• Animal cells and systems
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.479-487
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• 2012

Biological attachment device is optimized in insect legs for attachment onto the variety of natural substrate. We have studied the microstructural characteristics of the tarsal appendages in the ladybug Harmonia axyridis using scanning electron microscopy to reveal the attachment system of their legs. The attachment devices are composed of claws and adhesive pads. The claws are connected with pretarsal segment, and their apical diverged hooks are developed to hold rough substrates. In contrast, the adhesive pads have an adhesive function onto smooth surface. The pads are interspersed at the ventral part of each tarsomere, and are composed of two kinds of hairy setae. The discoid tip seta (DtS) has a spoon-shaped endplate usually with a rounded concave structure, whereas the pointed tip seta (PtS) has a pointed tip, usually with a hooked endplate. While the PtS is broadly localized concentrically on the marginal area of both the proximal and distal pads, the DtS can be seen at the central areas of each adhesive pad except for the hind legs. Our findings demonstrate the presence of the direction-dependence pattern of the fibrillar system as well as a functional modification of the tenent setae to achieve proper contact with almost any kind of substrates.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.101-108
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• 2008

Recently, Platypus koryoensis has been reported as a major pest of oak trees in Korea which can introduce the pathogenic fungus(Raffaelea sp.) by making galleries into the heartwood of the tree. As the beetle has developed its effective drilling mouthpart enough to make tunnels, we have analyzed the fine structural aspects of the mouthpart using the field emission scanning electron microscopy(FESEM) to reveal its mechano-dynamic characteristics. The mouthparts of this ambrosia beetle which consist of a labrum, a pair of mandibles, a pair of maxillae and the labium exhibit typical morphology of mycophagous coleopteran beetles and have those characteristics of chewing mouthparts that can excavate galleries in the hardwood. Both of maxillary and labial palpi have the functions of direct the food to the mouth and hold it while the mandibles chew the food. The distal ends of these palpi are flattened and have shovel-like setae. Females have larger maxillary palpi and a larger gular region than males in general.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.366-370
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• 1992

Salient chromosomal variations during the first meiotic division in primary spermatocyLes of the three brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens (Stal) , biotypes were observed. The meiotic index was highest in biotype 3 (58.6), followed by biotype 1 (39.4) and biotype 2 (23.6). Total chromosomal aberration including agmatoploidy, aneuploidy, loose pairings of sex chromosomes, and cytoplasmic shrinkage was found high in the order of biotype 1 (60.6%),2 (47.9 %), and 3 (38.1 %). However, percent agmatoploidy was highest in biotype 2 (19.6%) whereas in biotypes 3 and 1, it was 9.5% and 2.5%, respectively. The number of cells with isolated sex chrosomomes was observed highest in biotype 2.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.63-70
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• 2005

African swine fever (ASF) is an infectious disease of domestic and wild pigs for which there is no vaccine in the world. A proper surveillance of viral activity and a timely response to ASF outbreaks depend upon the rapid diagnosis of ASF viral infection. Internationally prescribed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is a fast, sensitive test routinely used in the diagnosis of the ASF. However, inactivated whole ASF virus antigen used in this test is a tedious to prepare and has a risk of outside exposure of infectious virus by laboratory accident during the preparation. An ASF virus noninfectious recombinant antigen is a safe and easily produced alternative antigen for use in diagnostic assay. We have cloned the ORF O61R gene of the ASF virus to generate a recombinant baculovirus producing the p12 protein in insect cells under control of the polyhedrin promoter as non-fusion protein. When used in an indirect ELISA, the p12 antigen showed reactivity with all known ASF positive pig sera but not with negative pig sera. Our results indicated that the p12 protein would be one of alternative antigens for diagnosis of the ASF.

• BMB Reports
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.167-176
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• 2004

Although efficient antiviral lamivudine is used for HBV-infected patients, a prolonged treatment with nucleoside analogs often results in lamivudine-resistant variants. In this study, we evaluated the fidelity of the lamivudine-resistant variants. The FLAG-tagged wild-type (FPolE) and Met550 variants (FPolE/M550A, M550V, and M550I) of HBV DNA polymerases were expressed in insect cells then purified. Like many other reverse transcriptases, no $3'{\rightarrow}5'$ exonuclease activity was detected in the HBV DNA polymerase. Since there is no proofreading activity, then the use of the site-specific nucleotide misincorporation method is beneficial. From the $f_{ins}$ value analysis, it is evident that M550I and M550V exhibit higher fidelity values than the wild-type HBV DNA polymerase, while M550A exhibits similar fidelity values. It is therefore suggested that lamivudine resistance comes from the stringency to dNTP binding and the discrimination of dCTP and lamivudine in M550V and M550I.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.115-121
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• 2012

