Estrogen receptor 2 (ESR2) is involved in oestrogen-related apoptosis in cell cycle spermatogenesis but their effects have not yet confirmed in pig. Therefore, this study was performed to investigatetheir association with semen motility and kinematic characteristics. DNA samples from 126 Duroc pigs with records of sperm motility and kinematic characteristics [Total motile spermatozoa (MOT), Curvilinear velocity(VCL), Straight-line velocity(VSL), the ratio between VSL and VCL(LIN), Amplitude of Lateral Head displacement(ALH)] were used in present study. A single nucleotide polymorphism (g.35547A>G) was associated with MOT, VCL, VAP and ALH in Duroc population (p < 0.05). Therefore, we suggest that the porcine ESR2 may be used as a molecular marker for Duroc boar semen quality, although its functional effect was not clear yet. These results will improve the understanding of the functions of the ESR2 in spermatogenesis within the reproductive tracts, and will shed light on ESR2 as a candidate gene in the selection of good sperm quality boars.

The Acoptolabrus changeonleei Ishikawa et Kim, 1983 (Coleoptera: Carabidae), has been listed as an endangered insect in South Korea. The complete mitochondrial genome of the species was 16,831 bp with a typical set of genes (13 protein-coding genes [PCGs], 2 rRNA genes, and 22 tRNA genes) and one non-coding region, with the arrangement identical to that observed in most insect genomes. Phylogenetic analyses with concatenated sequences of the 13 PCGs and 2 rRNA genes, using the Bayesian inference (BI) and maximum-likelihood (ML) methods, placed A. changeonleei as a sister to the within-subfamilial species Damaster mirabilissimus in Carabinae, with the highest nodal support by both analyses.

We have analyzed the transcriptome of Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans using RNA sequencing and identified severalantimicrobial peptide candidates. Among the peptides, named scolopendrasins, were selected based on the physicochemicalproperties of antimicrobial peptides via an in silico analysis. As a result, we evaluated the antimicrobial activities ofscolopendrasins against Gram positive and negative bacteria including Candida albicans by radial diffusion assay and colonycount assay. We also investigated the cytotoxicity of scolopendrasins through hemolysis assay. We found that the actionof scolopendrasins involved binding to the surface of microorganisms via a specific interaction with lipopolysaccharides,lipoteichoic acid, and peptidoglycans, which are components of the bacterial membrane. These results will provide a basisfor developing therapeutic agents such as peptide antibiotics.

Buckwheat is a major food crop with a world production of 1.9 million tons. This study analyzes the domestic and overseas production trends of buckwheat and presents supply and demand forecasts to provide basic data for stable production of buckwheat. Asia has the largest cultivated area of buckwheat and its production has been increasing not only in Asia but also in Europe. Notably, the trend of buckwheat production is steadily increasing in the Americas and some African countries. The top 5 producers of buckwheat are Russia, China, Ukraine, France and Poland. In particular, China and Russia accounts for 64% of the total production. Among the 28 producing countries, Korea placed 11 ~ 17th in production rank, which is at the middle of the total countries. In Korea, the cultivation of buckwheat started in 1961 covering 21,548 ha, and peaked at 27,417 ha in 1968, but then decreased to 2,095 ha in 2014. However, in 2016, the cultivated area has slightly increased to 3,177 ha. The recent interest in health foods has raised the domestic demand for buckwheat. The annual consumption of buckwheat per capita in 2016 is 80 g, and domestic self-sufficiency rate is 62.2% in 2016 which is higher than other grains. Buckwheat is currently consumed in the form of flour, buckwheat groat, etc., including noodles, which accounts for more than 96% of the total processed form of buckwheat. The market for buckwheat is expected to expand with the creation of buckwheat beverages with high added value like buckwheat tea.

