This study explored the changes in senescence patterns and vase life of cut roses grown in summer and autumn, aiming to identify the relationship between harvest seasons and flower longevity. We analyzed gene expression profiles associated with lignin, pectin, ethylene, auxin, and sucrose transport to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying senescence symptoms, such as the bent neck, petal abscission, and petal wilting in cut rose flowers. Our results revealed season-dependent occurrences of bent neck and petal abscission, with higher incidence rates in autumn-harvested rose flowers. These increases in bent neck and petal abscission contributed to a shortened vase life for the cut flowers. Gene expression analysis indicated that elevated levels of ethylene biosynthesis genes and reduced expression of lignin, pectin biosynthesis, auxin response factor, and sucrose transport genes accelerated the increased senescence symptoms. Notably, the incidence rates of the bent neck were highly negatively correlated with the transcript levels of key genes involved in lignin and pectin biosynthesis, RhPRXPX and RhGAUT1, in pedicels. These findings contribute to our understanding of the molecular factors influencing the mechanical strength of flower pedicels and provide insights for postharvest strategies to enhance the ornamental value of cut flowers across seasons.

Pigs are considered a “mixing vessel” that can produce new influenza strains through genetic reassortments, which threaten public health and cause economic losses worldwide. We performed surveillance of swine influenza virus (SIV) using 114,140 nasal swabs from 11,414 Korean farms from 2009 to 2022, and characterized their genetic evolution at each farm level. A total of 169 farms out of the 11,414 (1.48%) were SIV-positive. The positivity rate for the H1N2 subtype, which is most dominant in the pig population, was 37.87% (64/169). Through hemagglutinin (HA) gene analysis, 64 H1N2-positive farms were classified into Eurasian avian-like (46/64, 71.88%), triple-reassortant (14/64, 21.88%), pdm09 (3/64, 4.69%), and classical swine (1/64, 1.56%) groups. The estimated evolutionary rate of HA in H1N2 from 2009 to 2022 in Korea is 1.5309 × 10-3/site/year (95% HPD intervals from 1.0003 × 10-3 to 2.1735 × 10-3) with an estimated mean growth rate of 0.0114. Estimates of the relative genetic diversity of clades over time suggested that the HA of H1N2 exhibited an increase in population size. The results of this study showed that the Eurasian avian-like-HA of the H1N2 subtype was dominant in the pig population. The continued evolution of the HA of H1N2, which is critical for cell entry, might lead to genetic diversity and the loss of vaccine cross-protection. These results indicate that continus surveillance is imperative for monitoring the evolution of the swine influenza virus.

Gray leaf spot caused by Stemphylium spp., is a major disease of tomatoes, and it threatens its cultivation worldwide, especially in warm and humid areas. This study was conducted on 223 tomato germplasm conserved at the National Agrobiodiversity Center to select the resources resistant to the gray leaf spot pathogen strain previously isolated in Korea, using a bioassay and genotypic analysis of the resistance gene (Sm). Two weeks after inoculation with Stemphylium lycopersici, the disease index (rated on a scale of 0-4) of gray leaf spot was assessed in detached tomato leaves. The results showed that 22 resources were resistant, with a disease index of 0-1. Additionally, 65 genetic resources were found to be moderately resistant, with a disease index between 1.0 and 2.0. Subsequently, Hybridization Probe Melting (HPM) analysis of the 22 resistant genetic resources confirmed the genotype of the gray leaf spot resistance gene (Sm). Among them, 20 genetic resources showed a homozygous resistant genotype. The resources selected in this research may contribute to the breeding of new tomato varieties resistant to gray leaf spot and may serve as a basis for further genotypic analysis studies.

본 연구는 연해자평에서 주장하는 육친 가운데 이견이 존재하는 財星과 官星의 문제점과 타당성을 밝히는 것을 목적으로 한다. 유학자인 진소암은 보 수적인 유교사회에서 자식이 부친을 극하는 財와 官의 배치는 효 윤리를 위 배하는 문제가 있다고 판단하고, 부모는 모두 인성으로, 자식은 남녀 모두 식 상에 배치해야 한다고 주장하여 재관의 배치에 혼란을 초래하였다. 이와 같이 중요한 財官이 혼동되면 운명을 판단하는데 오류가 발생하고, 명리의 신뢰가 손상될 수 있다. 이에 따라 재관의 배치에 대한 혼란을 막고, 하극상의 효 윤리적 문제를 해소하기 위해서는 합리적인 연구가 필요하나 아 직까지 부족하여 여전히 논란의 여지가 남아있다. 이를 위해, 본 논문은 성역할 관점에서 부친(재성)과 모친(인성)의 역할을 조명하고, 유전자 관점에서 자식(관)을 연구하였다. 이 과정에서 진소암의 육 친론에는 오류가 존재한다는 사실을 발견하였다. 그리고 그의 오류를 바로잡 고 논란이 되는 재관의 배치를 자연스럽게 수용하기 위해서는 육친은 위계적 인 관계가 아닌 서로 유기적인 관계를 맺으며 공존하는 관점이 필요함을 밝 혀냈다. 또한 자식으로서 관의 배치는 유전자가 전달되는 생물학적인 관점을 고려해야 한다는 결론을 얻었다. 주제어: 육친론, 성역할, 공존화, 진소암, 재관의 배치, 오행의 위계.

