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.

To determine the medicinal properties of Pleurotus cornucopiae and Safflower Oil (PS), the osteoblast effect was investigated. PS can prevent estrogen deficiency-induced bone loss. It was taken the measurements of biochemical factors such as serum osteocalcin, alkaline phosphatase, IGF-1, and bone status. Forty adult female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to four equal groups for 12 weeks of treatment: (1) sham operation (SHAM) + vehicle; (2) ovariectomy (OVX) + vehicle; (3) OVX + 17β-estradiol (25 μg/kg); (4) OVX + PS (300 mg/kg/d, PO). At the end of the experiment, bone turnover, and trabecular microarchitecture were assessed by micro-computed tomography (micro-CT), and histopathology, respectively. Ovariectomized rats experienced remarkable increases in global volumetric bone density, and trabecular microarchitecture deterioration. These OVX-induced pathological changes are reversible in that most of them could be mostly corrected upon 17β-estradiol treatment. PNS treatment significantly prevented bone mass loss and microarchitecture deterioration. Moreover, PS enhanced osteoblast activity but suppressed osteoclast turnover, as evidenced by decreased levels of serum C-terminal telopeptides of type I collagen and elevated levels of alkaline phosphatase. PS mitigates estrogen deficiency-induced deterioration of trabecular microarchitecture.

The red-spotted apollo butterfly, Parnassius bremeri Bremer, 1864 (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae), has been listed as an endangered species in Korea. We developed microsatellite markers by nest-generation sequencing (NGS), selected 12 markers, and applied the markers to available South Korean populations to understand population genetic characteristics. The genotyping of 40 P. bremeri individuals from three localities in South Korea showed that at each locus, the observed number of alleles ranged from 17 to 43, the observed and expected heterozygosities were 0.84722-0.90556 and 0.76045-0.79208, respectively, and FIS was –0.155 to –0.121. STRUCTURE analysis supported the presence of two genetic pools in all three populations, although an immediate reason for this subdivision is not known. The population based FST, RST, and front wing length collectively suggest that at least Samchuk population in Gangwon Province has a significant distance. Further scrutinized analysis is undergoing.

Despite of a substantial effort, the phylogeny of Lepidoptera still has unstable taxa and unresolved relationships particularly form Apoditrysia to Ditrysia (e.g. phylogenetic position and familial relationships of Gelechioidea, the monophylies of Tineoidea and Zygaenoidea and so on). We performed phylogenetic analysis using ~13,000-bp length of mitogenome sequences form 50 species (with seven species in two superfamilies form this study) representing 13 superfamilies to improve the lepidopteran phylogeny from Apoditrysia to Ditrysia. A close relationship of Gelechioidea to Obtectomera than to apoditrysian taxa was noteworthy, although the nodal support is very weak (ML, 23%; BI, BPP = 0.94). Monophyly of Zygaenoidea without Epipyropidae (Epipomponia nawai) was also noteworthy in spite of weak nodal support (ML, 64%; BI, 1.0). Scrutinized analysis is currently underway.

We sequenced the complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of Vespa velutina nigrithorax and V. ducalis (Hymenoptera: Vespidae). The genomes were 16,475-bp and 15,779-bp long and contained typical sets of genes. The V. velutina and V. ducalis A+T-rich region was 132-bp long and 166-bp long and was the shortest of all sequenced Vespoidea genomes. Start and stop codons in several Vespa species—including V. velutina and V. ducalis—were diversified, despite these species belonging to the same genus. In comparison with the ancestral mitogenomes, Vespa mitogenomes showed substantial gene rearrangement; however, we detected no gene rearrangement among Vespa species. We conducted phylogenetic reconstruction based on concatenated sequences of 13 PCGs and two rRNAs in available species of Vespoidea—22 species in six subfamilies in two families (Vespidae and Formicidae). The Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood (ML) methods revealed that each family formed strong monophyletic groups.

Porphyromonas gingivalis, a foremost periodontal pathogen, has been known to cause periodontal diseases. Epidemiologic evidences have indicated the involvement of P. gingivalis in the development of cardiovascular diseases. In this study, we show that the P. gingivalis lipopolysaccharide increases the mRNA expression and protein secretion of interleukin-6 in vascular smooth muscle cells. We demonstrate that P. gingivalis LPS activates the extracellular signalregulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2), p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and Akt, which mediate the IL-6 expression in vascular smooth muscle cells. Also, P. gingivalis LPS stimulates the vascular smooth muscle cell migration, which is a critical step for the progression of atherosclerosis. Moreover, neutralization of the IL-6 function inhibits the migration of vascular smooth muscle cells induced by P. gingivalis LPS. Taken together, these results indicate that P. gingivalis LPS promotes the expression of IL-6, which in turn increases the migration of vascular smooth muscle cells.

Currently, only limited number of mitochondrial genomes (mitogenome) is available from Odonata. In order to extend current mitogenome data for comparative biology and phylogeny we sequenced complete mitogenomes of two endangered dragonfly species, Libellula angelina and Nannophya pygmaea (Ododana: Libellulidae). The whole genomes were 15,233 bp in L. angelina and 15,112 bp in N. pygmaea and included a typical set of genes (13 protein-coding genes, two rRNA genes, and 22 tRNA genes) and one major non-coding A+T-rich region. The arrangement of the genomes was identical to typical one found in insects. Phylogenetic reconstruction using concatenated sequences of 13 PCGs and two rRNAs of Odonata (17 species in eight families in three suborders) using both Bayesian Inference (BI) and Maximum Likelihood (ML) methods have shown a strong support for monophyletic Zygoptera (BI, BPP = 1 and ML, 100%). Currently, further scrutinized analysis is under progress.

The number of reported mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) from the monotypic Lasiocampoidea has been limited until recently. In this study, we sequenced the complete mitogenome of the lappet moth, Kunugia undans (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae), and compared it to those of other lasiocampid species and macroheteroceran superfamilies (59 species in six superfamilies). The 15,570-bp long K. undans genome had the typical set of genes found in animal mitogenomes, with the exception of one additional trnR that are located between trnA and trnN loci. Considering that the two trnR copies are located in tandem with proper secondary structures and identical anticodons, a gene duplication event might be responsible for the presence of the two tRNAs. In summary, the general mitogenome characteristics of Lasiocampoidea did not differ greatly from the remaining macroheteroceran superfamilies, but it did exhibit some unique features.

The spotted-wing drosophila (SWD), Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae), is an economically damaging pest that feeds on most thin-skinned fruits. In this study, we sequenced portions of the mitochondrial (mt) COI and ND4 genes from a total of 195 individuals collected mainly from Korea. A total of 139 haplotypes were obtained from the concatenated COI and ND4 sequences. A dataset combining GenBank sequences with our own data identified a total of 94 worldwide COI haplotypes with a maximum sequence divergence of 5.433% (32 bp). A rough estimate of genetic diversity in each country showed higher diversity in ancestral distributional ranges, but the invasion over Asian countries seems to have been substantial because haplotype diversity was only 2.35-3.97-fold lower in the USA, Canada, and Italy than that in the populations ancestral ranges.