The global mushroom industry has grown rapidly in recent years in terms of beneficial effects, market value, and demand. India has a wide range of agro-climatic conditions and is largely an agricultural country with a cultivated area of about 4.37 %, generating about 620 million tons of agro waste annually. Mushroom cultivation not only helps recycle agro wastes, but also fills the nutritional gap prevalent among a large population of India. Recently, government industrial policy and creative innovation has promoted research and other endeavors aiming towards the cultivation of mushrooms. Mushroom cultivation in India was initiated in Solan, in the mid-sixties. Mushroom cultivation has been successful in temperate regions of the Himalayas, the Western Ghats, and the hills of northeast India. Recently, many unemployed people have begun to adopt mushroom cultivation as a means of self-employment. It is high time that Indian mushroom cultivators and consumers became aware of the nutritional and medicinal values of cultivated and wild species of mushrooms. The total mushroom production in India between 2010 and 2017 was approximately 0.13 million tons, accounting for a 4.3% increase in the average growth rate of mushrooms per annum. In particular, the total production of white button mushrooms is the highest, with a share of about 73% of total mushroom production. In this review article, we have analyzed the current scenario of the Indian mushroom industry and its contribution to the economic growth of the country.

Nysius Dallas, 1852, is one of the most common and widely distributed genera under the superfamily Lygaeoidae. Species under this genus are hard to identify due to similarity of the species and variability of the coloration. The Nysius species were collected with the help of aspirator and plastic vile in the perilla crop fields in RDA, Miryang, Korea. Korean species of the Nysius were identified, and three species including a newly reported species N. inconspicuus were recognized. Morphological and genetic characteristics of species were illustrated, and a key to species of Korean Nysius was provided. The DNA barcoding information of N. plebeius and N. inconspicuus were recorded.

In order to establish symbiotic host-bacterial relationships, symbionts in insects evolved a mechanism to overcome host immune responses. Here we provide the resistance of symbiotic bacteria on the insect immune system. As a result, through the transposon mutagenesis, we found a salivary gland (SG) susceptible mutant. The disrupted gene was identified as nlpB involved in lipoprotein synthesis. The nlpB, bla double deletion mutant was sensitive to SG like nlpB-Tn5 inserted mutant. This mutant increases outer membrane permeability. It provides an explanation for SG susceptibility, because the antimicrobial peptide in SG would be able to translocate across the outer membrane more easily than in the wild type. These results indicate that nlpB and bla are likely to be important factors in terms of determining resistance against SG of Riptortus that is connected with the successful colonization of the Riptortus midgut.

Lycorine, a natural alkaloid extracted from the Amaryllidaceae plant family, was reported to various physiological and pharmacological effects including anti-cancer activity. Nevertheless, there is no report of the anticancer effect of lycorine in oral cancer cells. The effects of lycorine on cell proliferation and apoptosis were examined through trypan blue exclusion assay, 4’-6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) stain, Live/Dead assay, Western blot analysis and RT-PCR. Lycorine suppressed cell viability and induced apoptosis in MC3 and HSC-3 cell lines. Lycorine decreased survivin protein but did not affect its mRNA. It regulated survivin through accelerating protein degradation in a time-dependent manner although neither proteasome nor lysosome was not associated with lycorine-mediated protein degradation. Collectively, our results suggest that lycorine may be a potential therapeutic anti-cancer drug candidate for the treatment of human oral cancer.

This study investigated the antibacterial effects of Galla rhois extract (GRE) against Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of GRE against C. jejuni and C. coli were 0.28 and 0.55 mg/mL, respectively, and the corresponding minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs) were 4.4 and 5.5 mg/mL. C. jejuni treated with the MIC, MBC or 2×MBC of GRE showed significant inhibition of growth compared with that of the control group during the incubation period, and no viable bacteria were detected at 24 h after incubation. C. coli treated with MIC, MBC or 2×MBC of GRE also showed inhibition of growth compared with that of the control group during the incubation period, and in the C. coli cultures treated with MBC and 2×MBC of GRE, no viable bacteria were detected at 24 h after incubation. In conclusion, GRE is a candidate antibacterial agent against C. jejuni and C. coli, and may have applications for the control of Campylobacter infection in poultry.

