Helicoverpa assulta (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) exhibits a specialized herbivorous diet, primarily targeting select Solanaceae plants. Despite its significant economic impact as a pest, causing substantial harm to crops like hot pepper and tobacco, it has received comparatively limited attention in research compared to its generalist counterparts, H. armigera and H. zea.We introduce a chromosome level genome assembly using a Korean H. assulta (Pyeongchang strain, K18). This assembly was achieved through a combined approach utilizing Nanopore long-read sequencing (approximately 78X coverage) and Illumina NovaSeq short-read sequencing (approximately 54X coverage). The total assembled genome spans 424.36 Mb, designated as ASM2961881v1, comprises 62 scaffolds, with 98.7% of the genome contained within 31 scaffolds, confirming the insect's chromosome count (n = 31). The completeness of the assembly is reflected in BUSCO assessment, with values reaching 99.0%, while the repeat content accounts for 33.01%, and 18,593 CDS were annotated. Additionally, 137 genes were identified within 15 orthogroups that have rapidly expanded in H. assulta, while 149 genes in 95 orthogroups have rapidly contracted. This genome draft serves as a valuable resource to explore various aspects of the specialist's biology, enabling research into host-range evolution, chemical communication, insecticide resistance, and comparative investigations with other Heliothine species.

Ticks and mosquitoes are well known as the most dangerous animals in the world. During the blood feeding, they can transmit a variety of pathogens (bacteria, virus, and protozoa) causing human diseases such as SFTS (severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome), malaria, Zika, and dengue. In Korea, SFTS is a newly emerging vector-borne disease transmitted by Asian longhorned tick, Haemaphysalis longicornis. However, there are no effective methods to control ticks and tick-borne disease. The laboratory of medical entomology at Kyungpook national university is focusing on not only fundamental biology of hard ticks in Korea including life cycle and host ranges but molecular physiology and comparative transcriptomics to understand interactions between vector and pathogen at the molecular level. We are also focusing on molecular physiological mechanisms of mosquito salivary secretion by investigating the function of neuropeptides and G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) in the salivary glands of Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus. We believe that understanding the biology of blood feeding arthropods will lead us to the development of novel methods for the disruption of feeding, thus allowing for the prevention of pathogen transmission.

Insect cuticle tanning (pigmentation and sclerotization) is a complex and vital physiological process that begins with tyrosine and is responsible for production of both melanin- and quinoid-type pigments. In addition, these quinones undergo isomerization to quinone methides and cross-linking reactions with cuticular proteins for cuticle sclerotization. In this study, we studied the functions of TmDDC and TmY-y as well as TmNAT1, TmADC and Tmebony from Tenebrio molitor, which are involved in the tyrosine-derived melanin- and quinoid-type pigment productions, respectively. The temporal and spatial expression patterns of the genes were analyzed by real-time PCR. RNA interference was performed to understand the genetic regulation and molecular mechanism underlying the darkening and hardening of beetle cuticle.

The continuous emergence of chemical-mediated residual toxicity and insect resistance have enforced the regulation of synthetic pesticides. Synthetic pesticides with novel mode of actions could be developed to overcome these issues, but as an alternative biopesticides with more efficacious control activity could be developed by the advanced technology. In pest management, entomopathogenic fungi have high potential in reducing pest population to an economic threshold, and some of isolates have been commercialized. However still a novel application strategy needs to be considered for successful industrialization. An insight on fungal genes in whole genome and transcriptome levels is necessary to understand the role of genes in pathogenesis and genetic diversity of fungal genes. Herein, we have identified the genetic differences of entomopathogenic fungi using whole genome sequencing of Beauveria bassiana (Bb) and tried to understand the interaction between fungus and insect using RNA-seq. We have obtained the whole genome sequence of Bb JEF-007 using PacBio sequencing technology and compared the transcriptomes of Bb JEF-007 and bean bug, Riptortus pedestris before and after the fungal infection using Hiseq 2000 system.

Insect structural cuticular proteins (CPs) play a major role in determining the diverse physical properties of the cuticle as a result of interactions/cross-linking among themselves and with chitin. CP genes compose a large gene family and have been classified more than ten distinct families based on the presence of unique amino acid sequence motifs. In this study, we performed RNAi-based functional analysis of eleven genes (TcCPLCP1-11) in Tribolium castaneum, which belong to CPLCP (Cuticular Proteins of Low Complexity, Proline rich) cuticular protein family. RNAi for TcCPLCP7-11 caused lethal pupal-adult molting defects and/or abnormal cuticle morphology in the resulting adults. Ultrastructural defects of the cuticles from TcCPLCP7-11-deficient insects by TEM are also discussed.

Insects are the dominant animals in the world, with more than one million described species. Insects, not only produce direct damage to plants but also acts as a vector for various pathogens. In recent years, next-generation sequencing (NGS) techniques have provided fascinating opportunities to understand the basic biology, biochemistry, and molecular biology of these intimate and intriguing relationships. The decrease in sequencing costs and extensive sequencing services from NGS providers has brought many scientists to be involved in genome sequencing of insects and their associated entomopathogens. By using high-throughput genomic technologies, scientists can elucidate the virulence, host adaptation and gene function of the particular entomopathogen including virus, fungi, bacteria and nematode.

