• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.16 no.10
• /
• pp.1537-1543
• /
• 2006

A bacterial strain named HY-3 that produces a highly active extracellular protease was isolated from the digestive tract of a spider, Nephila clavata. The bacterium was a Gram-negative, oxidase-negative, catalase-positive, nonhalophilic, nitrate-reducing, facultative anaerobe. Transmission and scanning electron microscopies demonstrated that the isolate was non-spare-forming, straight, rod-shaped, and motile by peritrichous flagella. The G+C content of the DNA was 57.0 mol%. The isoprenoid quinone type was ubiquinone with 8 isoprene units (Q-8). The morphological and biochemical characteristics including the predominant fatty acid and phospholipids profiles placed the isolate HY-3 in the family Enterobacteriaceae. Further biochemical characterization and phylogenetic studies including determination of an almost complete 16S ribosomal DNA sequence suggested that the bacterium was closely related to the genus Serratia. DNA-DNA hybridization analysis revealed that this extracellular protease-producing strain belongs to Serratia proteamaculans, which is also known far its association with insects.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
• /
• v.20 no.3
• /
• pp.123-127
• /
• 2005

To determine the possibility of inflow routes for insect in Korean rice-wine, we investigated catalase (CAT) activity and oxygen bubble formation through stereoscopic microscope in pasteurized insects (bee, fly, fruit fly) treated with $H_2O_2$. The pasteurization condition was 30 and 60 min heating at 65 and $70^{\circ}C$. Bubble was not shown under the CAT level of 50 $\mumoles/min/ml$. CAT activity level was more sensitive compared with oxygen bubble formation, but the CAT activity had correlation with oxygen bubble formation method. We also tested bubble formation at room temperature, 65 and $70^{\circ}C$ for 30 days. The bubble formation was slowly decreased in all insects at room temperature during experiment, but it was rapidly decreased at 65 and $70^{\circ}C$. The fruit fly was not shown bubble formation at 65 and $70^{\circ}C$. These results suggest that bubble farmation method was a new simple method for inflow routes of insects caused by manufacturing and drinking process in pasteurized Korean rice-wine.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.12 no.4
• /
• pp.483-489
• /
• 2002

We investigated the biochemical properties of insect defensin expressed and secreted from Saccharomyces corevisiae. The defensin showed extremely high resistance to boiling for up to 30 min and to pH values tested from 2.0 to 12.0. The treatment of defensin with various proteases abolished antibacterial activity. However, amylases, cellulase, lipase and catalase had no effect on the activity. The defensin was purified to homogeneity through ammonium sulfate concentration of culture supernatant, SP-Sepharose column chromatography and RP-HPLC. Tricin-SDS-PAGE analysis revealed that the molecular weight of the defensin was about 4.0 kDa. The antibacterial activity of the purified defensin was verified by renaturation of stained gel and gel pouring assay using Micrococcus luteus as a test organism.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
• /
• v.37 no.4
• /
• pp.324-332
• /
• 2018

BACKGROUND: Insects are ectothermic organisms in terrestrial ecosystems and play various roles such as controlling plant biomass and maintaining species diversity. Because insects are ectothermic, their physiological responses are very sensitive to environmental temperature which determines survival and distribution of insect population and that affects climate change. This study aimed to identification of genes contributing to fitness under high temperature. METHODS AND RESULTS: To identify genes contributing to fitness under high temperature, the transcriptomes of fat body in Plutella xyostella larva have been analyzed via next generation sequencing. From the fat body transcriptomes, structure-related proteins, heat shock proteins, antioxidant enzymes and detoxification proteins were identified. Genes encoding proteins such as structural proteins (cuticular proteins, chitin synthase and actin), stress-related protein (cytochrome P450), heat shock protein and antioxidant enzyme (catalase) were up-regulated at high temperature. In contrast expression of glutathione S transferase was down-regulated. CONCLUSION: Identifications of temperature-specific up- or down-regulated genes can be useful for detecting temperature adaptation and understanding physiological responses in insect pests.

• ALGAE
• /
• v.26 no.1
• /
• pp.87-96
• /
• 2011

Protein profiles of a common mixotrophic dinoflagellate, Prorocentrum micans, growing autotrophically and mixotrophically (fed on the cryptophyte Rhodomonas salina) were compared using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) to determine if they vary in different trophic modes. Approximately 2.3% of the detected proteins were differentially expressed in the different trophic modes. Twelve proteins observed only in the mixotrophic condition had lower pI value (<5) than the fifteen proteins observed only in the autotrophic condition (>5). When the internal amino acid sequences of five selected proteins differentially expressed between autotrophic and mixotrophic conditions were analyzed using matrix-assisted laser desorption time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry, two proteins that were specifically expressed in the autotrophic condition showed homology to glyceraldehyde-3-phosphatase dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and a bacterial catalase. Three mixotrophy-specific proteins showed homology to certain hypothetical proteins from an insect and bacteria. These results suggested the presence of certain gene groups that are switched on and off according to the trophic mode of P. micans.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
• /
• v.57 no.3
• /
• pp.165-175
• /
• 2018

Insects are known to live at wide range of temperature, but can not survive when they are exposed to over $40^{\circ}C$ or below supercooling point. The larvae of Helicoverpa assulta have been reared at high ($35^{\circ}C$), low (3 to $10^{\circ}C$), and room temperature ($25^{\circ}C$; control). To identify stress-related genes, the transcriptomes of fat body have been analyzed. Genes such as cuticular proteins, fatty acyl ${\Delta}9$ desaturase and glycerol 3 phosphate dehydrogenase were up-regulated whereas chitin synthase, catalase, and UDP-glycosyltransferase were down-regulated at low temperature. Superoxide dismutase, metallothionein 2, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase and trehalose transporter have been up-regulated at high temperature. In addition, expressions of heat shock protein and glutathione peroxidase were increased at high temperature, but decreased at low temperature. These temperature-specific expressed genes can be available as markers for climate change of insect pests.