Programmed cell death (PCD) is decisive in eliminating affected cells in human cancers, whereas there are increasing cases of cancer-related death due to side effects of modern treatment methods. There is an urge for new methods of growth inhibition and elimination of cancer cells with a lower cytotoxicity to normal cells. Irregularity along PCD pathways plays a crucial role in cancer cell carcinogenesis. Apoptosis is a distinct cell death mechanism occurring in multicellular organisms and also called type one programmed cell death. Autophagy and paraptosis are non-apoptotic PCD occurring in multicellular organisms. Natural compounds are the fundament of pharmacological treatments, and flavonoids are natural polyphenolic compounds which are unique due to their diverse chemical structures and various biological active mechanisms like anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antioxidative and much more. This gives an increasing number of studies indicating that some flavonoids from medicinal plants could be promising candidates for new natural anticancer drugs, which attract high interests of academic researchers and advanced users. An understanding of the underlying mechanism of PCD induced by flavonoids in cancer cells is important as it plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of many diseases. This systematic review is to report flavonoids and their derivatives as new anticancer candidates to stimulate PCD with a different mechanism based on the pharmacological evidence.

In order to understand evolutionary characteristics of gene rearrangement in Lepidoptera, we collected all available complete mitogenome (mitogenome) sequences registered in GenBank (274 mitogenomes from 44 families in 23 superfamilies as of August 6, 2015). It turned up six rearrangements that differ from the arrangement of ancestral insects, including that of the gelechioid Mesophleps albilinella that we sequenced in this study. The M. albilinella mitogenome has a unique gene arrangement among the Gelechioidea: ARNESF (the underline signifies an inverted gene) at the ND3 and ND5 junction, as opposed to the ARNSEF that is found in ancestral insects. Most of the rearrangements can be explained by the tandem duplication-random loss model, but inversion, which requires recombination, is also found in two cases, including M. albilinella. Excluding the MIQ rearrangement at the A+T-rich region and ND2 junction, which is found in nearly all Ditrysia, most of the remaining rearrangements found in Lepidoptera appear to be independently derived in that they are automorphic at several taxonomic scales. Current mitogenomic data are limited, particularly for congeneric data. Thus, future research focused on congenerics could clarify evolutionary independency at the generic level also.

Hypocreales entomopathogenic Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae are well-known biological control agents worldwide and have high potential in industrialization. However their thermo-susceptibility limits long-term storage under high temperature conditions and high insecticidal activity after application to target pests. Herein we isolated highly virulent isolates, B. bassiana JEF006 and JEF007 and M. anisopliae JEF003 and 004, and produced in three grains, as substrates for solid cultures, followed by thermotolerance assays to compare the potential of the three substrates. The JEF isolates were exposed to dry and wet heat at 50°C and overall conidia were more stable under dry heat condition rather than wet heat. Of the three grains, Italian millet was superior to the other grains in the production of thermotolerant conidia. Additionally Italian millet did not severely aggregated, which enabled air to penetrate into the substrate well compared to the sorghum and millet. JEF isolates were more thermotolerant when they were kept in oil conditions. The conidia of JEF 007 and 003 wild type and AtMT-based generating random mutants were subjected to SDS-PAGE. A significant relationship between conidial thermotoelrance and detected proteins was observed. This work suggests that Italian millet can be used as an effective substrate to produce more thermotolerant conidia, thus maintaining viability for long times under unfavorable environment and biological activity against target pests.

Entomopathogenic Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae are well-known biological control agents worldwide and have high potential in industrialization. However their thermo-susceptibility limits long-term storage under high temperature conditions and high insecticidal activity after application to target pests. Herein we isolated highly virulent isolates, B. bassiana JEF006 and JEF007 and M. anisopliae JEF003 and JEF004, and produced in three grains, such as sorghum, millet and Italian millet as substrates for solid cultures, followed by thermotolerance assays to compare the potential of the three substrates for thermotolerance. The JEF isolates were exposed to dry and wet heat at 50°C and overall conidia were more stable under dry heat condition rather than wet heat. Of the three grains, Italian millet was superior to the other grains in the production of thermotolerant conidia. Additionally Italian millet did not severely aggregated, which enabled air to penetrate into the substrate well compared to the sorghum and millet. JEF isolates were more thermotolerant when they were kept in oil conditions as carriers of an oil-based formulation. This work suggests that Italian millet can be used as an effective substrate to produce more thermotolerant conidia, thus maintaining viability for long times under unfavorable environment and biological activity against target pests.