The Riptortus pedestris-Burkholderia symbiotic system is a promising model for understanding molecular mechanism of symbiosis. In previous studies, the Burkholderia symbiont has been shown to play important biological roles in the growth and fitness of host R. pedestris. The Burkholderia symbiont, one of bacteria found in the soil, is the only bacterium that can colonize the symbiotic midgut region of R. pedestris. However, the molecular mechanism of host selectivity for the Burkholderia symbiont remains unknown. To determine where the selection occurs, we firstly compared initial infectivity of different mid-gut regions after oral infection of Escherichia coli and Burkholderia. Interestingly, E. coli were not detected in any regions of mid-gut, while Burkholderia could reach to the posterior region of mid-gut. Therefore, we hypothesized that host selectivity for the Burkholderia symbiont is occurred in the salivary gland. To address this hypothesis, we treated E. coli and Burkholderia with lysate of salivary gland and examined their survival by estimation of colony forming unit (CFU) on the plate. We found that E. coli, but not Burkholderia, was susceptible to the lysate of salivary gland. To determine molecular basis of the selective mechanism in the salivary gland, we analyzed antimicrobial proteins (AMPs) from lysate of salivary gland. we identified three AMPs, namely rip-trialysin1, rip-trialysin2 and lysozyme and further purified rip-trialysin1 and rip-trialysin2. When E. coli and Burkholderia were treated with rip-trialysin1 and rip-trialysin2, rip-trialysin1 exhibited little antimicrobial activity, but rip-trialysin2 exhibited antimicrobial activity. Furthermore, we found that E. coli was susceptible, but Burkholderia is resistant to commerciallypurchased egg white lysozyme. Our results suggest that R. pedestris salivary gland provides a chance of selection for the Burkholderia symbiont and lysozyme in salivary gland seems to play an important role for the selection of gut symbiont.

Biological properties of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) of hemimetabolous insect are poorly characterized in innate immunity field. To investigate the biochemical properties of hemimetabolous insect’s AMPs, we purified the pyrrhocoricin-like AMP from the hemolymph of Riptortus pedestris and then named as riptocin. We successfully determined the primary protein structure and its cDNA sequence. Interestingly, the determined cDNA revealed that riptocin precursor is composed of 12 repeating units of active riptocins, which implied that riptocin precursor might require to be processed to generate active riptocins by several unidentified processing enzymes. In order to characterize the bio-processing mechanisms of riptocin precursor, we generated the antibody against active riptocin. Using quantitative PCR and Western blot analyses, we showed that gene of riptocin was started to express from the fatbody after three hours post bacterial infection. To address our hypothesis that active riptocin is generated from riptocin precursor by several processing enzymes, we need to obtain the riptocin precursor. Currently, we are expressing the recombinant riptocin precursor using in vitro translation system. Meanwhile, we investigated whether naive hemolymph (naive HL), which may contain precursor riptocin, can generate active riptocin when riptocin precursor was co-incubation with bacteria-challenged hemolymph (active HL), which may contain all processing enzymes. Actually, when naive HL was incubated with active HL, antimicrobial activity was dramatically increased, suggesting that processing enzymes in active HL may induce processing of riptocin precursor to generate active riptocins.

