Entomopathogenic fungi play an important natural role in regulating their insect host populations, and their ecology was also associated with plant and soil. These microorganisms have been living by reacting to insect, plant and environmental factor. The advanced bioinformatics technology such as next-generation sequencing and RNA sequencing has revolutionized in understanding of entomopathogenic fungi. Recently studies provided a lot of information on evolutionary relationships and virulence-related characteristics. We are starting to know where these microorganisms from is, and how they live in nature. The bioinformatics technology will give us further our understanding of the natural roles of these fungi in nature.

In a previous study, it was reported that enzymatic hydrolysis under pressurization could be a new method which could produce arginine dipeptide and free amino acid in anchovy hydrolysate as salty enhancer at optimal condition. Powder is more efficient than liquid in terms of transport and storage stability. For the purpose of producing spray dried powder of various salt contents was investigated the effect of different salt concentration of anchovy hydrolysate on spray dried powder properties. The anchovy hydrolysate of various salt contents(in the range of approximately 0.7- 19.8% w/w) prepared adding the fish sauce (Dae-Young fish market) at inlet drying air temperatures of 120°C and 140°C. The process yield and physicochemical properties such as moisture content, bulk density, hygroscopicity and the morphology (EDS, XPS, XRD) of the anchovy hydrolysate powder was measured. The glass transition temperatures (Tg) of the powders equilibrated under various water activities were determined using a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). Different drying conditions and salt concentration could generate anchovy hydrolysate powders with different process yield, bulk density and moisture content. The spray-dried anchovy hydrolysate powder was confirmed by XRD to be a mixture of an amorphous substances and crystalline salts. The energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS) and X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) analysis demonstrated that the surface NaCl concentration of the powders increased with an increasing drying air temperature. Increasing moisture adsorption of the anchovy hydrolysate powders resulted in a Tg reduction. It is suggested that producing spray dried anchovy hydrolysate for the industrial use is the use of the feed salt concentration of not lower than % w/w and inlet air temperature at 120°C, 140°C

Little consideration has been given to the insect epizootiology in pest management. High production cost of fungalinsecticides might be a technical barrier. Application of the fungal insecticides to unfavorable conditions might result inlower performance in pest management. Herein this work, we suggest ecological biocontrol considering long-term colonizationin nature rather than quick pest control. Fungal biopesticides should be frequently combined with chemical pesticides infields, particualrly spatial combination strategy rather than temporal combination. Additionally other important technicalaspects need to be strongly considered, such as economic downstream process, effective control and environmentally safe,so finally proposing e-biopesticide. Lastly R&D system needs to be clearly and efficiently organized for high performance.Week-based summary and reporting system, weekly report and project file are main system in our laboratory which hasour lab work more effectively and efficiently, consequently resulting in tech-transfer to an industry and re-investment.

The entomopathogneic fungal colonization has become an interesting issue in ecological pest management. Plant-orientedfungi induce plant growth promotion and act as natural control agents against insect pest. Herein this work, we evaluatedthe ability of fungal colonization on bark, branches and leaves of pine tree (Pinus densiflora) to select optimal candidatesfor controlling Japanese pine sawyer (Monochamus alternatus), which is the pine wilt disease vector in Korea. As a result,some Beauveria and Metarhizium isolates could colonize on the substrates of P. densiflora and showed pathogenicity againstM. alternatus. This result suggests that the selected entomopathogenic fungi are possibly candidates for long-term managementof M. alternatus in pine tree forest.

Japanese pine sawyer, Monochamus alternatus HOPE (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) are considered as important pine forestinsect pests in several countries which transmits the pine wood nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophylus. In this study, wetried to control Japanese pine sawyer using entomopathogenic fungi to prevent the spread of pine wilt disease in Korea.Several entomopathogenic fungi were exposed to the adults of Japanese pine sawyer and mycosis was observed in themembranous cuticles after 6 days. In particular, two isolates showed high virulence against the adults. The selected 2isolates were sprayed to the adults at 1×105, 1×106 and 1×107 conidia/ml. In the concentration of 1×107 conidia/ml, thesurvival rates of insects were 40% and 47%, respectively. Based on these results, the possibility of controlling the Japanesepine sawyer was confirmed.