This paper investigates whether there is a correlation between the development of agreement and the unlearning of null subjects and also how the null subjects of Korean EFL learners’ interlanguage are represented in topic-bound positions. The results of this study show that the unlearning of null subjects does not necessarily help the development of the third person singular morpheme like previously put forth by pro-drop analysis, which disconfirms the long-lived belief, MUH (Morphological Uniformity Hypothesis). On the contrary, the results also show that the positions of null arguments actually conform to the positions of topic-bound positions, which leads to the suggestion of the topic-drop analysis of null subjects.

Glyphodes quadrimaculalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) feed on a root tuber of Cynanchum wilfordii (Asclepiadaceae) that is one of the most famous traditional medicines in Korea. The genus Glyphodes includes ~130 species distributed worldwide, so the complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) would be helpful for bio-identification, biogeographic studies, and multigene-based phylogeny. The 15,255-bp long G. quadrimaculalis genome comprises 37 typical genes and one large non-coding region, with the typical arrangement found in Lepidoptera. Of the 13 protein coding genes (PCGs), 12 begin with typical start codons found in insect mitochondrial PCGs, but the COI gene starts with atypical CGA. One of the noteworthy features of the genome includes the presence of a 51-bp long non-coding space sequence located between tRNAGln and ND2 that reveals high sequence homology (71.4%) to the neighboring ND2 gene, indicating the origin of the region by partial duplication of the ND2 gene.

1. 야콘의 덩이뿌리는 ‘땅속의 과일’ 또는 ‘올리고당의 왕’으로 불리우며 기능성 성분으로 프락토올리고당을 함유하고있다.2. 야콘의 프락토올리고당은 난소화성의 당질로서 주요 성분으로 케스토즈(kestose), 니스토즈(nystose) 등이 있다.3. 야콘의 프락토올리고당은 프리바이오틱스(prebiotics)로서장내 유산균인 비피더스 균 증식, 미네랄 흡수 촉진, 정장 기능, 지질대사 개선, 항비만 효과, 심혈관계 질환 예방 및 중성지방 합성 감소 역할을 한다.4. 야콘의 식품학적 기능성 및 우수성을 다른 뿌리작물과 비교하고자 프락토올리고당 함량을 조사한 결과, 야콘 8.1%, 마늘 3.3%, 우엉 2.0% 순으로서, 야콘이 가장 우수하였다.5. 또한 저장기간 변화에 따른 프락토올리고당 함량 변화 양상을 조사한 결과 저장기간이 길어질수록 그 함량이 감소하였으며, 저장 1개월부터 그 함량이 8.1%에서 4.8%로 59% 이상급격히 감소하였다. 따라서 저장조건 개선연구가 필요할 것으로 사료된다. 6. 이러한 결과를 바탕으로 야콘의 기능성 식품소재로의 다양한 연구가 가능할 것이다.

We previously reported Pear Pest Forecasting Management System (PPFMS) for the Improvement of pass ratio of Korean exporting pears. It is consisted of regular field forecasting by pear farmers, meteorological data obtained by automatic weather station (AWS), an internet web page (http://pearpest.jnu.ac.kr/) as information collecting and providing ground, and information providing service. Currently, we are expanding this system to the area, Cheonan and Ansung, where pear orchards are organized into exportation-specific group. Further, the information obtained from field forecasting and AWS were up-loaded to under-constructing upgraded webpage (http://www.kpear.kr), with several pest/disease-related information. We hope this pest forecasting management system increases the pass ratio of Korean exporting pears throughout establishment of farmer-oriented forecasting, inspiring farmers’ effort for the prevention and forecasting of diseases and pests occurring at pear orchards.

