Mealworms, Tenebrio molitor (L.) is used as an important animal feed additive for growth promotion and health management, but potentially exposes to fungal infection. In this work, virulence of two species of entomopathogenic fungi against the insect, and the relationship between abiotic features and virulence were investigated. Secondly our consideration was also given to the effect of chemical fungicides on conidial germination for risk control. Between Beauveria bassiana (Bb) and Metarhizium roberstii (Mr) (previously M. anisopliae), Bb isolates had much higher virulence (~100% mortality in 3~4 days after the treatment), rather than Mr isolates in laboratory assays. Next, fungus-treated mealworms were kept at wheat bran at 20, 25, 30 and 35℃ with 3, 6, 9 times of water spray to the feeds for set-up of different humidity conditions. Inoculation of fungi to mealworms was conducted by fungal spray and feeding methods, which resulted in higher virulence in feeding method. In the feeding method, all temperature treatments except 35℃ showed high virulence against mealworms, but any significant relationship between virulence and humidity was not observed. In the chemical fungicide screening, fluazinam (CAS No. 79622-59-6) and mancozeb (8018-01-7) significantly inhibited the germination of Bb and Mr conidia. This work suggest that contamination of wheat bran with fungal pathogens, particularly B. bassiana may induce mycosis of mealworms, but introduction of effective fungicides possibly reduce fungal infection.

Worldwide studies on Apis cerana variation for biogeography and genetic diversity depended largely on a 86~93 bp-long mitochondrial non-coding region (internal spacer region) located between tRNALeu and COII (named as NC2), possibly due to higher variability among available markers. In order to incorporate the A. cerana occurring in South Korea into world extensive data, we also sequenced the NC2 from 118 A. cerana samples collected over nine Korean localities and 66 A. cerana samples over seven Asian localities, such as China, Vietnam, and Thailand. These data were combined with preexisting world data to scrutinize genetic relationships of A. cerana in South Korea to outside distributional range. Sequencing of 184 samples provided a total of ten haplotypes: five from Korea, six from China, one from Vietnam, and two from Thailand. Among them eight were new, whereas two were previously reported ones. Phylogenetic analysis of A. cerana NC2 haplotypes so far found including ours has confirmed the presence of four major groups of A. cerana (Asian mainland group, Sundaland group, Palawan group, and Luzon-Mindahnao group) and all haplotypes found in this study also were included in the Asian mainland group. In order to find further variable regions that can be used as sequence-based marker several mitochondrial non-coding regions and nuclear intron regions are in the middle of testing.

MAC-T cells, bovine mammary epithelial cell line, have been utilized to investigate bovine lactation system. A lactogenic phenotype of the cell is generally induced by combination of dexamethasone, insulin and prolactin (PRL). Effect of vitamin A derivative retinoic acid (RA), well reported as an inducer for differentiation in many cells, to MAC-T cell has not been studied. The objective of this study was to confirm effect of differentiation potential by RA treatment in MAC-T cells and to test effect of combination of RA and PRL treatment. In RA or PRL treatment groups, both has induced morphological change to secrete milk of MAC-T cells. Combination of RA and PRL treatment group has presented noticeable lactogenic phenotype among the all group. This phenotype observed at four days after treatment and showed critical morphological change that was rouphly spherical structure at eight days. RA alone treatment showed slightly inhibition of proliferation in the MAC-T cells, but co-treatment with PRL was improved the cell growth more than control group. MTT assay result and Bcl-xL/Bax ratio of mRNA abundance also was entirely consistent with earlier one. RA-induced differentiation of MAC-T cells has increased αs1-casein, αs2-casein and β-casein mRNA expression compared to PRL treatment group. Expression of αs1-casein, αs2-casein and β-casein genes represented the maximum value in the combination of RA and PRL treatment group at four days. The value of each casein gene expression was 4-, 5.5- and 5.9-fold, respectively, as compared with PRL alone treatment in the MAC-T cells. Protein level of β-casein releasing to the medium also induced the highest level at four days. These results provide evidence that RA can induce the differentiation of MAC-T cells and have synergetic effect with PRL.