Bee venom contains a variety of peptide constituents, including low-molecular-weight protease inhibitors. While the putativelow-molecular-weight serine protease inhibitor Api m 6 containing a trypsin inhibitor-like cysteine-rich domain was identifiedfrom honeybee (Apis mellifera) venom, no anti-fibrinolytic or anti-microbial roles for this inhibitor have been elucidated.In this study, we identified an Asiatic honeybee (A. cerana) venom serine protease inhibitor (AcVSPI) that was shownto act as a microbial serine protease inhibitor and plasmin inhibitor. AcVSPI was found to consist of a trypsin inhibitor-likedomain that displays ten cysteine residues. Interestingly, the AcVSPI peptide sequence exhibited high similarity to the putativelow-molecular-weight serine protease inhibitor Api m 6, which suggests that AcVSPI is an allergen Api m 6-like peptide.Recombinant AcVSPI was expressed in baculovirus-infected insect cells, and it demonstrated inhibitory activity against trypsin,but not chymotrypsin. Additionally, AcVSPI has inhibitory effects against plasmin and microbial serine proteases; however,it does not have any detectable inhibitory effects on thrombin or elastase. Consistent with these inhibitory effects, AcVSPIinhibited the plasmin-mediated degradation of fibrin to fibrin degradation products. AcVSPI also bound to bacterial andfungal surfaces and exhibited anti-microbial activity against fungi as well as gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Thesefindings demonstrate the anti-fibrinolytic and anti-microbial roles of AcVSPI as a serine protease inhibitor.

Chemical pesticides have been used for persimmon pest control, however the overuse caused insect resistance andenvironmental toxicity. Herein this work, we investigated the biological potential of eco-friendly organic pesticides (biologicals)and entomopathogenic fungi in controlling persimmon pests, Stathmopoda masinisaa and Riptortus pedetris. A botanicalmixture of Chinese scholar tree, goosefoot and subtripinnata extract, Bacillus thuringesis NT0423 and one isolate of Beauveriabassiana showed high insecticidal activity against the pests in laboratory conditions. The selected botanical extract andmicroorganism were combined with a chemical pesticide (buprofezin+dinotefuran WP) and were assessed their controlefficacy in persimmon fields. Compared to the three times of chemical spray, the combination of more than one timeof chemical spray and the selected biologicals controlled the persimmon pests with an acceptable levels. Consequentlyone time of biological spray can be integrated to the spray program where only chemicals are strongly considered.

Entomopathogenic fungi have been widely studied for their potential as the effective biological control agents. Theyproduce variety of secondary metabolites with insecticidal activities, and it is reasonable to assume that entomopathogenicfungi might produce secondary metabolites modulating juvenile hormone for their survival against defense mechanismsof host insect. In this study, Acetone extracts of 189 entomopathogenic fungi cultured on unpolished rice medium werescreened for their juvenile hormone antagonist (JHAN) activities using the yeast-two hybrid system. Among them, 14extracts showed high level of JHAN activities and their insecticidal activities against Aedes albopictus were investigated.

Many entomopathogenic fungal isolates received interests for controlling insect pests. But very few numbers of isolatesreached agricultural fields as commercial products. In this study, we investigated the feasibility of grain substrates forconidial production, focusing on conidial productivity and thermotolerance. Next to efficiently use the produced conidiafor spray application, conidia need to be separated from the grain substrates. Isaria javanica and I. fumosorosea conidiawere solid-cultured on ten kinds of cereal grains. Solid-cultured grains were packed in a screen bag and immersed inwater with a variety of surfactants at 100 ppm, such as Silwet, CO-2.5, CO-12, LE-7, PE-61, TDE-3, Tween 20 or Tween80. High levels of conidial release were observed on LE-7, TDE-3 and Tween80 treatments. This work suggests thatthe screen bag can be used to separated conidia from the cultured grains with the help of surfactants.