In recent years, high-throughput next-generation sequencing (NGS) techniques have provided fascinating opportunities to understand the biology of non-model organisms, especially insect species. The decrease in sequencing costs and extensive sequencing services from NGS providers has brought many entomologists to be involved in genome sequencing. However, poor planning can lead to extremely fragmented genome assemblies which prevents high quality gene annotation and other desired analyses. Insect genomes can be problematic to assemble, due to combinations of high polymorphism, inability to breed for genome homozygosity, and small physical sizes limiting the quantity of DNA able to be isolated from a single individual. Given to the rapid development of host resistance to multiple classes of insecticides, it is indispensable to study the comprehensive genomic information of insects. Recent advances in sequencing technology and assembly strategies can able to fetch breakthroughs in deciphering the genetic information of insects. Here, we present the cost effective high throughput genome sequencing and assembly strategies for insect species in respects to taxonomy, evolutionary history, immune response, drug development, insect host-virus interactions and pest management etc.

Both the body louse (Pediculus humanus humanus) and the head louse (P. humanus capitis) are obligatory human ectoparasites. The body louse is a serious public health threat because it transmits a variety of human diseases whereas the head lice causes one of the most prevalent human infestations, pediculosis. Recent genome analysis revealed that both body and head lice have one of the smallest insect genomes (~108 Mb). Comparison of transcriptional profiles uncovered that almost the same number of genes was annotated both in the head louse (10,770 genes) and the body louse (10,771 genes) among 10,775 protein-coding genes predicted from the body louse genome. Despite their similar genetic background, body and head lice have several differences in their biological features, such as choice of habitat on human host, body size and vector competence. Annotation of major detoxification genes revealed that they are dramatically reduced in human lice compared to other insects except for the honey bee and that, despite the overall reduction in number, human lice retain at least a minimum repertoire of genes known to confer metabolic or toxicokinetic resistance to insecticides, suggesting their high potential for resistance development. Comparison of insecticide target site gene sequences and transcription levels of detoxification genes enabled the identification of toxicodynamic and metabolic factors of insecticide resistance and further allowed the development of molecular markers for resistance detection. Transcriptional profiling during tolerance was used to identify ivermectinmetabolizing detoxification genes, indicating that such an approach may allow proactive resistance management. Comparison of genomes and transcriptomes between body and head lice suggested that vector competence difference is not attributed to the difference in the composition of immune related genes but rather to their transcriptional regulation and/or not-yet-identified epigenetic factors.

Insects have a protective exoskeleton consisted with cuticle to adapt various environments and pathogens. Insect cuticle mainly composed of the polysaccharide chitin and numerous of cuticular proteins (CPs). CPs are important for insect cuticle formation, development, and growth because it produces proper combination of mechanical and physical properties of cuticle depend on the regions of an exoskeleton. The largest family of CPs contains a 28-residue motif known as the Rebers-Riddiford (R&R) consensus sequence. When sequences containing the R&R consensus are aligned, they fall into three groups based on sequence similarity, and these groups tend to correlate with the type of cuticle (soft or hard) from which the proteins are derived. Proteins with the RR-1 motif have been found primarily in soft cuticle, whereas many proteins from rigid cuticle have an extended region of similarity called RR-2. We recently reportedthat two major CPs, TcCPR18 and TcCPR27 belong to RR-2, are essential for formation of highly sclerotized modified-forewings (elytra) of a beetle. In this study, we performed functional genomics of TcCPR4, which encodes RR-1 motif. The transcript levels of TcCPR4 drastically increased in 3 d-old pupae at when adult cuticle synthesis appears to be begun. Immunohistochemical studies revealed that TcCPR4 protein was detected in the rigid cuticle of elyton and ventral abdomen but not in the flexible cuticle of hindwing and dorsal abdomen of T. castaneum adult. Furthermore, TcCPR4 protein was specifically present at basal side of the procuticle (near the epidermal cells) and vertical canals, whereas TcCPR27 protein was found entire procuticle. Injection of double-stranded RNA of TcCPR4 (dsTcCPR4) into late instar larvae had no effect on development and any types of molting such as larval-larval, larval-pupal or pupal-adult. Interestingly, depletion of both TcCPR4 and TcCPR27 transcripts could rescue the elytral cuticle defect and mortality produced by injection of dsTcCPR27 alone. Transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed that depletion of TcCPR4 had abnormal vertical canals in rigid adult cuticle while dsTcCPR27 injection showed less electron-dense-horizontal laminae and vertical canals. Surprisingly, co-injection of dsRNA for TcCPR4 and TcCPR27 exhibited more severe cuticle defect with thinner elytral cuticle and abnormal vertical canals and chtin laminae compared to those from insects treated with dsRNA for each gene. These results suggest that TcCPR4 as a RR-1 is essential structural component in the rigid cuticle of T. castaneum adult.