The onion thrips, Thrips tabaci, is a serious global pest attacking many agricultural crops such as onion and Welsh onion. The thrips, assumed to originate in the Mediterranean region, has been reported for a long time in South Korea. According to worldwide molecular works, the species composes of three genetic lineages (LI, L2 and T) which related to reproductive mode (arrhenotoky vs. thelotoky). To understand the genetic diversity of T. tabaci in South Korea, we investigated genetic lineage and haplotype composition, using about 80 mitochondrial COI gene sequences (369bp) along with foreign sequences from GenBank and BOLD. The COI gene analysis shows that both of thelotokous L1 and arrhenotokous L2 population distribute in South Korea. Among 97 COI-haplotypes worldwide, only six haplotypes are found and thelotokous H1 dominantly distributes.

The honey bee, Apis mellifera, has a defense system, including detoxification, antioxidation, and immunity pathways, against external stimulation such as chemicals, stress, and pathogens. However, pesticides, particularly neonicotinoids and butenolids, have been recently reported to alter physiological changes in honey bee. In this study, we investigated the expression levels of eight genes categorized into detoxification (CYPQ3), antioxidation (CAT and SOD2), and immune system (Abaecin, Apidaecin, Defensin1, Defensin2, and Hymenoptaecin), in five tissues (Head, Thorax, Gut, Fat body, and Carcass) of honey bee treated with three pesticides (Acetamiprid, Imidacloprid, and Flupyradifurone) using quantitative real-time PCR. Gene expression patterns was varied depending on the type of pesticides and tissues. However, among eight genes, the expression levels of CYPQ3 was notably induced, but those of AMPs were generally reduced by all pesticides tested in this study in five tissues. These suggest that CYPQ3-mediated detoxification pathway is induced, but AMP-mediated immune system might be disrupted when honey bee is exposed to neonicotinoids and butenolid.

Pesticides are indispensable in contemporary agriculture but are mainly attributed to honey bee population decline. In order to understand the approximate physiological response to pesticides, honey bees were exposed to seven pesticides (Acetamiprid, Imidacloprid, Flupyradifurone, Carbaryl, Fenitrothion, Amitraz, and Bifenthrin), and expression changes of the genes categorized into four physiological functions (insecticide targets, immune-, detoxification-, and reactive oxygen species response-related gene) were analyzed in the head and abdomen of honey bee exposed to pesticides using quantitative PCR. Based on the heat map analysis, immune-related genes seem to be more up-regulated by pesticide exposure in head than abdomen. Among detoxification genes, only cytochrome P450 families were up-regulated in head. Interestingly, regardless of the insecticide target, expressions of Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor beta 1 and Acetylcholinesterase 1 were notably induced by pesticide exposure in head. Heat map analysis expressing the transcription profiles of various genes in the head and abdomen of the honey bee exposed to various pesticides can be used to diagnose pesticide damage in honey bees in the future.

The adult of honey bee, Apis mellifera, performs an age-dependent division of labor with nurse bees and foragers. Foragers fly outside the hive to collect pollen and nectar, while nurses feed and care for the larvae and queen inside the hive. Foragers are considered to be frequently exposed to agrochemicals, although nurses, stayed inside the hive, are potentially exposed to pesticides through application of miticides and pesticidecontaminated food provided by forager. Therefore, physiological effects of pesticides to nurses should be elucidated to understand the adverse effects of the chemicals on entire honey bee colony. In this study, we investigated the expression changes of the genes associated with labor division (task genes) and the nursing behavior of nurse bees fed four pesticides: acetamiprid (ACE), carbaryl (CB), imidacloprid (IMI), and fenitrothion (FEN). When nurses were exposed to ACE, IMI, and FEN, expression levels of task genes were up- and down-regulated, and their nursing behaviors were also suppressed and enhanced, respectively. CB did not alter the gene expression levels, however increased nursing behavior. These suggest the potential of pesticide that breaks the balance of labor distribution in honey bee colony.

