pathogenicity of IJs decreased y increasing the salt concentration in the medium.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.80-84
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• 1996

Infectivity of entomopathogenic nematodes and fungus was evaluated against fly larvae in the laboratory and outhouses. Mortalities of Muscina stabulans larvae were 96.7f 2.8% in Steinernema glaseri Dongrae strain, 90.0+0.0% in S. carpocapsae All strain, 86.7f 2.7% in Heterorhabditis bacteriophora Hamyang strain, and 70.0+9.4% in S. carpocapsae Pocheon strain on the filter paper. When 260, 000 nem\ulcornertodes were sprayed into the outhouses, H. bacterwphora Hamyang strain killed 100%, S. glaseri Dongrae strain killed 76.9+3.9%, and S. carpocapsae Pocheon strain killed 58.5+6.1% of maggots. When 130, 000 nematodes and 7.0X lo9 cfu of entomopathogenic fungus, Beauveria brongniartii were sprayed alone or combined into outhouses, mortalities of maggots were 73.6+0.1% in B. brongniartii alone, 77.8+3.9% in S. carpocapsae Pocheon strain plus B. brongniartii, and 77.7f 5.1% in H. bacteriophora Hamyang strain plus B. brongniartii. Entomopathogenic nematodes and fungus were potential biological control agents in this study.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.149-152
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• 2000

Cryopreservation of infective juveniles of entomopathogenic nematode, Steinernema carpocapsae Weiser, was conducted at $-190^{\circ}C$ liquid nitrogen and its, efficacy was analysed on nematode survival and pathogenicity with glycerol pretreatments and storage periods. Infective juveniles were pre-treated before being frozen by incubating the nematodes in 22% glycerol for each of 6, 12, and 24 h, followed by 70% methanol at $0^{\circ}C$ for 10 minutes. Just after glycerol and methanol incubations, subsamp1es of the nematodes were resuspended in 0.85% saline and maintained during 24h for viability determination. Different glycerol incubation periods significantly affected the nematode susceptibility to methanol infiltration. Six hour incubation in glycerol resulted in much less nematode survival than did 12 h or 24 h incubation. About 70% of the infective juveniles frozen at $-190^{\circ}C$ for 5 months, preincubat-ed in glycerol at least for 12h, were able to survive after being resuspended in 30°C saline. They did not also show any change in their pathogenicity during cryopreservation. These results suggest an improved technique for long-term storage of the entomopathogenic nematodes.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.117-125
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• 1998

Entomopathogenic nematodes, Heterorhabditidae and Steinernematidae, were isolated from the soil of mulberry field, and the high infectivity and invesiveness were confirmed in the silkworm, Bombyx mori. The cause of non-microbial and acute flacherie was found as an disease by infection with soil-born nematodes through the mulberry leaves contaminated with soil and rainwater. The causal nematodes were isolated by silkworm trap from all of the 5 soil samples collected on the 5 mulberry fields, and identified as 3 strains of Heterorhabditis sp. and 2 of Steinernema sp. Rainwater itself, however, wasn't engaged in the silkworm disease, mulberry leaves with rainwater was rather profitable for cocoon production when the leaf quality was too hard to feed silkworm. Feeding of wet mulberry leaves with rain might not so harm to silkworm when the condition of rearing room to be kept at suitable temperature and ventilated well. Nematode infection of silkworm could be occurred by harvesting and feeding of contaminated mulberry leaves on the weather condition of rainy and wind. For the prevention of nematode infection, silkworms should be fed the leaves harvested from the higher portion of the mulberry tree in rainy days. For an oppositional application of this susceptibility of silkworms to nematode, might be useful on the collection and amplification of nematode agents for biotic control of pest insects.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.198-204
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• 1999

Asymbiotic bacterium with highly effective toxins was isolated from entomopathogenic nematode Steinernema glaseri which has been widely used against various soil-inhabiting pests. The symbiont of S. glaseri was identified as Xenorhabdus nematophilus sp. by using several biochemical and physiological tests. When this strain was released into the hemolymph of insect larva, it produced highly toxic substances and killed the larva within 2 days. Two colony forms that differed n some biochemical characteristics were observed when cultures in vitro. Phase l colonies were mucid and difficult to be dispersed in liquid. Phase II was not mucoid and was easily dispersed in liquid. It did not adsorb neutral red or bromothymol blue. Rod-shaped cell size was highly variable between two phases, ranging 2-10 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$. It was also found that only infective-stage nematodes can carry only primary-phase Xenorhabdus in their intestine.