The bumblebee Bombus terrestris is widely used in greenhouses to pollinate crops. Here, we report the molecular cloning and characterization of chymotrypsin inhibitor and chitin-binding protein homologs from B. terrestris. Two cDNAs encoding chymotrypsin inhibitor (Bt-CI) and chitin-binding protein (Bt-CBP) homologs were cloned from B. terrestris. Gene sequence analysis showed that Bt-CI gene consists of three exons encoding 75 amino acids, including a predicted 20-amino acid signal peptide, while Bt-CBP consists of two exons encoding 78 amino acids, including a predicted 26-amino acid signal peptide. The mature Bt-CI and Bt-CBP peptides contain ten and six conserved cysteine residues, respectively. Database searches using the deduced sequences of Bt-CI and Bt-CBP showed similarity to those from B. impatiens (96% peptide sequence identities). Bt-CI and Bt-CBP were expressed in both the venom gland and fat body of B. terrestris worker bees. The recombinant Bt-CI and Bt-CBP peptides were expressed in baculovirus-infected insect cells. Taken together, our findings describe the molecular characterization of Bt-CI and Bt-CBP from B. terrestris.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.295-301
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• 2014

SIFamide receptor (SIFR) is a Drosophila G protein-coupled receptor for the neuropeptide SIFamide (SIFa). Although the sequence and spatial expression of SIFa are evolutionarily conserved among insect species, the physiological function of SIFa/SIFR signaling remains elusive. Here, we provide genetic evidence that SIFa and SIFR promote sleep in Drosophila. Either genetic ablation of SIFa-expressing neurons in the pars intercerebralis (PI) or pan-neuronal depletion of SIFa expression shortened baseline sleep and reduced sleep-bout length, suggesting that it caused sleep fragmentation. Consistently, RNA interference-mediated knockdown of SIFR expression caused short sleep phenotypes as observed in SIFa-ablated or depleted flies. Using a panel of neuron-specific Gal4 drivers, we further mapped SIFR effects to subsets of PI neurons. Taken together, these results reveal a novel physiological role of the neuropeptide SIFa/SIFR pathway to regulate sleep through sleep-promoting neural circuits in the PI of adult fly brains.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.69-73
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• 1971

On June in 1970 the authors discovered a pathogenecity, cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus, of the Smithia virus in the larvae of Liparis dispay L. appeared on quercus forest in Chung-Neung district and had carried out a experiment to detect the pathogenecity of Smithia virus through the inoculation of it into the larvase, such as Liparis dispay L. Hyphantrea cunea DRURY, and Dendrolinus spectabilis BUTLER. The results obtained were as follows ; 1) Death rate of L.dispay and D.spectabilis treated by 10$^{6}$ /ml cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus of Smithis virus were 88.0% and 85.5% respectively, when the larvaes of these insects are big enough. But there were none of pathogenecity in case of Hyphantrea cunea DRURY. 20 Dead larvae caused by the injection of Smithia virus had begum to find out about on 10 days after inoculation. Miximum death rate of L. didpay and D. spectabilis appeared on 20-25days nad on 25-30days, respectively, after the incoulation. 3) In the cytoplasm of Mid-gut cylindrical cells of both of these insects, polyhedrosis, such s hexagonal (0.5-2.0-6.0 micron) were found out and in these insects, polyhedrosis, such as hexaginal (0.5-2.0-6.0 mivton) were found out and in case of D.spectabilis were a few polyhedrosis, such as tetragonal, trianglar polyhedrosis. 4) Diluted concentration of `0$^{6}$ /ml cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus of Smithia virus were spread out in the field conditions. The corrected mortality was confirmed as about 87.8%.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.964-967
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• 2008

Two structural protein genes, VP19 and VP466, of white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) were cloned and expressed in Sf21 insect cells using a baculovirus expression system for the development of injection and oral feeding vaccines against WSSV for shrimps. The cumulative mortalities of the shrimps vaccinated by the injection of rVP19 and rVP466 at 15 days after the challenge with WSSV were 50.2% and 51.8%, respectively. For the vaccination by oral feeding of rVP19 and rVP466, the cumulative mortalities were 49.2% and 89.2%, respectively. These results show that protection against WSSV can be generated in the shrimp, using the viral structural protein as a protein vaccine.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.249-253
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• 2021

We describe the case of a Jindo dog that presented with a 2-month history of an abscess-like mass on the skin of the left hip. The patient was initially diagnosed with a suspected insect bite and was treated with a topical dressing. After observing no improvements, surgical debridement was done to remove the abscess. Nine days after surgery, the patient started showing severe anorexia, vomiting, lethargy, and oliguria. Azotemia was detected, and the patient was diagnosed with acute kidney injury. Ultrasonography depicted an abdominal mass (4.6 × 7.5 cm) in the right ureter, and severe hydronephrosis in the right kidney. The patient was euthanatized. Results of the necropsy, histopathologic examination, and immunohistochemistry for tumor cells, confirmed that the patient had developed hydronephrosis and disseminated histiocytic sarcoma which had metastasized to the lungs. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of acute renal failure produced by ureter invasion and urinary tract obstruction resulting from the abdominal mass of disseminated histiocytic sarcoma in dogs.