• Mycobiology
• /
• v.41 no.1
• /
• pp.59-62
• /
• 2013

Japanese pine sawyer beetle (Monochamus alternatus) is an economically important pest in coniferous trees. Ophiostoma ips was isolated from the beetle and identified based on analysis of morphological properties and the ${\beta}$-tubulin gene sequence. The fungus easily produced perithecia with a long neck on malt extract agar and its ascospores were rectangular shaped. This is first report of Ophiostoma species associated with the pinewood nematode vector beetle in Korea.

• Mycobiology
• /
• v.41 no.4
• /
• pp.245-247
• /
• 2013

The ambrosia beetle, Platypus koryoensis, is an economically important pest affecting oak trees in Korea. Candida kashinagacola was isolated from galleries of the beetle in oak wood and identified by analyses of morphology, physiological properties, and nucleotide sequence of the large subunit ribosomal DNA. This is the first report on Candida species associated with oak wilt disease vectored by the ambrosia beetle, Platypus koryoensis, in Korea.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
• /
• v.17 no.2
• /
• pp.223-228
• /
• 2008

A novel beetle antimicrobial protein from stimulated Copris tripartitus and the corresponding gene were isolated in parallel through differential display-PCR and expression in Escherichia coli. To find cDNA clones responsible for bacteria resistance, the suppression subtractive hybridization and GeneFishing differentially expressed genes system were employed in the dung beetle, Copris tripartitus immunized with lipopolysaccaride. One cDNA clone from eight subtracted clones was selected through dot blot analysis and confirmed by northern blot analysis. The 516-bp, selected cDNA clone was determined by 5' and 3' rapid amplication of cDNA ends and cloned into the GST fusion expression vector pGEX-4T-1 for expression of the protein. The expressed protein was predicted 14.7 kDa and inhibited the growth of gram-negative bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. These results implied that the expressed protein is related to immune defense mechanism against microorganism.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Sericultural Science Conference
• /
• 2003.10a
• /
• pp.157-159
• /
• 2003

We have cloned and sequenced the cDNA coding fur a cellulase from the mulberry longicorn beetle, Apriona germari, with the polymerase chain reaction. And then we have constructed the recombinant plasmid vector for Bombyx mori transfomation experiment. (omitted)

• Mycobiology
• /
• v.39 no.4
• /
• pp.313-316
• /
• 2011

The ambrosia beetle, Platypus koryoensis, is a serious pest of oak trees in Korea. In this study we investigated filamentous fungi present in the body of the beetle. Fourteen genera of filamentous fungi belonging to Ascomycota and Basidiomycota were isolated. Among the isolated fungi, some were able to produce wood degrading enzymes. This is first report of fungi associated with P. koryoensis.

• Mycobiology
• /
• v.35 no.3
• /
• pp.159-161
• /
• 2007

Pine tree death caused by pine wood nematode(PWN) involves phoretic relationships between PWN and its vector Japanese pine sawyer beetle(JPS). In an effort to understand the diversity of fungi involved in PWN life cycle, a total of 176 fungal isolates were collected from PWNs, adults and larvae of JPS, PWN-diseased Japanese black pine that was cut down in 2005 at Jinju, Korea. Based on microscopic observation and colony morphology, and sequence analysis of the ITS rDNA, the fungal isolates were identified at the level of genus. Three genera including Mucor, Ophiostoma, and Penicillium were identified from PWN. Two genera of Ophiostoma and Penicillium were discovered from JPS larvae. Frpm JPS adult beetles, nine genera of Aspergillus, Gibberalla, Hypocrea, Irpex, Leptosphaeria, Ophiostoma, Penicillium, and Plectosphaerella and unknown basidio-mycetes were found. Ten genera from PWN-infected weed were confirmed as Bionectria, Botrytis, Camarops, Fusarium, Hypocrea, Nectria, Mucor, Ophiostoma, Penicillium, and Trichoderma. Penicillium and Ophiostoma were commonly distributed on PWN and its vector and host. This is first report of the fungi associated with PWN and its vector and host in Korea.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.20 no.8
• /
• pp.1243-1250
• /
• 2010

A cDNA encoding a cysteine protease inhibitor (CPI) was isolated from the cDNA library of clamworm Perinereis aibuhitensis Grube. The deduced amino acid sequence analysis showed that the protein had 51%, 48%, and 48% identity with Zgc:153129 from Danio rerio, cystatin B from Theromyzon tessulatum, and the ChainA, stefin B tetramer from Homo sapiens, respectively. The gene was cloned into the intracellular expression vector pET-15b and expressed in Escherichia coli. The recombinant CPI (PA-CPI) was purified by affinity chromatography on Ni-charged resin and ion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-Sepharose FF. The relative molecular mass of PA-CPI was 16 kDa as deduced by SDS-PAGE. Activity analysis showed that the recombinant protein could inhibit the proteolytic activity of papain. A constitutive and secretive expression vector was also constructed, and the cDNA encoding CPI was subcloned into the vector for extracellular expression. Western blotting analysis results showed that the PA-CPI was secreted into the medium. Bioassay demonstrated that E. coli DH5${\alpha}$ harboring pUC18ompAcat-CPI showed a significant difference in mortality to the Asian longhorned beetle Anoplophora glabripennis compared with untransformed E. coli DH5${\alpha}$ and control.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
• /
• v.48 no.4
• /
• pp.527-533
• /
• 2009