땅속의 과일로 알려진 야콘은 라틴 아메리카 안데스 지역이 원산인 국화과 식물로 고구마처럼 생겼으며, 생으로 먹으면 아삭아삭한 배 맛을 느낄 수 있다. 다년생 초본으로 분류되지만 초겨울에 동상해가 자주 발생하는 곳에서는 식물체가 고사하기 쉬우므로 일년생으로 재배하기도 한다. 최근 세계 야콘 생산동향을 살펴 본 결과를 요약하면 다음과 같다. 1. 안데스 지역에서 천년 이상 재배되어 온 야콘의 최근 기능성 성분이 밝혀지면서 전세계적으로 생산 수요가 급증하였다. 2. 야콘은 원산지인 안데스를 벗어나 최근 30년간 전세계적으로 확대되어 일본, 미국, 체코, 독일, 뉴질랜드, 및 우리나라에서 적응성 및 생산성이 검토되었다. 3. 야콘의 생산성은 ha 당 체코 24톤, 에콰도르 41톤, 페루 27 ~ 52톤, 브라질 32 ~ 100톤, 뉴질랜드 40톤, 일본 49톤, 대한민국 19~55톤으로 국가별로 많은 차이를 보인다. 4. 국내에서는 야콘의 기능성 성분이 알려지면서 최근 10년간 야콘의 재배면적과 재배농가 수는 1999년 8 ha, 10여 농가에서 2009년에는 166 ha, 447농가로 각각 20배, 45배 증가하였다. 5. 우리나라에서 친환경 재배 가능한 작물인 야콘의 수요가 점진적으로 증가할 것으로 판단된다.

To identify subspecies and stocks of minke whale meats purchased from Korean markets during 2005-2007, we first obtained their complete sequences of mitochondrial DNA cytochrome b and control region sequences, and compared these sequences to the corresponding sequences of the common minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata), obtained from GenBank. From analyses with partial cytochrome b sequences (383 bp) and non-coding, partial control region sequences (463 bp), Korean mink whale meats are identified as products from the North Pacific minke whale (B. a. scammoni). In addition, the sequences of the partial control region from these meats showed G at site no. 298 and G or A at site no. 463, and the meats appeared to originate from the J stock within this subspecies. Thus, because the J stock has been protected since 1986, implementation of strict regulation measures to reduce their accidental fisheries by catch seems urgent. In addition, B. a. scammoni is distinct from B. a. acutorostrata, with an average Jukes-Cantor distance of 2.21% in the complete control region sequence analysis (935 bp) and 1.31% in the complete cytochrome b gene sequence analysis; the current results support the current subspecies classification, although further sequencing analyses with nuclear genes are necessary.

The black-veined white, Aporia crataegi (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea), is nearly extinct in South Korea, although substantial numbers of dried specimens are available. One of the common practices for such species is to launch re-introduction program after proper amount of genetic information are analyzed from donor and donee populations. In this study, we sequenced complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of A. crataegi to design species-specific primers for subsequent population works and to further understand the mitogenome evolution in lepodiopteran Papilionoidea. The 15,140-bp long A. crataegi mitogenome that has typical sets of 37 genes is smallest among true butterfly species with overall slightly smaller size in genes and regions throughout the genome. Arrangement of the genome is identical to those of other lepidopteran mitogenomes, in which tRNA cluster located between the A+T-rich region and ND2 gene is translocated into tRNAMet, tRNAIle, and tRNAGln from ancestral arrangement, tRNAIle, and tRNAGln, tRNAMet. The A/T content of the genome at 81.3% is the highest in Pieridae, but lower than that of lycaenid species (81.7% ~ 82.7%) The high A/T content in the genome is also reflected in codon usage, accounting for 41.69% of A/T-composed codons (TTA, ATT, TTT, and ATA). Unlikely the diversified or modified usage of anticodon for tRNASer(AGN) the species of Pieridae including A. crataegi all unanimously have GCT that has been hypothesized as ancestral for Lepidoptera. A total of 111 bp of non-coding sequences are dispersed in 13 regions, ranging in size from 1–49 bp. Among them relatively longer ones (≥ 16 bp) all have relatively higher sequence identity to other regions of the genome, suggesting partial duplication of the sequences during A. crataegi evolution. As has been reported in some species of Lepidoptera, the A. crataegi A+T-region also has typically found conserved sequences (e.g., poly-T stretch, ATAGA motif, ATTTA element, microsatellite-like A/T sequence, and poly-A stretch) and one tRNA-like sequence, and this feature was commonly found in true butterfly species.