A new commercial cultivar ‘Hae Sal’ of Hypsizigus marmoreus was developed by the method of mono-mono crossing between monokaryotic strains derived from KNR8047 and KNR8080. The parental strains are characterized by the property of high quality and a short period of time in cultivation respectively. The optimum temperature of mycelial growth was 25°C and that of fruiting body development was 15～16°C. The period of harvesting including primordia formation was 7.0 days shorter than that of control strain ‘Mangadak No.2’. The color of pileus and stipe surface was neutral-brown and pure white, respectively. The yield was 117.6±23.2g/850cc plastic bottle. Analysis of the genetic characteristics of the new commercial cultivar ‘Hae Sal’ showed a different profile as that of the control strain, ‘Mangadak No.2’, when RAPD (Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA) primer was used. This new cultivar ‘Hae Sal’ of Hypsizigus marmoreus is characterized by the improved quality and a short period of time in cultivation after scratching. It would be of much help to expand the cultivation area of Hypsizigus marmoreus.

Leptotrombidium pallidum is the major vector mites for Orientia tsutsugamushi, the causative agent of scrub typhus. To understand the molecular mechanism of L. pallidum, we sequenced the whole genome using Illumina sequencing technology. Totally four genomic libraries with different insert sizes ranging from 280 bp to 8 kb were used to generate 45.1 Gb of genome in the combination of paired-end and mate-pairs sequencing reads. Quality filtering and correction of paired-end reads for very small and/or bad-quality sequences yielded 26.9 Gb of high-quality sequences, which are used to estimate the genome size as 175 Mbusing kmer methods and assembled into a 193.7 Mb genomic sequence scaffolds with N50 length of 92,945 bp. Furthermore, 94% of CEGMA completeness score were obtained from genome scaffold assembly. To facilitate gene annotation, we used a combination of de novo and homology based tools to predict gene models in the chigger mite genome. A combination of evidence-based and de novo approaches predicted 15,842 high-confidence protein-coding genes with an average transcript length of 1,511 bp and 2.4 exons per gene which corresponds to about 12.4% total gene length. Bacterial endosymbiosis are very common in mite species and can range from mutualistic to pathogenic associations. Henceforth, the endosymbionts in L. pallidum were predicted using the NCBI microbial draft genomes and mitochondrial genome. Besides, this L. pallidum draft genome can be used as a significant reference for comparative genomic studies across mite species.

Skin is the outermost organ and acts as a barrier between the organism and environment. Skin protects the organism from environmental insults, such as chemicals, pathogens, and UV light. Much of the protective function of skin is dependent on the epidermis, a multi-layered epithelium that is composed of various cell types such as keratinocytes and melanocytes. Keratinocytes produce protective components through a sophisticated differentiation process. Disturbance of keratinocyte differentiation is related to several skin diseases such as psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. In this study, we prepared extract of combined medicinal plants (ECMP) consisting of Taraxacum platycarpum H. Dahlstedt, Heartleaf Houttuynia, Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fischer, and root bark of Ulmus davidiana. We demonstrated that ECMP enhanced keratinocyte differentiation and barrier functionality using an in vitro cell culture system and in vivo animal test. Treatment of cultured keratinocytes with ECMP resulted in induction of keratinocyte differentiation, as evidenced by increased differentiation markers such as involucrin, loricrin, and filaggrin. In line with these results, ECMP decreased proliferation of keratinocytes cultured in vitro. ECMP applied topically to tape-stripped mouse skins accelerated reduction of transepidermal water loss (TEWL), indicating fast recovery of barrier function. Immunohistochemistry showed that ECMP increased the filaggrin level in tape-stripped mouse skins. These results suggest that ECMP may be applicable for keratinocyte differentiation-related skin diseases.

