Nitric oxide (NO)-induced protein S-nitrosylation triggers mitochondrial dysfunction and was related to cell senescence. However, the exact mechanism of these damages is not clear. In the present study, to investigate the relationship between in vitro aging and NO-induced protein S-nitrosylation, oocytes were treated with sodium nitroprusside dihydrate (SNP), and the resultant S-nitrosylated proteins were detected through biotin-switch assay. The results showed that levels of protein S-nitroso thiols (SNO)s and expression of S-nitrosoglutathione reductase (GSNOR) increased, while activity and function of mitochondria were impaired during oocyte aging. Addition of SNP, a NO donor, to the oocyte culture led to accelerated oocyte aging, increased mitochondrial dysfunction and damage, apoptosis, ATP deficiency, and enhanced ROS production. These results suggested that the increased NO signal during oocyte aging in vitro, accelerated oocyte degradation due to increased protein S-nitrosylation, and ROS-related redox signaling.

Recent increase of raw sequences generated by next generation sequencing (NGS) machines enabled re-analyzing raw sequences for diverse purposes: one is assembling organelle genome. One recent study completed the mitochondrial genomes of 14 ants from public raw sequences in subfamily Pseudomyrmecinae not having organelle genomes. Along with this approach, we have found four ant species of which genome papers were published and its raw sequences were open to public but its mitochondrial genome has not been assembled yet: Harpegnathos saltator and three Pogonomyrmex species (P. rugosus, P. anergismus, and P. colei). We assembled four complete mitochondrial genomes, presenting mitogenome of H. saltator 16,467 bp long and those of three Pogonomyrmex species above 21 kb long, ranking top among all known Hymenopteran mitogenomes. Four mitochondrial genomes contain 13 PCGs, 22 tRNAs, and 2 rRNAs, conserved as in all other insects. Phylogenomic tree based on partial or complete mitogneomes covering 26 genera provides insights of ant mitogenomic phylogeny and evolution.

A previous studies depicting origin and sequence variability of the species using DNA barcoding region with the samples collected from Korea showed relatively low sequence variability. Thus, additional markers that reveal higher variability were necessitated to scrutinize population structure in connection with dispersal and invasive dynamics among international populations. Therefore, we sequenced two complete mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) of M. pruinosa from the two haplotypes occurring in Korea (H1 and H3). Comparison of the two mitogenomes each with 16,312 and 16,314 bp evidenced that one region located in the A+T-rich region to provide higher number of haplotypes (4 vs. 3), sequence divergence (1.636% vs. 0.636%), and variable sites (7 vs. 3) than those of DNA barcoding region from the screening test using 13 representative individuals. This variable region, in concatenation with the currently available DNA barcoding region might be useful for population genetic analysis of worldwide populations including those of Korea. †These authors contributed equally to this paper.

To verify the progenitor of B. mori, we sequenced 14 B. mori strains preserved in Korea and one B. mandarina collected in Korea and conducted phylogenetic analysis of Bombycidae using maximum-likelihood method and concatenated sequences of 13 PCGs and 2 rRNA genes. All B. mori strains, regardless of their origin, formed a strong monophyletic group, with the highest nodal support. This B. mori group was placed as the sister to the two B. mandarina collected each from Korea and Shandong, China with the highest nodal support. Finally, the remaining two B. mandarina, which were collected in Japan were independently placed as the most basal lineage of B. mori and B. mandarina group. These results appear to indicate that an immediate ancestor for the domestic silkworm strains may have been originated from China and Korea.

We sequenced 15,803 bp of the leaf-rolling-weevil, Apoderus jekelii (Coleoptera: Attelabidae) mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) that lacked ~8,000 bp of the A+T-rich region for the completion of the genomic sequence. The A. jekelii mitogenome, which includes 1,169 bp of A+T-rich region, possesses typical sets of genes [13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 tRNA genes, and 2 rRNA genes]. Phylogenetic analyses using the eight concatenated PCG sequences, which are commonly available for the mitogenome sequences of Curculionoidea, revealed Attelabidae as monophyletic, as well as the sister relationship between current A. jekelii and congeneric species A. coryli in Attelabidae, with the highest nodal supports both in Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood methods. In order to gain a more comprehensive picture of the phylogenetic relationships among the lineages of Attelabidae, an extended analysis with more taxonomic sampling will be necessary. †These authors contributed equally to this paper.

The complete mitochondrial genome of Ostrinia palustralis memnialis Walker, 1859 (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) was determined to be 15,246 bp with a typical set of genes (13 protein-coding genes [PCGs], 2 rRNA genes, and 22 tRNA genes) and one non-coding region, with an arrangement identical to that observed in most lepidopteran genomes. The A+T content of the whole genome, PCGs, srRNA, lrRNA, tRNAs, and the A + T-rich region all are well within the range found in other Pyraloidea. Phylogenetic analyses of the concatenated sequences of the 13 PCGs using Bayesian inference and Maximum-likelihood methods placed O. palustralis as a sister group to O. furnacalis and O. nubilalis, with the highest nodal support. The subfamilies within Crambidae, such as Nymphulinae, Spilomelinae, and Pyraustinae, all formed monophyletic groups with the highest nodal support.