A genus of entomopathogenic Beaveria bassiana has been widely used in pest management, however little studies havebeen given to its virulence-related genes. To identify the roles of virulence genes, AtMT-induced random mutants weregenerated and followed by localization study with TAIL-PCR. Two genes, Complex I intermediated-associated protein30 (CIP30) and Autophagy protein 22 (Atg22), were predicted as virulence-related genes in B.bassiana JEF-007. To validatethe a possible relationship between two genes and fungal virulence, hpRNAi was performed. A hpRNAi plasmid wasconstructed as a model system to knock down of egfp gene in egfp-expressing B. bassiana transformant. A Real-TimePCR showed the knock down of egfp gene expression via hpRNAi. The CIP30 and Atg22 genes in B. bassiana willbe validated by the established RNAi technique. This work can be a strong platform for the functional genetics in B.bassiana.

in vitro studies on salt torerance was carried out with Salix gracilistyla. Shoot growth of plants treated with NaCl showed statistically significances among different levels of concentration(0~200 mM) on 1/2MS medium. Plant growth was not grown at in higher concentration than 75 mM and plants were dead over 150 mM Nacl Browned leaf was observed from 14 days at higher concentration than then 75 mM NaCl, and chlorophyll content was dramatically decreased. Main roots and rootlet in same concentrates(75 mM) or high NaCl treatment were changed the color to black. The proline and sugar contents were dramatically increased in the higher than 75 mM NaCl treatments after 14 - 15 days. To determine NaCl and minerals in salt stressed plants, leaf, stem and root of in vitro plant were subjected to ICP analysis. Na content was increased with culture days in all three parts. These results suggest that S. gracilistyla can be used vegetative restoration in coastal wetlands reclaimed.

Entomopathogenic fungi, widely distributed in nature, have been developed as biopesticides of agricultural pests. However, little is known about isolation method for obtaining a variety of highly virulent strains from the soil. In this work, the previously established method using mealworm (larvae of Tenebrio molitor) as a baiting system was used to efficiently isolate fungal strains from soil, and the isolated fungal library in Korea was established. To isolate entomopathogenic fungi, soil samples from 10 regions of Korea such as Iksan, Imsil, Gunsan, Yeosu, Suncheon, Gwangyang, Jinju, Hamyang, Boseong and Jangseong were collected. Of the collected soils, 21 and 34 isolates of entomopathogenic fungi were isolated from Iksan and Gunsan, respectively. The isolates were classified as genera of Metarhizium, Beauveria and Isaria. This work can suggest an effective insect pathogenic fungal isolation method

Entomopathogenic fungi have been known as promising candidates in biological control. However, a large number of conidia with higher stability should be produced for industrialization. In this work investigated the possibility of several grains for the production of thermotolerant Isaria javanica and I. fumosoroseus conidia. The fungal conidia were produced on ten grains for 14 days in Petri dish conditions. Of the ten granular substrates, millet, perilla seed and barley showed the high conidial production, 15.7 ± 8.4, 17.3 ± 5.2 and 13.5 ± 1.9 × 109 conida/g in I. javanica and 15.9 ± 0.6, 15.0 ± 0.5 and 15.0 ± 0.7 ×109 conida/g in I. fumosoroseus, respectively. However, the two strains showed relatively low thermal stability regardless of substrates, when exposed to 45℃ for 1, 2 and 3 hours. This work suggests a possible substrate for conidial production of entomopathogenic fungi with low cost.

Entomopathogenic fungi are expected to play a role as great biological control agents in the global bio-pesticide market in the future. The first step is the collection of fungal isolates and it should be a platform for the development of highly effective biopesticides. In this work, we constructed a fungal library using a mealworm pathogenecity-based fungal collection method and further characterized some isolates with high virulence. A phylogenetic tree was generated, and of the isolates 17 isolates’ biological features were characterized, such as morphology, virulence against several insect, stability of conidia for heat, production of biologically active materials, such as enzymes. This work reports an attractive entomopathogenic fungal library including the information of effective isolates in pest management.

