To identify and compare the venom components and expression patterns of some bees/wasps, venom gland-specific transcriptome analyses were conducted for 14 Aculeate bees/wasps. Most of the allergens and pain-producing factors showed extremely high expression levels in social wasps, implying that social wasps have evolved to use venom to defend the colony against intruders. Acid phosphatase and tachykinin, which are known as allergens and neurotoxic peptides, were found with high frequencies in the venom glands of solitary wasps. This suggests that solitary wasps might use their venom for catching and preserving prey. In the venom glands of bumblebees, little or no transcripts of major allergens or pain producing factors were identified, implying that bumblebees venoms are relatively less toxic than those of social or solitary wasps. Taken together, the differential expression patterns of venom genes in some Aculeate bees/wasps implies that bees/wasps have unique groups of highly expressed venom components, which appear to have evolved in response to both ecological and behavioral influences.

To identify the venom components and their expression patterns of some Aculeata bees/wasps, venom gland-specific transcriptome analysis was conducted. FPKM values were normalized with the average of the transcription level of reference gene (a-tubulin). Common components in both solitary and social wasp venoms include hyaluronidase, phospholipase A2, metalloendopeptidase, etc. Although it has been expected that more diverse bioactive components with the functions of prey inactivation and physiology manipulation are present in solitary wasps, the information on venom compositions of solitary wasps obtained in this study was not sufficient to generalizae this notion. Nevertheless, some neurotoxic peptides (e.g., pompilidotoxin and dendrotoxin-like peptide) and proteins (e.g., insuline-like peptide binding protein) appear to be specific to solitary wasp venom. In contrast, several proteins, such as venom allergen 5 protein, venom acid phosphatase, and various phospholipases, appear to be relatively more abundant in social wasp venom. In the venom gland trancsriptome of bumblebees, major allergens or pain producing factors were barely identified, implying that bumblebee venoms are relatively less toxic than those of social or solitary wasps.

Bombolitin is a venom peptide originally isolated from bumblebees and possesses various biological activities, including hemolytic activity. Bombolitins exhibit amphipathic α-helical structure in lipid-membrane-mimicking environments. To investigate their pharmacological and toxicological properties, anti-tumor, anti-microbial and cytotoxic activities of bombolitins from Bombus ardens and Bombus ussurensis were evaluated. Bombolitins of the two species exhibited extremely high anti-tumor activity against ovarian tumor cells SK-OV-3 and NIH; OVCAR-3 at 25-50 μM, which is 2-fold more potent than other wasp venom peptides studied to date (Yoon et al., 2015; Yoon et al., 2016). The two bombolitins showed significantly high antimicrobial activity. However, bombolotin of B. ussurensis showed no antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli. In addition to their high levels of anti-tumor activity, bombolitins showed considerable levels of hemolytic activity. Thus, to utilize bombolitins as a potential candidate for anti-tumor peptide drugs, further studies for reducing cytotoxic properties of bombolitns is essential.

To synnema formation and entomopathogenic of Paecilomyces tenuipes using some of media under the blue LED lamp. Lyophilized matured silkworm hemolymph and Bombyx mori powder were used as nutrient source in cultivation of an entomopathogenic fungus, Paecilomyces tenuipes. Matured silkworm (MS, aged seventh days of fifth instars) was in whole lyophilized without any treatment. Hemolymph (HL) powder was prepared by water-soluble extraction from matured silkworms which was silk gland removed and also lyophilized, too. Both of media showed better growth rates and synnemata formations than potato dextrose (PD) medium, and B. mori was controlled under the blue LED lamp conditions. To investigate their effect on mycelial growth of P. tenuipes, each of them were provided as nutrient sources by final concentrations of 2, 3 and 4%, respectively. Total 18 test cultures were cultivated for 14 days with no light. Three PD cultures were used as control group. Each of growth areas was measured with an image analyzer. The result showed that MS and HL medium promoted mycelial growth of P. tenuipes by 287 and 310%, respectively, in comparison with PD medium. The synnema formation and its shape of Paecilomyces tenuipes using B. mori under the blue LED lamp group are not so good than normal conditions. But, how to change of a compositions are not yet. It will be investigation in the future.

In this study, matured silkworm hemolymph was studied for inhibitory effect on melanocyte formation, tyrosinase activities and antibacterial effect. A matured silkworm hemolymph mass purification method was developed and some of suppressing melanin formation effects were investigated, too. Antibacterial effects were tested by Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Candida albicans. As a result, the advanced purification method was higher in yield rate than existing one by 53%. A free radical scavenging activity of hemolymph was higher than sericin on the market(IC50, 202.9±33.1) and lower than vitamin C(0.57±0.02) by 6.4±0.3 ㎍/㎖. An inhibitory effect on melanin synthesis was higher in hemolymph compared to morus bark and arbutin by 9.15% and 11.56%, respectively. The antibacterial effects on Escherichia, Staphylococcus were detected at 2% hemolymph concentration, which was relatively good. Thus, these results suggest that hemolymph of matured silkworm may have beneficial properties as a material for cosmetics.