Background: Canine induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are an attractive source for veterinary regenerative medicine, disease modeling, and drug development. Here we used vitamin C (Vc) to improve the reprogramming efficiency of canine iPSCs, and its functions in the reprogramming process were elucidated. Methods: Retroviral transduction of Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, c-Myc (OSKM), and GFP was employed to induce reprogramming in canine fetal fibroblasts. Following transduction, the culture medium was subsequently replaced with ESC medium containing Vc to determine the effect on reprogramming activity. Results: The number of AP-positive iPSC colonies dramatically increased in culture conditions supplemented with Vc. Vc enhanced the efficacy of retrovirus transduction, which appears to be correlated with enhanced cell proliferation capacity. To confirm the characteristics of the Vc-treated iPSCs, the cells were cultured to passage 5, and pluripotency markers including Oct4, Sox2, Nanog, and Tra-1-60 were observed by immunocytochemistry. The expression of endogenous pluripotent genes (Oct4, Nanog, Rex1, and telomerase) were also verified by PCR. The complete silencing of exogenously transduced human OSKM factors was observed exclusively in canine iPSCs treated with Vc. Canine iPSCs treated with Vc are capable of forming embryoid bodies in vitro and have spontaneously differentiated into three germ layers. Conclusions: Our findings emphasize a straightforward method for enhancing the efficiency of canine iPSC generation and provide insight into the Vc effect on the reprogramming process.

자생식물은 관상용, 약용, 식량자원으로 활용될 수 있는 잠재력을 지닌 고유 유전자원이다. 돌부추(Allium koreanum H.J. Choi & B.U. Oh)는 우리나라 해안 암반지대에 분포하는 자생식물 중 하나로, 기후변화와 서식지 감 소로 인해 보전 가치가 높은 식물이다. 이번 연구는 온도와 과산화수소가 돌부추의 발아에 미치는 영향을 조사하기 위해 수행되었다. 종자를 무처리(대조군) 또는 1% 과산화수소(H2O2)로 90분간 처리한 종자를 준비해 15, 20, 25°C 로 설정된 식물 생장 챔버에 배치하였다. 그 결과, 파종 23일 후 15°C에서 42%인 발아율이 20°C와 25°C에서 각각 18%와 0%인 발아율보다 2배 이상 높았으며, H2O2 처리 여부와 관계없이 15°C에서 발아율이 42%로 가장 높았다. H2O2 처리와 관계없이 최종 발아율 50%(T50)에 도달하는 일수는 20°C에서 가장 짧았지만, 일평균 발아율(MDG)은 15°C에서 가장 높았다. 따라서 1%의 H2O2 처리는 돌부추의 발아율에 큰 영향을 미치지 않았으며, 15°C의 온도가 돌부추의 발아율을 높이는 데 최적인 것으로 판단된다. 본 연구 결과는 돌부추의 발아를 위한 기초 연구 자료로 활 용될 수 있을 것으로 기대된다.

A previous studies depicting origin and sequence variability of the species using DNA barcoding region with the samples collected from Korea showed relatively low sequence variability. Thus, additional markers that reveal higher variability were necessitated to scrutinize population structure in connection with dispersal and invasive dynamics among international populations. Therefore, we sequenced two complete mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) of M. pruinosa from the two haplotypes occurring in Korea (H1 and H3). Comparison of the two mitogenomes each with 16,312 and 16,314 bp evidenced that one region located in the A+T-rich region to provide higher number of haplotypes (4 vs. 3), sequence divergence (1.636% vs. 0.636%), and variable sites (7 vs. 3) than those of DNA barcoding region from the screening test using 13 representative individuals. This variable region, in concatenation with the currently available DNA barcoding region might be useful for population genetic analysis of worldwide populations including those of Korea. †These authors contributed equally to this paper.

The complete mitochondrial genome of Ostrinia palustralis memnialis Walker, 1859 (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) was determined to be 15,246 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 an arrangement identical to that observed in most lepidopteran genomes. The A+T content of the whole genome, PCGs, srRNA, lrRNA, tRNAs, and the A + T-rich region all are well within the range found in other Pyraloidea. Phylogenetic analyses of the concatenated sequences of the 13 PCGs using Bayesian inference and Maximum-likelihood methods placed O. palustralis as a sister group to O. furnacalis and O. nubilalis, with the highest nodal support. The subfamilies within Crambidae, such as Nymphulinae, Spilomelinae, and Pyraustinae, all formed monophyletic groups with the highest nodal support.

Drosophila suzukii Matsumura (Diptera: Drosophilidae) is known as a pest that has a wide host range. This study was carried out to investigate the occurrence of D. suzukii by trapping D. suzukii in Korean strawberry greenhouse and its surrounding woodland from November, 2017 to April, 2019. As a result of trap monitoring, the greatest capture was recorded in fall and secondary peak was confirmed in summer in a lower capture. It was confirmed that there was a statistically significant difference between the occurrence among inside and outside of the greenhouse and the woodland. The strawberry greenhouse cultivation area of Korea is mainly located in the plain region, whereas most of the other host plants for D. suzukii are usually grown at the ridge of the mountain or hillside. Therefore, if considering the living environment of host plant, monitoring result that showed more capture in woodland than strawberry greenhouse would be explained.