Many turfgrass pests, Ectinohoplia rufipes, Exomala orientalis and Popillia quadriguttata, cause serious damage to grass fields in Korea. In this study, control of turfgrass pests using entomopathogenic fungi were investigated using Protaetia brevitarsis seulensis as an alternative insect. In a preliminary experiment, some Metathizium sp. showed ca. 60% virulence after 7 days exposure to the entomopathogenic fungi. Compared to the contact-exposure, overall a spray treatment showed lower control efficacy against P. brevitarsis seulensis. Furthermore, mortality of various developmental stages of P. brevitarsis seulensis was investigated under laboratory conditions. This work suggests that when treated with fungi mortality of P. brevitarsis seulensis was closely related with developmental stage. These results provide a basic information for the control of P. brevitarsis seulensis using entomopathogenic fungi

The extragalactic background suggests half the energy generated by stars was reprocessed into the infrared (IR) by dust. At z1.3, 90% of star formation is obscured by dust. To fully understand the cosmic star formation history, it is critical to investigate infrared emission. AKARI has made deep mid-IR observation using its continuous 9-band filters in the NEP field (5.4 deg2), using 10% of the entire pointed observations available throughout its lifetime. However, there remain 11,000 AKARI infrared sources undetected with the previous CFHT/Megacam imaging (r ~25.9ABmag). Redshift and IR luminosity of these sources are unknown. These sources may contribute signicantly to the cosmic star-formation rate density (CSFRD). For example, if they all lie at 1< z <2, the CSFRD will be twice as high at the epoch. We are carrying out deep imaging of the NEP eld in 5 broad bands (g; r; i; z; and y) using Hyper Suprime-Camera (HSC), which has 1.5 deg field of view in diameter on Subaru 8m telescope. This will provide photometric redshift information, and thereby IR luminosity for the previously-undetected 11,000 faint AKARI IR sources. Combined with AKARI's mid-IR AGN/SF diagnosis, and accurate mid- IR luminosity measurement, this will allow a complete census of cosmic star-formation/AGN accretion history obscured by dust.

In this study, cellulose nanoplates (CNPs) were fabricated using cellulose nanocrystals obtained from commercial microcrystalline cellulose (MCC). Their pyrolysis behavior and the characteristics of the product carbonaceous materials were investigated. CNPs showed a relatively high char yield when compared with MCC due to sulfate functional groups introduced during the manufacturing process. In addition, pyrolyzed CNPs (CCNPs) showed more effective chemical activation behavior compared with MCC-induced carbonaceous materials. The activated CCNPs exhibited a microporous carbon structure with a high surface area of 1310.6 m2/g and numerous oxygen heteroatoms. The results of this study show the effects of morphology and the surface properties of cellulose-based nanomaterials on pyrolysis and the activation process.

The Korea Mushroom Resource Bank (KMRB) was launched as a national research resource bank in 2015 by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning. The main goal of the KMRB is to secure important biological resources, mushroom-forming basidiomycota, significant sources of fundamental and novel substances and materials, as dried specimen, cultures, and genomic DNA. For wider application of fungal resources in education, medicinal and industrial uses, the KMRB will undertake following tasks: 1) Survey natural environments across Korea to catalogue mushroom diversity, 2) Establish resource management system based on accurate identification of mushroom, 3) Evaluate the usefulness of the discovered mushroom, 4) Create a secure preservation and loan system. With a global focus on utilizing natural resources, mushroom resources provide excellent opportunities for academic research, and discovering novel substances for use as medicine and energy.

We present an optical imaging survey of AKARI Deep Field South (ADF-S) using the Korea Microlensing Telescope Network (KMTNet), to find optical counterparts of dusty star-forming galaxies. The ADF-S is a deep far-infrared imaging survey region with AKARI covering around 12 deg2, where the deep optical imaging data are not yet available. By utilizing the wide-field capability of the KMTNet telescopes (∼4 deg2), we obtain optical images in B, R and I bands for three regions. The target depth of images in B, R and I bands is 24 mag (AB) at 5, which enables us to detect most dusty star-forming galaxies discovered by AKARI in the ADF-S. Those optical datasets will be helpful to constrain optical spectral energy distributions as well as to identify rare types of dusty star-forming galaxies such as dustobscured galaxy, sub-millimeter galaxy at high redshift.