The dynastid beetle Allomyrina dichotoma has been used as a herbal medicine. Recently, we performed de novo RNAsequencing of Allomyrina dichotoma and identified several antimicrobial peptide candidates based on in silico analysis.Among them, cationic antimicrobial peptide, Allomyrinasin, was selected and we assessed the anti-inflammatory activitiesof Allomyrinasin against mouse macrophage Raw264.7 cells. The results showed that Allomyrinasin decreased the nitricoxide production of the lipopolysaccharide-induced Raw264.7 cells. In addition, quantitative RT-PCR, ELISA and Westernblot analysis revealed that Allomyrinasin reduced cytokine expression levels in the Raw264.7 cells. Taken together, thesedata indicated that Allomyrinasin had anti-inflammatory activity in the lipopolysaccharide-induced Raw264.7 cells.

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.

Although the grasshopper Oxya chinensis sinuosa has long been used as a food in Korea, there is little data on itsfunctional effects. Thus we prepared and analyzed total RNA from the whole body of adult Escherichia coli non-immunizedand immunized Oxya chinensis sinuosa strains. Using an Illumina Hiseq sequencer, we generated a total of 66,555 pooledtranscriptome and singletons with and without Escherichia coli immunization, respectively. Then, we performed in silicoanalysis of the Oxya chinensis sinuosa transcriptome, using bioinformatics tools for screening putative antimicrobial peptides(AMPs) and 38 AMPs were finally selected and tested their antimicrobial activity of Gram positive, Gram negative bacteriaand antifungal activity with radial diffusion assay. As a result, 5 out of 38 AMPs showed the highest antimicrobial activityand antifungal activity against microbes and it also evidenced with no hemolytic activity.

Morphology of antennal sensilla and their distribution were investigated in male and female adults of Plautia stali,a major pest of tree fruits, using scanning electron microscopy. Antennae of P. stali was composed of a scape, a pediceland three flagella in both sexes. Four types of sensilla (s. trichodea, s. basiconica, s. chaetica, s. coeloconica) were identifiedfrom both sexes. Among them, s. trichodea and s. basiconica were multiporous, others are not. They distributed in varyingnumbers. Sexual dimorphism was not shown in the distribution of the four sensilla types. But their distribution was characterizedalong antennal segments in both sexes. This study will be useful in electrophysiological and behavioral studies on theolfactory sensory function of each morphological type of sensilla.

By definition, endosymbionts reside in the hosts' cells and are maternally inheritted to offspring as the mitochondriondoes. Recent progresses reveal that some endosymbionts have evolved their manipulabilities of hosts' reproduction. Inthis nature, once an endosymbiont shares its host with others, their association may last long unless their evolutionaryinterest or hosts' fitness is undermined.We tested whether the association existed among the endosymbionts; Wolbachia, Spiroplasma, Cardinium and Rickettsia.The results show that there are some multiple infection cases but there is no obvious pattern in their association.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have restricted life spans in vitro and can therefore only be expanded for a limited number of cell divisions before entering a senescent state and unequivocally stopping proliferation. Several types of cell culture systems have been used for large-scale expansion of MSCs. A recent trend in cell culture has been the change from serum-use to serum-supplement media. This study was conducted to investigate the proliferative effects of vegetable resources (VR) on equine adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (eAD-MSCs) in the absence of serum and their possible mechanisms of action. Regulation of cell cycling is a key process involved in the fate of stem cells, including renewal and differentiation. In this study, we observed that the viability of eAD-MSCs was increased significantly when treated with VR under serum-free conditions. We also observed that expression levels of cell cycling-related proteins such as p53 and p21 were decreased, and proliferating cell nuclear antigen increased significantly in response to treatment with VR in eAD-MSCs under serum-free conditions. Furthermore, expression levels of cell survival-related proteins were increased in response to treatment with VR in eAD-MSCs under serum-free conditions. Therefore, our results suggest that VR promotes proliferation of eAD-MSCs under serum-free conditions.

The objective of this study was to determine the anti-diabetic effect of the water extract of Neolentinus lepideus in a diabetic mouse model. Seven-week-old C57BL/KsJ-db/db mice were fed either a control diet (CD) or diet supplemented with 1% or 5% of N. lepideus water extract (NLWE1 or NLWE5) for 10 weeks. Oral administration of NLWE significantly decreased the body weight gain compared to that of CD-fed group. Mice in the NLWE group had significantly lower levels of fasting serum glucose, fatty acids, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol compared to those in the control group. These effects were accompanied by reduced fatty liver and improved glucose tolerance in the NLWE group. Taken together, these results suggest that N. lepideus might have potential as a dietary supplement to control diabetes.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent cells able to differentiate into several cell lineages, which has implications for cell therapy and reproductive biotechnologies. Although MSCs have been isolated from many species, including humans and animals, there is limited data on MSCs from large ruminants, such as bovines. In this study, we tried to isolate and characterize bovine tongue tissue-derived MSCs (boT-MSCs) by investigating phenotype morphology, performing proliferation properties, and determining cell surface marker expression patterns, self-renewal, and differentiation potentials. As a result, the boT-MSCs were successfully isolated by collagenase digestion and maintained proliferative capacity until 20 passages. Moreover, the boT-MSCs expressed pluripotency markers (OCT3/4, SOX2, and NANOG) and MSC-specific surface markers including CD44, CD90, and CD105, but not CD45 and MHC-II. The boT-MSCs could also differentiate into mesodermal (adipocyte, osteocyte, and chondrocyte) cell lineages. Our results suggest that the tongues of bovines could be used as a source of MSCs.