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of acteoside (the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor) on the SCNT efficiency with adult fibroblasts in dog. Canine adult fibroblasts were obtained from muscle and cell cycle of fibroblasts was synchronized by culturing to confluency, serum starvation and treating with 30 μM acteoside for 48 h. Cell cycle stages, cell cytotoxicity (apoptosis) and, prduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were analyzed using flow cytometry. The canine cells, prepared by confluent-cell culture or treating with 30 μM acteoside for 48 h, were injected into enucleated in vivo matured oocytes, the couplets were electrical fused and activated by calcium ionomycin. SCNT embryos using acteoside-treated fibroblasts were surgically transferred into oviducts of estrus cycle synchronized recipient dogs. In cell cycle synchronization (G0/G1), there was no significant difference between serum starvations (83.9%) and acteoside treated groups (81.3%) that were higher than confluent group (78.5%). In production of apoptosis, confluent and acteoside treated groups (4.3 and 4.5%, respectively) were generated less than serum starvation group (21.8%). In case of ROS, serum starvation group was induced a significantly higher than other groups. After synchronization of the donor cell cycle, either confluent or acteoside treated, cells were placed with enucleated in vivo-matured dog oocytes, fused by electric stimulation, activated, and transferred into naturally estrus-synchronized surrogates. Fusion and cleavage rate of acteoside treated group were 64.1 and 41.5%, which were higher than those of confluent group (53.9 and 20.6%, respectively). The reconstructed embryo development rates to 4-cell and 8-cell in acteoside treated group were 29.5 and 14.8%, respectively, while confluent group showed 11.1 and 3.2%, respectively. Total 54 SCNT embryos using acteoside-treated fibroblasts were transferred into oviducts of 2 recipient dogs and one recipient finally delivered one puppy, whereas din`t detected pregnancy on transfer of cloned embryos reconstructed with confluent cells in 6 surrogate dogs. In conclusion, the results of the current study demonstrated that canine fibroblasts could be successfully arrested at the G0/G1 stage with reduced the formation of ROS and apoptosis after acteoside treatment. This results may contribute to improve the effi-ciency of canine SCNT. * This research was supported by iPET (Grants 110056-3), Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Republic of Korea.

Acteoside acts as an anti-oxidative activity and anti-apoptosis in the cells. But, it has been not studied on maturation and development of porcine oocytes. The aims of the present study were to examine the effects of acteoside on the morphological progress of meiosis, developmental competence, and ROS in porcine oocytes. Oocytes were matured in tissue culture medium-199, supplemented with acteoside at various concentrations: 0 (control), 10, 30 and 50 μM. The oocytes maturation rates of groups supplemented with acteoside were no significantly different (81.13, 85.96, 82.95 and 83.68%, respectively). Level of ROS was significantly decreased in acteoside treated group. Furthermore, the parthenogenetic blastocyst rate was significantly improved in 10 μM acteoside treated group compared with control group (44.83 vs. 27.75%). And we investigated effect of acteoside on the oocytes condition represented by cytoplasmic maturation by homogeneous distribution and formation of cytoplasmic organelles and regulation of apoptosis-related genes. In the results. during IVM, 10 μM acteoside treated oocytes showed that the mitochondria and lipid droplet were smaller and homogeneous distribution in cytoplasm compare with control oocytes. And reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RTPCR) of parthenogenetic blstocysts revealed that acteoside increased the anti-apoptotic genes (Mcl-1, Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL), whereas reduced the expression of pro-apoptotic genes (Bax and Bak). In conclusion, based on the results, the effect of acteoside on IVM was not attractive. However, in acteoside treated group, cytoplasmic maturation seemed to be improved with morphologically uniform distribution of cytoplasmic organelles. Furthermore, embryonic development in acteoside treated group was significantly highly increased than that of non-treated group. Our results represents that addition of acteoside to the IVM medium has a beneficial effect in physiology of porcine oocytes, providing a improved method for porcine oocytes in vitro. * This work was supported by a grant (Code# PJ008148) from BioGreen21 Program, Rural Development Administration, Republic of Korea.

