This study examined the effects of pre-soaking solvents and repeated steaming-drying (SD) cycles on the antioxidant activity and active compound content of Rehmanniae Radix Preparata(RRP), the processed root of Rehmannia glutinosa Libosch. SD treatments were conducted for 1 to 9 cycles using four different pre-soaking solvents: Takju (a traditional rice wine), Spirits, Honey, and Sugar solution. The results showed no significant differences in DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities or in total polyphenol and flavonoid contents among the pre-soaking treatments, although samples pre-soaked in honey and Takju exhibited slightly higher levels. Polyphenol and flavonoid contents increased progressively with the number of SD cycles, reaching levels 2–3 times higher after nine cycles. Catalpol content remained relatively constant regardless of treatment, whereas aucubin content increased in all groups, with the highest accumulation observed in the Takju treatment. Similarly, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) content increased with the number of SD cycles, with the highest levels found in the honey group, followed by Takju, Sugar, and Spirits. In conclusion, while the type of pre-soaking solvent had minimal influence on antioxidant activities and catalpol content, both aucubin and 5-HMF contents increased with additional SD cycles, with Takju proving particularly effective in enhancing their accumulation.

Metarhizium은 대표적인 곤충병원성 진균 중 하나로, 종에 따라 매우 다양한 곤충에게 병원성을 일으키는 폭 넓은 기주범위를 형성한다. 이들이 주로 생성하는 것으로 알려진 destruxins (DTXs)이라는 2차 대사산물은 살충 활성 뿐만 아니라 항바이러스, 항증식, 항암 등 다양한 분야에서 효능이 연구되고 있어, 해당 물질에 대한 관심이 집중되고 있다. 살충 물질로서의 DTXs는 여러 곤충에 있어 병원성을 나타내는 것이 확인되었으나, 해충 으로서 전 세계적으로 심각한 경제적 피해를 일으킴과 동시에, 화학 살충제 저항성 문제가 야기되고 있는 목화진 딧물에 대해서는 아직 DTXs의 역할이 연구되지 않고 있는 실정이다. 본 연구에서는 목화진딧물에 대해 곤충병원 성 진균 Metarhizium spp.의 병원성 발현에 DTXs가 미치는 역할을 간접적으로 확인하기 위해, qPCR을 활용하여 진균 처리 후 목화진딧물 사망 시간과 관련하여 충체 내 DTX 합성효소의 발현을 비교 분석하였다.

Mycoviruses are a group of viruses that infect filamentous fungi. While most hosts infected with mycoviruses do not show any symptoms. In some cases, mycoviruses induce various phenotypic changes include alterations in morphology, drug resistance, pathogenicity, virulence, sporulation, and growth. Entomopathogenic fungi are one of the integrated pest management agents as an alternative to conventional insecticides. Mycoviruses have the potential as supportive agents, enhancing the efficiency of the insecticidal activity of the fungi. Studies about mycoviruses themselves and their interaction with their hosts, especially entomopathogenic fungi, are needed to realize their full potential. In this work, the sequence of the dsRNA element isolated from the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium pinghaense 4-2 strain was determined. Through this study, we report the sequence of a dsRNA virus isolated from the Metarhizium pinghaense for the first time. In further studies, the ORF of the mycovirus that induces a phenotype change in the host will be researched.

마이코바이러스는 곰팡이를 감염시키는 바이러스로 자낭균류, 담자균류 및 난균류에서 주로 발견되며 일부 의 경우 곰팡이의 표현형에 영향을 끼치는 것으로 알려져 있다. 이번 연구에서는 대한민국 토양 샘플에서 분리된 65개의 자낭균류 및 접합균류 균주의 전체 핵산을 추출하고, 전기영동을 통해 바이러스 특이적 밴드를 스크리닝 하였다. 스크리닝 결과 65개의 균주 중에서 Tolypocladium spp. 균주 2개와 Marquandomyces marquandii 균주 1개에서 바이러스 특이적 밴드를 발견하였다. 그 후, Cellulose Chromatography를 이용하여 double-stranded RNA 를 분리하고 DNase I 및 S1 Nuclease 처리를 통해 DNA와 single-stranded RNA를 제거하여, Tolypocladium sp. 균주 1개와 Marquandomyces marquandii 균주에서 발견한 특이적 밴드가 dsRNA임을 확인하였다. 추후 virus-free isogenic line을 확보하여 virus 유무에 따른 표현형 변화를 확인하고, 마이코바이러스와 곰팡이 간의 상호작용에 관해 연구할 계획이다.

