The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), which is native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Western Hemisphere is now annually arrives in Korea. In this study, we developed loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay, one of the main merits of which is a rapid identification of target species. Five among 11 FAW-specific loci tested successfully provided a consistent reaction when ten FAWs, which were collected from eight localities in four countries were tested, whereas the 13 non-target species were not amplified. To increase in-field applicability of the method all life stages, reaction time, and different periods after death was tested using the quick extracted DNA. Our FAW diagnostic protocol can be completed within 30 min, from the process of extracting genomic DNA from an egg or a 1st instar larva to species determination.

The detection of the genome-based antibiotic resistance gene is an essential analysis process for the purpose of verifying the safety of probiotic strains, including lactic acid bacteria. In this study, 4 analysis platforms (AMRFinderPlus, staramr, rgi, ABRicate) were used for cross-comparison of 782 genomes corresponding to 19 kinds of probiotic species notified as functional foods. As a result of the analysis, the relatively fewest number of antibiotic resistance genes were detected in strains belonging to the order Lactobacillales, and antibiotic resistance genes were detected in 322 genomes used in the case of 2 types of Enterococcus genus. In addition, the presence and type of antibiotic resistance gene detection showed a lot of difference even for the same genome sequence depending on the database and analysis algorithm used by the analysis platform. These results can be confused in evaluating the potential for transmission of antibiotic resistance genes inherent in specific lactic acid bacteria and predicting potential risks that may occur in the future. Accordingly, it is judged that the antibiotic resistance gene-related analysis criteria need to be established more clearly and specifically in the safety evaluation of probiotic bacteria.

The advent of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technology has changed the research paradigm and become an essential tool for recent biological and medical study. In today’s market, there are several sequencing platforms which have specific sequencing principle, and the result of each sequencing platform has different characteristics among them. Hence, each sequencing method became more specialized for specific research purpose, and researchers who consider NGS analysis have to understand the very basic characteristics of each NGS platform. NGS is used in various studies and they are usually classified into 5 categories (Re-sequencing, RNA-seq, de novo assembly, Metagenomics and Epigenomics) of analysis. In this session, we will introduce the characteristics of sequencing platforms and examples of recent research on each of the 5 analysis categories. In addition, we will talk about the benefit of NGS study compared to the traditional study and how these NGS technologies can be applied in developmental biology research.