The objective of this study was to prepare bioactive ginseng yogurts containing compound K, which is transformed from ginsenosides, and to investigate the compound’s cytotoxicity against tumor cells. Milk containng ginseng was fermented by Bifidobacteria KK-l and KK-2, and their activities for transforming ginsenosides to compound K were measured. Among the tested concentrations of ginseng in the milk, compound K was effectively produced in the 3% and 6% ginseng yogurts fermented for 48 hrs. These fermented ginseng yogurts were extracted with BuOH, and their cytotoxicities against tumor cells were examined. The BuOH extract of the yogurt made from the 3% ginseng milk showed cytotooxic activity against P388 and HeLa tumor cells. However, the nonfermented ginseng milk did not exhibit cytotoxicity against these cells. Therefore, we deem that the ginseng yogurt, which contained compound K, could be developed as a potential fermented drink product.

지진하중에 대한 구조물의 동적 거동과 내진성능을 평가하기 위하여 유사동적실험기법이 흔히 사용되고 있으나, 실험장비의 제약과 구조물의 규모 등으로 대부분 축소모형실험에 의존하고 있다. 그러나 일반적인 상사법칙은 탄성범위에서 유도된 것으로 지진거동과 같은 비탄성 거동을 예측하는 경우에는 한계가 있기 때문에 축소모형의 실험결과를 원형 구조물에 직접 적용하는 것은 많은 주의가 필요하다. 본 연구에서는 원형구조물과 축소모형에 대한 철골모형을 실험 대상으로 하여 실제 축소모형 실험결과로부터 원형구조물의 거동을 예측하는 경우의 문제점을 확인하고, 그 해결방법을 모색하고자 한다. 실제로 축소모형실험에서는 원형구조물의 경계조건을 정확히 재현하기 어려우며, 축소모형의 제작과정과 실험과정에서의 모든 오차가 강성의 변화로 반영되어 나타난다. 따라서 본 연구에서는 기하학적 상사율과 축소모형의 변화된 강성비를 함께 고려한 수정된 상사법칙을 제안하였으며, 수정된 상사법칙이 적용된 축소모형에 대하여 유사동적실험을 수행하여 지진응답결과를 원형구조물의 결과와 비교하였다. 축소모형에 대한 유사동적실험결과로부터 제안된 상사법칙을 적용함으로써 원형구조물의 지진응답 재현이 효과적임을 입증하였다.

Background: The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of packaging material on the growth of rootstock of Liriope platyphylla. Methods and Results: This study examined the effects of two types of packaging material, LDPE (low density polyethylene) and functional film on the growth of the tubers of L. platyphylla, at 5℃. During the 16-weeks of storage period, the ratio of loss and decay of the tubers was examined at intervals of 4, 8, and 16 weeks to detect the quality of the plant. After 16 weeks of storage, the treated tubers were own. Subsequently, plant height and the number of leaves were recorded. The results revealed that functional film at 5℃ was the ideal material for the storage of L. platyphylla tubers. The rate of loss was the highest (57.42%) with a onion net and the lowest (22.12%) with a functional film. Similarly, the rate of tuber decay was highest (8.20%) using onion net and the least (4.60%) when the functional film was used. Conclusions: Thus, the use of the functional film proved to be the most effective in the storage of L. platyphylla tubers when compared with the LDPE.