Aphids are well-known insect pests that, due to their feeding habits, affect various crops' productivity and marketability. Additionally, they cause significant damage worldwide as vectors of viruses. Chemical pesticides are widely used to control these agricultural pests. However, due to resistance to various chemical pesticides, pest control is becoming difficult in agricultural environments. Entomopathogenic fungi such as the genus Metarhizium and Beauveria are being extensively researched as alternatives to these chemical pesticides. In this study, the mycological properties of isolated from soil Metarhizium pemphigi IPBL-H and the insecticidal activity of this strain against Myzus persicae and Aphis gossypii were evaluated for potential of development as a biopesticide.

뿌리응애류는 양파, 마늘, 생강, 백합 등의 뿌리를 가해한다. 최근 백합재배지에서는 질경이모자이크바이러 스(Plantago asiatica mosaic virus, PLAMV)에 의한 잎의 괴사 피해가 확산되고 있다. 태안 백합재배지에서 PlAMV 가 감염된 백합을 채집하여 구근을 조사한 결과, 식물체 당 뿌리응애 100개체 이상이 발견되었으며 Rhizoglyphus robini로 동정되었다. 이 종이 PlAMV의 보독여부를 확인하기 위해 채집된 R. robini에서 RNA를 추출하여 RT-PCR로 진단한 결과, 모든 개체에서 PlAMV가 확인되었다. 본 연구는 뿌리응애가 백합 구근 뿌리를 먹으면서 만든 상처를 통해 PlAMV가 전염될 수 있다는 가능성을 제시한다.

Cryptotympana atrata belongs to the family Cicadidae, has long been recognized as a damaging plant-sucking pest, and is distributed in East Asian countries. In addition, their cries cause direct harm to us through noise pollution and also reported twig damage in the forest environments. In this study, we isolated strains of the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium that occurred from C. atrata collected this year. Here, we provide the morphological character and molecular phylogenetic relationship of this species. This is the first record of the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium viridulum isolated from C. atrata in Korea and provides a candidate strain with potential use for biological agents.

With the infusion of advanced technology, interactions between customers and firms’ representatives take place in brick-and-mortar stores, 2D online sites, and even 3D metaverse environments. In the metaverse, a firm’s sales avatars interact with other users while representing the firm, recommend, and sell virtual items. Previous literature about the effectiveness of sales representatives agrees that a firm representatives’ smiling faces engender customer satisfaction and better interactions. However, it is unclear whether smiling faces of sales avatars will work the same way in the metaverse as they do in the real world. The current research examines whether a firm’s sales avatars with sad facial expression (vs. those with smiling facial expression) stimulate higher user intentions to interact with firm representative avatars, to purchase virtual items from the representative avatars, and to spread positive WOM about their experience in the metaverse. Moreover, focusing on subcultural appeal, we investigate why this unconventional phenomenon happens in the metaverse unlike in real world. We conducted two experiments to manipulate a firm representative avatar’s facial expression (smiling vs. sad) in the metaverse. We newly designed a metaverse place, and participants who put on a virtual reality headset are exposed to either a hat (Experiment 1) or shoes (Experiment 2) store where they can purchase a virtual hat or shoes. Experiments 1 and 2 basically tested the same things repeatedly. However, to improve internal validity and generalizability, Experiment 2 used human-like sales avatars instead of cartoon character-like sales avatars in Experiment 1, changed virtual stores from a hat store to shoes store, and finally controlled for various extraneous variables such as attractiveness, warmth, and competence of sales avatars, and user’s previous experience about metaverse. Sales representatives with a smile are believed to contribute to beneficial consumers’ attitudes and behaviors in offline stores. However, our experiments demonstrate that this well-received belief does not necessarily apply in the metaverse, where subcultural appeal plays a more critical role. In the metaverse, users evaluate sales avatars with sad facial expression (vs. with smiling facial expression) as more unique and cool (i.e., higher subcultural appeal), leading to their higher intention to interact with the sad sales avatar, to purchase a virtual item, and to spread positive WOM about their experiences. Our results imply that previous findings supported in the offline or 2D online sites may not work the same way in the 3D metaverse.