A choice in temporal discounting is often made on one preferred option between a sooner but smaller reward and a later but larger reward. In temporal discounting, a consumer undergoes an evaluation process concerning the trade-offs between time delay (i.e., a choice between sooner and later receipts) and the amount of reward (i.e., a choice between smaller and larger rewards). It has been evidenced that a surprisingly large number of consumers is inclined to choose a sooner option with a lower economic value. Those consumers tend to apply an excessive temporal discounting rate to the time delay and as a result, the sooner option with lower economic value stands out to be more attractive. However, there is another group of consumers who deliberately promote the long-term perspective in the evaluation process. Those consumers show a high tendency of choosing a later option with greater economic value. A key factor affecting the evaluation process is the sensitivity to time delay a consumer entails. The sensitivity to time delay could systematically affect the representations of hedonic pleasure being projected at different time delays and is the basis of individual differences in hedonic orientation. An anhedonia, a person with the ability to control physical pleasure, is likely to be less sensitive to time delay and apply a lower discounting rate for delayed rewards because he processes the presently available pleasure less intensively than do ordinary consumers. Thus, anhedonic consumers are more likely to choose a delay reward in temporal discounting choices. In a famous fable by Aesop, “The Ant and the Grasshopper” suggest a possible linkage between hedonic orientation and temporal discounting tendency. The story goes that the Grasshopper enjoys whatever is on its hands and does not give much thought to what is going to happen in the future, while the Ant takes on the hardship denying the current pleasure as he plans for the difficult winter time. We conducted an experiment to investigate the relationships among individual differences in hedonic orientation, and the behavioral choices in temporal discounting trials by examining the EEG theta (4-8 Hz) correlates. A hedonic orientation questionnaire was developed using twenty selected items from Physical Anhedonia Scale, Barratt Impulsiveness Scale and Impulsive Buying Scale. Using the questionnaire, the hedonic orientation of fifteen participants was analyzed. Among them, five participants were classified into anhedonia (Ant-like, AN) group and ten participants were into hedonic pleasure dependent (Grasshopper-like, GH) group. Participants conducted ten temporal discounting trials and, in each trial, a choice was made between two options, either a smaller reward today (the “now” option) or a greater reward to be received after a specified time delay (the “future-oriented” option). The absolute theta activations while viewing a future-oriented option in each trial were analyzed as the neural correlates of temporal discounting. The results indicated that the hedonic orientation of participants had a high prediction power of not only behavioral choices in temporal discounting but also EEG theta activations in the frontal brain region. In analyzing temporal discounting tendencies, the discounting rate of AN group was found to be lower than that of GH group. In addition, EEG theta analysis shows two interesting activation patterns in the frontal region. First, AN group showed higher frontal theta activations than GH group indicating its deliberate engagement to future-oriented options. Second, theta activations in the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex (DLPFC), more specifically AF3 and AFz, were negatively correlated with the discounting rate of participants. Neuroscience researches often refer that DLPFC is associated with deliberate and analytic information processing. Therefore, the high theta activations in DLPFC could be considered as a distinctive neural indicator of high anhedonia traits and low temporal impulsivity.

The Riptortus-Burkholderia symbiosis is a newly emerging insect-bacterium symbiotic system. This symbiosis system has a good merit as an experimental model system to produce the non-symbiotic (apo) and symbiotic (sym) host insect. In recent reported papers, the symbionts play important biological roles for the host insects. Meanwhile, juvenile hormone (JH) is one of major hormone synthesized corpora allata(CA) to control many physiology of insect. However, the study for cross-talk mechanism between symbionts and host hormones to control important physiological phenomenon of insects is almost none. In this study, we found that Riptortus speed up adult emerging and increase egg laying on presence of symbiont Burkholderia. Also we found that hexamerin proteins, which were controlled the expression by JH, were accumulated in sym-Riptortus hemolymph compare with apo-Riptortus. According as combined results, we hypothesized that the gut symbiont Burkholderia can control JH titer to conclude out beneficial effects such as development and reproduction of R. pedestris. To verify this hypothesis, we examined measurement of JH titer, expression of hexamerins as JH response genes and RNAi for hexamerin protein during whole Riptortus life on presence or absence of symbiont Burkholderia. All results demonstrated that gut symbiont controlled JH titer of Riptortus. Controlled JH amount by symbiont Burkholderia in host midgut regulated hexamerin protein expression for speeding up adult emerging and increasing egg production.

The Riptortus (stinkbug) has a specialized symbiotic organ, M4 midgut, to harboring symbiont Burkholderia. M4 midgut is located in abdomen and surrounded with insect hemolymph. Recently our group demonstrated that symbiotic Burkholderia showed different physiology after adapting in M4 gut compare with in vitro cultured Burkholderia. And population of symbiotic Burkholderia in the M4 midgut is regulated by special organ. However, the molecular mechanism to prevent spreading and migrating symbiont bacteria to other host tissues from symbiotic organ is not clear. Therefore, we assumed that symbiont Burkholderia are susceptible to host humoral immunity after established infection in M4 midgut to prevent spreading and migrating into the other host tissues through Riptortus hemolymph. To prove this assuming, we tested the susceptibility and survival rate of symbiont Burkholderia in hemolymph of Riptortus in vitro and in vivo. We also examined the susceptibility of symbiont Burkholderia using purified antimicrobial peptides (AMP), pyrrhocoricin-like, thanatin-like and defensin-like AMPs. Finally, we tested inducing ability for AMPs by systemic infection of symbiotic Burkholderia. Gene expression of purified AMPs was not different after systemic infection of both symbiont and in vitro cultured Burkholderia. Surprisingly, in vitro cultured Burkholderia resisted on bacteria injected hemolymph and purified AMPs but symbiont Burkholderia were highly susceptible in bacteria injected hemolymph and purified AMP. These results suggest that symbiont Burkholderia can't survive in the hemolymph after escaping symbiotic organ. Moreover, humoral immunity of host Riptortus is important to prevent spreading and migrating symbiont Burkholderia into the other host tissue or organ from symbiotic organ.