In order to accumulate the ecological information of Drosophila suzukii for export negotiations of domestic strawberry, we weekly monitored occurrence of D. suzukii at three strawberry fields located in Gok-seong, Dam-yang and Hwa-sun using the best combination of trap and attractant from November 2017 to May 2018, the period of strawberry production. Monitoring was carried out at three sites (a hill located 150 meter distant to greenhouse, outside greenhouse and inside greenhouse) in Gok-seong. Drosophil suzukii was trapped at three short periods from November to the beginning of December, from the end of December to the beginning of January, and from April in a hill. At outside greenhouse, D. suzukii was trapped at two short periods from November to the early December and the beginning of May. In inside greenhouse, it occurred once after May 24th. Gok-seong data can be summarized as more occurrence for longer period as the distance to greenhouse increases. Dam-yang occurred once in a short period inside greenhouse and hill, respectively on May. In case of Hwa-sun, D. suzukii did not trapped in whole trapping sites during trapping period, except for the surrounding grape and peach cultivation areas at the end of November. Summarized, no occurrence periods are from November 20th, 2017 to May 14th, 2018 inside greenhouse; from December 11th, 2017 to May 3rd, 2018 outside greenhouse; and from January 8th, 2018 to April 12th, 2018 on a hill. In connection with strawberry culture, the D. suzukii tends to occur at the beginning and the end of the strawberry production period. We expect this result can serve as a helpful data for export negotiation for quarantine.

벗초파리는 우리나라에서는 심각한 해충으로 인식되지 않아 발생 기간 및 패턴, 기주 범위 등의 생태적인 연구뿐만 아니라 모니터링을 위한 우수 유인제 및 트랩의 연구도 제한적으로 수행된 실정이다. 본 연구는 기존 연구 결과를 참조하여 사과식초 함유 유인제 2종과 화학적 루어 2종 그리고 트랩 2종에 대한 선발 시험을 수행하였다. 선발 시험은 사육중인 벗초파리를 이용한 choice test와 함께 수목원, 딸기 농장, 블루베리 농장에서의 6반복 유인력 검증 실험을 수행하였다. 유인력 비교 결과 ACV + wine의 포획량이 높았으며, 블루베리 농장 인근 결과값은 전체 조사 항목에서 통계적 유의성을 보였다 (P < 0.05). 트랩 선발 실험 결과 모든 실험 장소에서 Dreves 트랩이 높은 포획량을 보였다. 이상의 결과를 통해 ACV + wine과 Dreves 트랩 조합을 선발하였으며, 이를 이용하여 향후 지속적인 모니터링, 월동 발생 조사 등의 연구에 활용할 수 있을 것으로 생각된다.

Previously, a partial mitochondrial COI and CytB gene sequences have been used to infer genetic diversity and gene flow of the species. In this study, we additionally collected C. tripartitus from one previous and two new localities, sequenced the COI and CytB genes. Sequence divergence of current samples showed slightly lower values, but nearly equivalent to previous study. Haplotype diversity was still high and nucleotide diversity indicating that Seogwi-dong showed the highest estimates in both gene sequences. Gene flow among populations is high, but a significance difference was detected between Gulupdo and Anmado; and between Gulupdo and Seogwi-dong only in COI sequences (P < 0.05). Considering the high genetic diversity and gene flow in C. tripartitus populations, one of the major issues regarding conservation seems not to be the recovery of genetic diversity as has been suggested before.

Ficus carica L. (common fig), one of the first plants cultivated by humans, originated in the Mediterranean basin and currently grows worldwide, including southwest Asia and South Korea. It has been used as a traditional medicine for treatment of metabolic, cardiovascular, and respiratory diseases as well as hemorrhoids and skin infections. Its pharmacological properties have recently been studied in detail, but research on the anti-cancer effect of its latex has been only been studied on a limited basis on several cell lines, such prostate cancer, breast cancer, and leukemia. In this study, we investigated the anti-cancer activity of the latex of Ficus carica L.and its underlying mechanism in FaDu human hypopharynx squamous carcinoma cells. (See Ed. note above) We confirmed through SDS-PAGE analysis and gelatinolytic activity analysis that the latex of Ficus carica contains cysteine protease ficin. Our data showed that the latex inhibited cell growth in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, the latex treatment markedly induced apoptosis in FaDu cells as determined by FACS analysis, elevated expression level of cleaved caspase-9, -3 and PARP (poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase), and. increased the expression of Bax (pro-apoptotic factor) while decreasing the expression of Bcl-2 (anti-apoptotic factor). Taken together, these results suggested that latex containing the ficin inhibited cell growth and induced apoptosis by caspase and the Bcl-2 family signaling pathway in FaDu human hypopharynx squamous carcinoma cells. These findings point to the potential of latex of Ficus carica to provide a novel chemotherapeutic drug due to its growth inhibition effects and induction of apoptosis in human oral cancer cells.

This study was aimed to evaluate the dose-response the effects of nano-encapsulated conjugated linoleic acids(CLAs) on in vitro ruminal fermentation profiles. A fistulated Holstein cow was used as a donor of rumen fluid. Nano-encapsulated CLAs(LF, 5% of nano-encapsulated CLA-FFA; HF, 10% of nano-encapsulated CLA-FFA; LT, 5% of nano-encapsulated CLA-TG; HT, 10% of nano-encapsulated CLA-TG) were added to the in vitro ruminal fermentation experiment. In the in vitro ruminal incubation test, the total gas production on incubation with nano-encapsulated CLAs was increased significantly according to the incubation time, compared with the control(p<0.05). The tVFA concentrations on addition of LF and HT were significantly higher than that of the control(p<0.05). Thus, nano-encapsulated CLAs might improve the ruminal fermentation characteristics without adverse effects on the incubation process. In addition, the population of Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens which is closely related to ruminal biohydrogenation was increased by adding HT, while decreased by adding LF at 12 h incubation. These results showed that nano-encapsulated CLA-FFA could be applied to enhance CLA levels in ruminants by maintaining the stability of CLA without causing adverse effects on ruminal fermentation profiles considering the optimal dosage.