In 1990, the human genome project had begun with three billion dollars of budget, and the sequencing and analysis result of the three billion base pairs of human genome was finally published in 2000 to open a new era of genomics. Since the human genome project, many other genomes of eukaryotic model organisms, such as mouse, Drosophila, Arabidopsis, C. elegance, etc., became available, and this led the development of computational biology and comparative genomics. Also, during the last decade, the speed of the nucleotide sequencing increased significantly with lower cost by next generation sequencing technology, and the computational power to handle sequence information also has grown exponentially to make possible that a genomics approach is an affordable tool for many of the biological studies. In the entomology area, the 5000 insect genome project was launched in 2011 for understanding of the biology of insects in a new dimension. Based on the recent studies of functional genomics and the new discoveries in the biological sciences, such as innate immune system, RNAi technique, insect pathogens, etc., the information from the insect genomics study will make possible to improve our capability to manage insect pests in the future.

With the advent of the genomics era powered by DNA sequencing technologies, life science is being transformed significantly and biological research and development have been accelerated. Environmental biology concerns the relationships among living organisms and their natural environment, which constitute the global biogeochemical cycle. As sustainability of the ecosystems depends on biodiversity, examining the structure and dynamics of the biotic constituents and fully grasping their genetic and metabolic capabilities are pivotal. The high-speed highthroughput next-generation sequencing can be applied to barcoding organisms either thriving or endangered and to decoding the whole genome information. Furthermore, diversity and the full gene complement of a microbial community can be elucidated and monitored through metagenomic approaches. With regard to human welfare, microbiomes of various human habitats such as gut, skin, mouth, stomach, and vagina, have been and are being scrutinized. To keep pace with the rapid increase of the sequencing capacity, various bioinformatic algorithms and software tools that even utilize supercomputers and cloud computing are being developed for processing and storage of massive data sets. Environmental genomics will be the major force in understanding the structure and function of ecosystems in nature as well as preserving, remediating, and bioprospecting them.

본 연구의 목적은 일본의 식물유전체 연구 동향분석을 통하여 농업생산성 향상을 위한 연구방향을 모색하는데 있다. 일본에서의 식물유전체 연구는 국가연구소 주도적으로 이루어지고 있으며 벼 등 다양한 구조유전체연구결과를 이용한 유용형질 유전자 기능분석 및 실용화 연구에 집중하고 있다. 식물 구조유전체 및 기능유전체 연구를 위한 기반조성으로 농업생물자원연구소(National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, NIAS)에서는 벼과 식물의 유전체 DB 구축, 이화학연구소(Rikagaku Kenkyusho, RIKEN)에서는 애기장대 유전체 DB 및 식물 완전장 유전자 DB 구축, 국립유전학연구소(National Institute of Genetics, NIG)에서는 국가생물자원프로젝트(National Bio Resource Project) DB를 구축하여 관련 연구자들에게 다양한 식물 유전체 정보 및 연구재료들을 제공하고 있다. 최근 세계적 식량환경 문제해결 및 혁신적 농업기술개발을 목표로 신농업전개 게놈프로젝트(New Agri-genome Project)를 수행하여 수량, 내병성, 환경문제 해결을 위한 유용 유전자분리, 이용 등 세계적인 연구 성과를 도출하고 있다. 또한 개도국의 농업생산성 향상을 위하여 JIRCAS 에서는 식물유전체 연구 기술지원을 하고 있으며 아프리카 토양에 적합한 다수성의 NERICA 벼를 개발하여 식량생산 증진에 기여하고 있다. 본 연구를 통하여 우리에게 정보가 부족하였던 일본의 식물유전체 연구 진행사항을 살펴보았다. 이러한 연구동향 분석은 동식물 유전체 연구를 수행하는 연구자들에게 최근의 유전체 기술정보 등을 제공 할 수 있으며 세계적인 식량, 에너지, 환경문제의 해결에 크게 기여 할 것으로 생각한다.

Lepidoptera includes over 160,000 species of butterflies and moths worldwide. They have enormous ecological and economic impact as pests, pollinators, and food sources for other organisms. We are using Assembling the Tree of Life (AToL) NSF funding t 1. generate a backbone phylogeny of the entire order, 2. date major subclade divergence by re-evaluating fossils (fossil project), 3. create a rich taxonomic resource (taxon template) and 4. create a glossary of morphological terms and associated images to synergize tree-building using morphological characters - all within a worldwide online venue. Our project goal is to galvanize the broader lepidopterist community towards constructing a comprehensive and fully resolved tree. Here we present the fossil project, taxon template and morphology projects.

Due to their ease of sequencing and high levels of nucleotide diversity mitochondrial (mt) genes have long been favoured targets for investigations of species level issues in systematic entomology particularly species delimitation and diagnostic identification. Advances in sequencing technology and price reductions have now made routine sequencing of whole insect mt genomes feasible and thus the application of much larger datasets to these perennial problems can be attempted. I will present two examples – the development of diagnostic targets within forensically important blowflies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) from scans of whole mt genome variability and the determination of species status within the cotton bollworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuiidae: Helicoverpa) – to illustrate the ease and comparative cheapness of genomics level approaches to these age old problems.