Chungbuk province has number of management honey bee(Apis cerana) colonies. A. cerana produce honey, and are pollinators with in agricultural crops and natural environmental ecosystems. Korean Sacbrood Virus(SBV) causes colony collapses of A. cerana Feb. in Korean apiaries from 2009 years. It causes a fatal disease(sacbrood) of honeybee larvae, which fail to pupate, change color and shape, and finally die. We thus conducted a molecular survey of honey bee RNA viruses, Nosema microsporidia, Foul broods and fungal disease(Chalk brood and Stone brood) associated with environmental conditions in apiaries and differential type(Traditional and Modern) of A. cerana hives in Chungbuk province. We found the presence of Israel Acute Paralysis Virus(IAPV), Nosema apis, and Sacbrood virus(SBV) was detected in the tested samples. IAPV were detected from mordern hive. Nosema apis, and Sacbrood virus(SBV) was detected from traditional hives. Our results demonstrate that honey bee RNA viruse(SBV) and N. apis are present in Traditional hives. It can suggest SBV and other disease might be related environment conditions(Type of hives).

The bumblebee, Bombus terrestris, has played an important role as one of the alternative pollinators since the outbreak of honeybee collapse disorder. Recently, pathogens and parasites such as viruses, bacteria and mites, which affect the life span and fecundity of their host, have been discovered in B. terristris. In order to detect the microsporidian pathogen, Nosema Spp. in the field populations of B. terristris, we collected adults and isolated their genomic DNA for diagnostic PCR. The PCR primers specific for Nosema Spp. were newly designed and applied to gene amplification for cloning. Only small subunit ribosomal RNA(SSU rRNA) gene of N. ceranae was successfully amplified and sequenced among examined genes, which indicates that N. ceranae mainly infects the examined field population of B. terristris. To detect of SSU rRNA gene, two regions of SSU rRNA gene were selected by primary PCR analysis and further analyzed in quantitative real-time PCR(qRT-PCR). The qRT-PCR analysis demonstrated that SSU rRNA of N. ceranae was detected at concentrations as low as 0.85 ng/μl genomic DNA. This result suggests that the detection via qRT-PCR can be applied for the rapid and sensitive diagnosis of N. ceranae infection in the field population as well as risk assessment of B. terristris.

Black fungus gnats play an important role as the decomposers in the forest ecosystem. Their larvae live on various organic matters, and the subfamily Sciarinae, in particular, have restricted habitats that feed on dead woods in the deep forest. We compared the biodiversity of family Sciaridae from two different habitats, the clear-cutting area (CA) and the pitch pine forest (PF) by the emergence traps (ET) and the pitfall traps (PT) from May to October, 2010. A total of 12 species were reliably identified to the species among 19 unique taxa belonging to 9 genera 4 subfamilies from 716 collected black fungus gnats. Taxonomic studies show that Corynoptera bicuspidata (Lengersdorf, 1926) (200 individuals, 27.9 % of total) and Cory. sinedens Hippa, Vilkamaa & Heller, 2010 (74 individuals, 10.3 % of total) dominate in the PF and the CA, respectively. Species richness and abundance of CA is lower than those of PF. Any species of subfamily Sciarinae were not collected in the CA. These findings indicate that the biodiversity of Sciaridae was influenced by forest management such as clear cutting, which leads to the changes of canopy cover, dead woods and leaf litter layer.

The objective of this study was to compare the effects of the levels of inbreeding on body weight traits between two breed populations, Hanwoo and Korea Brindle cattle. Birth weight (BW), weaning weight (WW), body weight at 6 months of age (W6) and yearling weight (YW). Records of 1,745 calves (1,513 from Hanwoo, and 232 from Korea Brindle calves) were collected from Livestock Research Institutes in Kangwon, Gyeongbuk and Chungbuk provinces. The least squares means (LSM) and their standard errors for BW, WW, W6 and YW were 25.4±0.1 kg, 81.0±1.8 kg, 146.1±3.7 kg and 291.5±2.4 kg, respectively in Hanwoo calves and 22.6±0.3 kg, 79.9±2.3 kg, 137.6±4.6 kg and 249.3±6.6 kg, respectively in Korea Brindle calves. Pedigree data showed that 14.8% (316 out of 2131) of Hanwoo was inbred and the average inbreeding coefficient was 0.0209 (2.09%). Inbreeding coefficients of ten calves out of 316 total inbred Hanwoo calves were 12.5% or higher, whereas those of the other 306 calves were less than 12.5%. In both breeds, calves were divided into three groups of inbreeding classes - highly inbred group(F≥ 0.125), lowly to medially inbred group(0<F<0.125) and no inbred group(F=0). In Korea Brindle calf populations, 12.2% of the calves observed (57 out of 467 calves) were inbred and the average inbreeding coefficient was 0.1367(13.67%). Forty four calves out of 57 inbred Korea Brindle calves had inbreeding coefficients of 12.5% or higher and the other 13 calves had less than 12.5% of inbreeding coefficients. Average inbreeding coefficient and the number of calves with greater than 12.5% inbreeding coefficient were higher in Korea Brindle calf groups than in Hanwoo calf groups. On the average, body weight growth of Korea Brindle calves was slower than that of Hanwoo calves. This would be due to very small breeding population structure of Korea Brindle cattle as compared to Hanwoo cattle, which would lead to rapid increase in inbreeding coefficients in the population. In conclusion, our study suggests that planned mating system is needed to control inbreeding in Korea Brindle population.