본 연구는 오배자 에탄올 추출물 (GRE), 염소산나트륨 (SC) 그리고 오배자 에탄올 추출물과 염소산나트륨 합제(GS)의 B. abortus에 대한 항균효과를 확인하기 위해 수행 되었다. GRE, SC 그리고 GS를 B. abortus에 처리하여 배양한 후, B. abortus의 생존수를 확인하였으며, 마우스 탐식세포 내 감염된 B. abortus의 증식 억제효과를 경시별 (2, 24, 48시간)로 조사하였다. GRE, SC 그리고 GS는 각각 400 μg/mL 이하, 15 mM 그리고 0.6GS (GS 1, GRE 1,000 μg/mL + SC 30 mM) 이하의 농도에서 세포독성을 나타나지 않았다. 모든 처리구에서 B. abortus의 생존율은 용량- 의존적으로 현저하게 감소하는 결과를 나타내었다. 또한, GRE (400 μg/mL), SC (15 mM) 그리고 0.5GS (GRE 500 μg/mL + SC 15 mM)를 처리한 세포에서 배양 48시간 후에, B. abortus의 증식이 통계적으로 유의성 있게 감소하였으며 (GRE, p < 0.01; SC and 0.5GS, p < 0.001), 특히, GS를 처리한 경우, B. abortus의 세포내 증식이 GRE와 SC의 상승작용에 의한 강력한 항균효과를 나타내었다. 결론적으로, GS는 B. abortus에 대한 항균물질로서 유용할 뿐만 아니라, 식육과 우유 위생 분야에 적용할 수 있을 것으로 생각된다.

본 연구는 자동차 산업 내 소비자들의 고객불평행동과 기업과의 관계유지를 실증적으로 분석한 연구이다. 특히, 기업의 불평관리에 대한 소비자들의 인지된 공정성과 제품 원산지의 조절효과를 검증하고자 하였다. 이를 위해 222명의 국산차 소비자들과 232명의 외제차 소비자들을 대상으로 설문조사를 실시하였다. 실증분석 결과, 모든 세 가지 유형 (직접행동, 사적행동, 제삼자행동)의 소비자 불평행동들은 기업과의 관계유지에 부정적인 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 조절효과에 있어서는 기업의 불평관리에 대한 소비자들의 인지된 공정성이 높을수록 직접행동과 관계유지의 부정적인 관계를 약화시키는 것으로 나타났다. 또한, 국산차와 외제차를 기준으로 나눈 두 소비자 그룹 간의 원산지 효과 차이는 유의한 것으로 나타났다. 사적행동과 관계유지의 부정적인 관계는 국산차 소비자들보다 외제차 소비자들에게서 더 약한 것으로 나타났다. 본 연구의 실증결과는 서비스 마케팅 분야에서의 이론적 시사점뿐만 아니라 실무자들에게 유용한 시사점을 제공할 수 있을 것으로 기대된다.

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.

This study investigated the therapeutic effects of Galla rhois (GR) ethanol extract (GRE), sodium chlorate (SC), and a combination of GRE and SC on mice infected with Brucella abortus (B. abortus). Mice were infected intraperitoneally with B. abortus and then treated with GRE, SC, and a combination GRE and SC in drinking water for 14 days. Then, serum antibodies were used in a tube agglutination test (TAT), after which the weight and CFUs from each spleen were measured. In addition, histopathological changes in each liver were examined at 14 days post-infection. At 14 days post-infection, negative reactions of serum antibodies in PC (positive control), SCT (SC 1.6 g/L drinking water), GRT (GRE 200 mg/L drinking water), and GST (GRE 200 mg + SC 1.6 g/L drinking water) were 0, 40, 60, and 80%, respectively. The average spleen weight was not significantly different between the groups. At 14 days post-infection, bacterial numbers in all treated groups were significantly lower compared to to that of the PC (GRT and SCT, P<0.05; GST, P<0.001). In terms of histopathological changes in the livers, there were numerous multifocal microgranulomas in the PC, whereas this number successively decreased in the SCT, GRT, and GST groups. Conclusively, a combination of GRE and SC exhibits therapeutic effects on mice infected with B. abortus. These results suggest the potential efficacy of a mixture of GRE and SC in the treatment of brucellosis.