The striped fruit fly (SFF), Zeugodacus scutellata, is an agricultural pest species with a strong and rapid reproductive ability that can cause significant harm. To control the population of these kind of pests, the sterile insect technique (SIT) is being used as one of the effective methods. SIT involves the introduction of sexually transmitted factors that reduce the reproductive capacity of males. This study shows that knocking down the testis-specific serine/threonine protein kinase 1 (Zs-Tssk1) gene alters male fertility and male-initiated types of communication. Since Zs-Tssk1 influences the physiology of the testes, spermatogenesis is also affected, which in turn alters the lifespan of Zs-Tssk1 knock down group in comparison with the control. Based on these results, Zs-Tssk1 may be crucial in reproductive function, and its down-regulation may be helpful in controlling SFF through SIT.

This study aimed to verify the whitening effect of Cordyceps militaris, which is distributed in several countries worldwide, including Korea, Japan, and China, and has various medical effects. To screen the efficacy of C. militaris, the inhibitory activity of tyrosinase, which was 66% at a concentration of 1 mg/mL, was measured. Thereafter, the survival rate of melanoma cells was measured, and cell experiments were conducted at a concentration of 90% or more in which C. militaris was not toxic to cells. After measuring the inhibitory effect of TRP-1, TRP-2, tyrosinase protein, and mRNA expression, which are factors influencing melanin synthesis, C. militaris was found to decrease in all factors, with an expression level that was significantly lower compared to quercetin. This confirmed that C. militaris stimulated with LED has excellent whitening activity and can be used as a functional whitening cosmetics material.

The long-tailed goral (Naemorhedus caudatus) is classified as 'vulnerable' by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and has been designated an endangered species requiring conservation and management in Korea. The sex determination region of the Y (SRY) gene is a useful marker for the study of paternal lineages; however, the SRY gene of the goral has not yet been sequenced. In this study, the nucleotide sequence of the SRY gene of long-tailed gorals was determined based on the sequence of the SRY gene of goats (Capra hircus). The obtained sequences were aligned with those of other species in the Bovidae family. The long-tailed goral SRY gene comprised 720 base pairs, and its nucleotide and protein sequences were identical to those of goats, sheep (Ovis aries), and cattle (Bos taurus) by 96%, 97%, and 93%, respectively. The results of phylogenetic insights obtained from this study constitute important references for genetic diversity and pedigrees studies of male long-tailed gorals and closely related species.

고추역병균(Phytophthora capsici)은 고추 생육 전반에 걸쳐 병을 발생시켜 농가 소득에 큰 손실을 일으키고 있다. 고추 역병균 저항성은 양적 형질 유전자좌(Quantitative Trait Loci, QTL)에 의해 조절되며 주동 유전자는 고추의 5번 염색체에 존재한다고 보고 되었지만, 후보 유전자의 선발 및 저항성 유전자 규명 연구는 아직 초기 단계이다. 특히, 고추는 형질전환이 어려운 작물로써 병원균과의 상호작용 연구를 통한 저항성 유전자 동정에 제한이 많다. 반면 고추와 같은 가지과 작물인 담배(Nicotiana benthamiana)는 병원균 상호작용 모델로 알려져 형질전환을 통해 저항성 유전자 규명에 활용된다. 본 연구에서는 고추 역병 저항성 기작 규명을 위한 기초 연구로써, 식물 저항성 유사 유전자(Resistance Gene Analog, RGA)를 선발하고, 이들 유전자들에 대한 담배 형질전환 기법 최적화 연구를 수행하였다. 고추 5번 염색체에 존재하는 고추 역병 저항성 분자표지들을 분석하여 RGA 후보 유전자인 CaNBARC105, CaNBARC112 유전자를 동정하였다. 이들 유전자들에 대해 Agrobacterium tumefaciens를 매개체로 하여 고추 RGA가 삽입된 담배 형질전환체를 개발하였다. 형질전환 여부는 유전자 특이적인 서열을 이용한 genomic PCR과 RT-PCR 검증을 통해 이들 형질전환 된 담배들의 생육 및 발달에 영향이 없다는 것을 확인하였다. 본 연구는 향후 고추 병 저항성 후보 유전자들이 삽입된 담배 형질전환체는 고추 역병 저항성 유전자 규명 및 기작 연구에 기반이 될 것이다.