Dendropanax morbifera Leveille (Araliaceae) is an endemic species growing in the south-western part of South Korea that has been used in folk medicine and health functional food. In this study, we investigated an extract of quercetin in Jeju D. morbifera by varying different parts (fruit, sprouts, leaves, sprigs, and branches), harvest times, and extraction solvents. In addition, we aimed to establish a simple and reliable HPLC/UV analytical method to determination of quercetin for the quality control and base line data of the Jeju D. morbifera extract as a health functional food ingredient. The analytical specificity was determined with retention time and photo diode array (PDA) spectrum by analyzing quercetin using HPLC and comparing the results to those of extracts. This analytical method for quercetin was validated for its limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantitation (LOQ), precision, and accuracy. A high linearity in the standard calibration curve was obtained, with a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.9996. Also, the LOD and LOQ values were found to be 0.28 μg/mL and 0.85 μg/mL, respectively, and the recoveries of quantified compounds ranged from 97.91% to 104.10%. Furthermore, the relative standard deviation (RSD) values of data from the intra- and inter-day precision analyses were less than 1.36% and 3.65%, respectively. As a result, the highest quercetin content among the extracts of Jeju D. morbifera leaves was found to be 20.14 mg/g, which was extracted at harvest in May (cultivation period 10 years) with 60% EtOH. All in all, we believe that the results obtained would be helpful in the development of nutraceutics and natural medicines and for the quality control of D. morbifera.

Background : Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) is the fifth most important crop in the world. Although it is known as a crop with many medicinal action, Studies on sorghum breeding are inferior to other crop. Therefore, it is necessary to cultivate excellent varieties of sorghum which is stable and has excellent physiological activity. So, this study was conducted to investigate the total phenolic content and the total flavonoid content of the sorghum accessions to select the sorghum accessions with rich antioxidants. The results of this study can be used as basic data for future breeding. Methods and Results : The seeds for study were supplied from the Center for Agricultural Genetic Resources of National Institute of Agricultural Sciences. The seeds were extracted with 100% methanol and concentrated at 45℃. To determine antioxidant, we measured the total phenolic content and total flavonoid content. The highest total phenolic content showed in the accession from IT No. 155552 (55600.34 ± 17.78 ㎎·GAE/g) and the total flavonoid content showed the highest in IT No. 143716 (116563.20 ± 149.39 ㎎·QE/g). On the other hand the lowest total phenolic content showed in the accession from IT No. 135777 (20.14 ± 4.29 ㎎·GAE/g) and the total flavonoid content showed the lowest in IT No. 152910 (701.25 ± 5.53 ㎎·QE/g). Conclusion : Among 300 sorghum accessions, we analysed the total phenolic contents and total flavonoid contents.

Background : Sorghum(Sorghum bicolor) is the fifth most important crop in the world. Although it is known as a crop with many medicinal action, Studies on sorghum breeding are inferior to other crop. Therefore, it is necessary to cultivate excellent varieties of sorghum which is stable and has excellent physiological activity. So, this study was conducted to investigate the antioxidant activity of the sorghum species and to select the sorghum species with high antioxidant activity. The results of this study could be used as basic data for high-function breeding. Methods and Results : The seeds for study were supplied from the Center for Agricultural Genetic Resources of National Institute of Agricultural Sciences. The seeds were extracted with 100% methanol and concentrated at 45℃. To determine antioxidant activity, we measured the DPPH radical scavenging ability and ABTS radical scavenging ability. The highest DPPH radical scavenging activity showed in the accession from IT No. 158264 (RC50 : 5968.71 ± 4986.24 ㎍/㎖) and the ABTS radical scavenging activity showed the highest in IT No. 143744 (RC50 : 1558.47 ± 273.21 ㎍/㎖). On the other hand the lowest DPPH radical scavenging activity showed in the accession from IT No. 155497 (RC50 : 3.26 ± 20.06 ㎍/㎖) and the ABTS radical scavenging activity showed the lowest in IT No. 152910 (RC50 : 3.31 ± 20.10 ㎍/㎖). Conclusion : Among 300 sorghum accessions, we analysed the antioxidant activities of DPPH and ABTS.