Morphology of antennal sensilla and their distribution were investigated in male and female adults of Ooencyrtus nezarae, an egg parasitoid of Riptortus pedestris, using scanning electron microscopy. Antennae of O. nezarae was composed of scape, pedicel and seven flagella in both sexes. Six types of sensilla (s. trichodea, s. basiconica, s. chaetica, s. campaniformia, s. sickle-shaped and unknown s.) were identified from both sexes. Among them, s. trichodea and s. sickle-shaped were multiporous, others are not. They distributed in varying numbers. Sexual dimorphism was clearly observed in the distribution of s. trichodea (only on male antennae) and unknown sensilla (only on female antennae). These findings would be helpful for further studies on detailed sex specific-receptive functions of each antennal sensilla.

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.

Changes in land use and increase in urban energy consumption influence urban life. This study analyzed the characteristics and patterns of urban heat and presents management schemes to generate a comfortable and sustainable urban environment. The study aimed to demonstrate the positive effects of artificial ground greening on improving the microclimate through evapotranspiration using perennial herbs. We have designed a chamber that could control constant temperature and humidity, measure temperature reductions in each plant and changes in sensible heat and latent heat. This study identified Sedum kamtschaticum as the most effective plant in controlling temperature. At 22℃, 3.2℃ temperature reduction was observed, whereas four other plants showed a 1.5℃ reduction. At 25℃, 2.0℃ temperature reduction was observed. On the other hand, the use of Sedum sarmentosum resulted in the lowest effect. Zoysia japonica is the most commonly used ground covering plant, although the temperature reduction of Lysimachia nummularia was more effective at high temperature conditions. Sensible heat and latent heat were calculated to evaluate the thermal performance of energy. At a temperature >30℃, L. nummularia and S. sarmentosum emitted high latent heat. In this study, we analyzed the thermal performance of green roof perennial plants; in particular, we analyzed the evapotranspiration and temperature reduction of each plant. Since the substrate depth and types, plant species, and seasonal change may influence temperature reduction and latent heat of green roofs, further studies are necessary.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are primary candidates for cell therapy and tissue engineering applications. A two-dimensional (2D) culture system is typically used for cell growth, but that method affects the characteristics of stem cells. The physiological cell environment connects cells not only to each other, but also to the extracellular matrix providing mechanical support, exposing the entire cell surface, and opening signaling pathways. The hanging drop method is the most widely used 3D culture method for spheroid formation. In this study, we investigated the relationship between spheroid size and changes in gene expression to determine the optimum spheroid size for use in tissue engineering. The expression levels of stemness factors such as NANOG, OCT4, and SOX2, angiogenic factors such as VEGF and IL-8, and osteogenic factors such as COX2 and TGF-β1 increased with spheroid size in the respective spheroid formation groups unlike the responses in their monolayer groups. Therefore, our results indicate that spheroid formation through the hanging drop method can increase the efficiency of MSCs-based tissue engineering over that obtained via traditional 2D cell culture systems.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been researched for use in biomedical applications, particularly for cell-based therapies and regenerative medicine due to their self-renewing capacity and ability to differentiate into multiple cell types such as adipose, bone, and tendon tissues. Cryopreservation of MSCs is a common preservation method that is advantageous for cellular therapies in human and veterinary medicine. Adipose tissue-derived cells have been shown to maintain their properties after cryopreservation. In this study, we investigated the morphology, proliferation (cumulative population doubling level and doubling time), cell surface markers (CD34, CD90, and CD105), and ability to differentiate into adipose, bone, and cartilage tissues in vitro of equine adipose tissue-derived MSCs (eAD-MSCs) and miniature pig adipose tissue-derived MSCs (mpAD-MSCs) with and without long-term cryopreservation. The eAD-MSCs and mpAD-MSCs were analyzed immediately and after being frozen in liquid nitrogen for 3 years and 2 years, respectively. Cryopreserved eAD-MSCs maintained their morphology, proliferation rate, and cell surface markers compared with fresh cells. With the exception of proliferation rate, cryopreserved mpAD-MSCs also maintained their fresh cell characteristics. The proliferation rate of cryopreserved mpAD-MSCs was higher than that for fresh cells. Cryopreservation did not change the adipogenic, chondrogenic, or osteogenic differentiation potentials of eAD-MSCs and mpAD-MSCs. In summary, long-term cryopreservation maintains the cell phenotype and differentiation ability of eAD-MSCs and mpAD-MSCs. These results might be useful when developing veterinary medicine and clinical applications.