This study was performed to investigate the escape of pine wood nematode (PWN), Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, from two vector species (Monochamus alternatus and M. saltuarius) through oviposition and feeding behavior. First, we checked number of PWNs escaped from M. alternatus emerged from three different cases of pine logs. In case A, healthy pine trees were cut into logs and left in pine forest infected with PWN. In case B, healthy pine trees were cut into logs, left in large screen cage, and let them oviposited by M. alternatus emerged from pine trees infested with PWN. In case C, pine trees which were harboring M. alternatus were cut into logs, and PWN was inoculated artificially. The M. alternatus adults emerged from the above three cases of pine logs were checked in the next year to know how many PWN they were harboring in their bodies. The percentages of M. alternatus harboring PWN (18.3 and 15.6%, respectively) and number of nematodes per vector ($5,713.1{\pm}9,248.3$ and $2,034.1{\pm}4,746.8$ PWNs, respectively) in case A and B logs are similar to each other. However, the percentage and the number in case C (38.3% and $20,083.1{\pm}32,188.3$ PWNs) were higher than those of case A and B. Among 52 M. alternatus adults harboring PWN from all the three cases, 20 adults (38.5%) were harboring more than 5,000 PWNs per beetle. And these 20 adults were harboring 97.9% of the total PWNs in 52 adults. Second, we checked the daily escape of PWNs from M. alternatus and M. saltuarius collected at pine forest infested with PWN. The PWN escaped from their vector body for $34.9{\pm}12.4$ days for M. alternatus, and for $23.9{\pm}16.2$ days for M. saltuarius, reaching at peak escape during the 2nd week of emergence of the two vector species. A 44.5 and 47.2% to the total PWNs escaped from vector body within 2 weeks of vector emergence for M. alternatus and M. saltuarius, respectively. The number of PWNs escaped from each vector was $3,570.6{\pm}5,189.2$ and $1,556.2{\pm}1,710.3$ for M. alternatus and M. saltuarius, respectively.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
• /
• v.34 no.5
• /
• pp.395-404
• /
• 2018

Since the mass mortality of Quercus mongolica has been first reported in Gyeonggi province at 2004, the disease spread rapidly over Korean peninsula annually. Ambrosia beetle (Platypus koryoensis) was known as the insect vector of oak wilt fungus, Raffaelea quercus-mongolicae, and control methods of the disease had mainly been focused on eradication of insect vector. However, for the efficient management of the disease, combined control methods for both of the pathogenic fungus and insect vector are strongly required. As one of the efforts to suppress the pathogenic fungus, antifungal activities of Streptomyces isolated from oak forest soil were assayed in this study. Optimum culture condition for the selected isolates was also studied, As a result, Streptomyces blastmyceticus cultured in PDB (Potato Dextrose Broth) at $25^{\circ}C$ for 1 week showed the strongest antifungal activity against oak wilt fungus. Mycelial growth inhibition rates (MGIRs) of Streptomyces isolates were compared on culture media supplemented with heated and unheated culture filtrates of S. blastmyceticus. MGIRs on culture media with unheated culture filtrates were generally higher than those on culture media with heated culture filtrates. Antagonistic mechanism to get involved in the inhibition of hyphal growth and spore formation of the pathogen is due to the antifungal metabolites produced by Streptomyces. This study will provide the fundamental information in developing biocontrol agents for the environment-friendly management of oak wilt disease.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
• /
• v.95 no.5
• /
• pp.543-550
• /
• 2006

Distribution patterns of two pine sawyer species (Monochamus alternatus which is the main vector insect and M. saltuarius which is the potential insect vector of the pine wood nematode) were investigated in Korea. The data were collected at 89 study sites which were chosen to cover the whole region of South Korea. The selected pine trees were killed in early April and left for I year in the pine stands to be egg-laid by the pine sawyers. Emergence of the beetles from the dead pine trees was checked from early April to late July. M. saltuarius was the most abundant in the mid to northern areas of South Korea, whereas M. alternatus in Jeju-do, southernmost island of Korea. Considering temperature distribution patterns in areas where the two species occur, their thermal distribution boundary may be formed around $13.2^{\circ}C$ of annual mean temperature. The hypothesized distribution map of the two Monochamus species under the invasion of pine wilt disease is suggested on the base of thermal distribution of Korean peninsula.