• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.61 no.1
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• pp.173-195
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• 2022

Like vertebrates, insects synthesize various eicosanoids after the committed catalytic step of phospholipase A₂ (PLA₂). However, the subsequent biosynthetic steps exhibit some deviation from those of vertebrates. Due to little composition of arachidonic acid in insect phospholipids, PLA₂ releases linoleic acid, which is another polyunsaturated fatty acid and relatively rich in insect phospholipids, to synthesize arachidonic acid via chain extension and desaturation. Resulting arachidonic acid is then oxygenated into a prostaglandin (PG), PGH₂, by a specific peroxidase called peroxynectin, but not by cyclooxygenase. PGH₂ is then isomerized to various PGs such as PGA₂, PGD₂, PGE₂, PGI₂, and a thromboxane (TXB₂). All four epoxyeicosatrienoic acids such as 5,6-EET, 8,9-EET, 11,12-EET, and 14,15-EET are also synthesized from arachidonic acid by oxygenation of vertebrate types of monooxygenases. However, the other type of eicosanoids called leukotrienes are found in insect tissues but their synthetic pathway is unclear. Eicosanoids mediate various insect physiological processes such as metabolism, excretion, immunity, and reproduction. Thus, identification of novel compounds interrupting eicosanoid biosynthesis would be a novel approach to develop insecticides. This review focuses on PGs and their immune mediation.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.9-17
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• 2024

Objectives : Edible insects are the widely distributed group of animals and contain high quality proteins, fatty acids and minerals. In particular, insects are a possible interesting source of essential amino acids. Insects as traditional medicines have much potential as pharmaceuticals in modern medicines including treating infections, cancer, dissolving phlegm, relieving spasms, and inflammatory diseases. The aim of this study is to investigate the immunomodulatory effect of several kinds of insects and major amino acids. Methods : In our review we try to show the potential usefulness of insects and amino acids in searching for new therapeutic solutions for immunologic diseases. We summarized the knowledge about properties, usefulness of insect and amino acids in drug design. We hypothesized that insects and amino acids, their major ingredients, regulates airway inflammation and immunologic diseases and can be developed as therapeutic drugs for the treatment of immunologic diseases. Results : Several insects including Bombyx mori, Cryptotympana pustulata, Holotrichia diomphalia, Locusta migratoria, etc. and amino acids such as glutamine, glutamic acid, methionine and glycine may have potential protective effects against asthma and airway neutrophilia. Glutamic acid, cystine, methionine and glycine which contribute to glutathione metabolism, which are important anti-oxidant amino acids that may affect susceptibility to asthma. Conclusions : Our results provide evidence about the potential usefulness of several insects and their amino acids in allergic disorders. These findings suggest that several insects and amino acids have important roles in the way they affect the immune system and allergic responses.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.155-162
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• 2002

Cytochrome P45O (CYP) gene has been known to play one of the most important roles in metabolizing the exogenous materials. In insect, CYP is particularly known to detoxify toxic materials by adding oxygen molecule to the hydrophobic region of the materials. Thus, CYP-dependent metabolism is associated with the adaptation of insect to host plant chemicals. This in turn is known to be one of the driving forces for CYP diversification. In the present study, we cloned seven gene fragments of CYP 4 (CYP4) family from the midgut of the beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua, through RT.PCT, Sequence analysis of the product showed the gene fragment to contain an open reading frame of ~150 amino acids, consisted of ~450 bp. The cloned gene fragments contained typical, conserved regions found in CYP4 family. Pairwise comparison of the deduced amino acid sequences among seven clones ranged in divergence from 0% to 52.86% and resulted in five distinct clones. The other two clones were identical or differ by one amino acid respectively to the corresponding clone, although each differed by ten nucleotides. Analysis of correlation between GenBank-registered, full length CYP4 and the cloned fragments resulted in statistically significant relationship ($r^{2}$ = 0.96085; p < 0.001), suggesting utility of the partial sequences as such full-length sequences. Phylogenetic analysis of the clones with GenBank-registered insect and mammal CYP4 family sequences by parsimony and several distance methods subdivided the clones into two groups: tones belonging to CYP4S and the others to CYP4M families.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Plant Biotechnology Conference
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• 2002.04a
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• pp.19-25
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• 2002

Biotechnology in the 21st century will be driven by three emerging technologies: genomics, high-throughput biology, and bioinformatics. These technologies are complementary to one another. A large number of economically important crops are currently subjected to whole genome sequencing. Functional genomics for determining the functions of the genes comprising the given plant genome is under progress by using various means including phenotyping data from transgenic mutants, gene expression profiling data from DNA microarrays, and metabolic profiling data from LC/mass analysis. The aim of plant molecular breeding is shifting from introducing agronomic traits such as herbicide and insect resistance to introducing quality traits such as healthful oils and proteins, which will lead to improved and nutritional food and feed products. Plant molecular breeding is also expected to aim to develop crops for producing human therapeutic and industrial proteins.

• Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.11-18
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• 2007

Mechanisms of insecticide resistance found in insects may include three general categories. Modified behavioral mechanisms can let the insects avoid the exposure to toxic compounds. The second category is physiological mechanisms such as altered penetration, rapid excretion, lower rate transportation, or increased storage of insecticides by insects. The third category relies on biochemical mechanisms including the insensitivity of target sites to insecticides and enhanced detoxification rate by several detoxifying mechanisms. Insecticides metabolism usually results in the formation of more water-soluble and therefore more readily eliminated, and generally less toxic products to the host insects rather than the parent compounds. The representative detoxifying enzymes are general esterases and monooxygenases that catalyze the toxic compounds to be more water-soluble forms and then secondary metabolism is followed by conjugation reactions including those catalyzed by glutathione S-transferases (GSTs). However, a change in the resistant species is not easily determined and the levels of mRNAs do not necessarily predict the levels of the corresponding proteins in a cell. As genomics understands the expression of most of the genes in an organism after being stressed by toxic compounds, proteomics can determine the global protein changes in a cell. In this present review, it is suggested that the environmental proteomic application may be a good approach to understand the biochemical mechanisms of insecticide resistance in insects and to predict metabolomic changes leading to physiological changes of the resistant species.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.145-150
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• 2002

Biotechnology in the 21st century will be driven by three emerging technologies: genomics, high-throughput biology, and bioinformatics. These technologies are complementary to one another. A large number of economically important crops are currently subjected to whole genome sequencing. Functional genomics for determining the functions of the genes comprising the given plant genome is under progress by using various means including phenotyping data from transgenic mutants, gene expression profiling data from DNA microarrays, and metabolic profiling data from LC/mass analysis. The aim of plant molecular breeding is shifting from introducing agronomic traits such as herbicide and insect resistance to introducing quality traits such as healthful oils and proteins, which will lead to improved and nutritional food and feed products. Plant molecular breeding is also expected to aim to develop crops for producing human therapeutic and industrial proteins.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.35 no.2 s.137
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• pp.175-178
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• 2004

The cricket has been used in East Asia as crude drugs for treating fever and hypertension, and is presently reared as a pharmaceutical insect in China and a food for animals. For the purpose of evaluating protective extracts against alcohol-induced toxicity, the extracts of the cricket (Gryllus bimaculatus) were examined in animal models acutely administered alcohol by the cricket in ICR-mice. Water and methanol extracts from the cricket, were found to cause a significant decrease (37%) in the blood ethanol concentration as well as enhancement of liver mitochondrial alcohol dehydogenase (ADH) and acetaldehyde dehydogenase (ALDH) activitieson on a single intraperitoneal administration in mice. Futhermore methanol extract was demonstrated to exhibit more potent enhancing activity on ethanol metabolism than water extract. These results suggest that water/alcohol extract of G. bimaculatus may be used as a food for reducing the toxicity of alcohol.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.296-306
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• 2019

BACKGROUND: Temperature is known to be the main factor affecting development, growth and reproduction of organisms and also a physical factor directly related to insect survival. Insects as ectothermal species should be responsive to climate changes for their survival and develop various survival strategies under the unfavorable temperature such as low temperature. The purpose of this study is to identify genes contributing to adaptation of low temperature. METHODS AND RESULTS: To identify genes contributing to adaptation of low temperature, the transcriptomic data were obtained from fat body in Plutella xyostella larvae via next generation sequencing. We identified structural proteins, heat shock proteins, antioxidant enzymes, detoxification proteins, and cryoprotectant mobilization and biosynthesis-related proteins. Genes encoding chitinase, cuticular protein, Hsp23, chytochrome protein, Glutathione S transferase, and phospholipase 2 were up-regulated under low temperature. Proteins related to energy metabolism such as UDP-glycosy ltransferase, trehalase and trehalose transporter were down-regulated. CONCLUSION: When insect pests were exposed to low temperature, changes in gene expression of fat body could provide some hints for understanding temperature adaptation strategies.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.549-557
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• 2016

Aphids are a large group of hemipteran pests that affect the physiology, growth, and development of plants by using piercing mouthparts to consume fluids from the host. Based an recent data, aphids modulate the microbiomes of plants and thereby affect the overall outcome of the biological interaction. However, in a few reports, aboveground aphids manipulate the metabolism of the host and facilitate infestations by rhizosphere bacteria (rhizobacteria). In this study, we evaluated whether aphids alter the plant resistance that is mediated by the bacterial community of the root system. The rhizobacteria were affected by aphid infestation of pepper, and a large population of gram-positive bacteria was detected. Notably, Paenibacillus spp. were the unique gram-positive bacteria to respond to changes induced by the aphids. Paenibacillus polymyxa E681 was used as a rhizobacterium model to assess the recruitment of bacteria to the rhizosphere by the phloem-sucking of aphids and to test the effect of P. polymyxa on the susceptibility of plants to aphids. The root exudates secreted from peppers infested with aphids increased the growth rate of P. polymyxa E681. The application of P. polymyxa E681 to pepper roots promoted the colonization of aphids within 2 days of inoculation. Collectively, our results suggest that aphid infestation modulated the root exudation, which led to the recruitment of rhizobacteria that manipulated the resistance of peppers to aphids. In this study, new information is provided on how the infestation of insects is facilitated through insect-derived modulation of plant resistance with the attraction of gram-positive rhizobacteria.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.53-62
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• 2012

Silkworm larvae often suffer from viral infections causing heavy losses to the economy of silk industry. Insects exhibit both humoral and cellular immune responses that are effective against various pathohens like bacteria, fungi, protozoa, etc., but no insect immune responses is effective against viral infection. To obtain genes related to insect antiviral immunity from Bombyx mori, the cDNA library was constructed from B. mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV)-infected B. mori. From the cDNA library, we selected 411 differentially expressed clones, and the 5' ends of the inserts were sequenced to generate ESTs. In this work, 135 unigenes were generated after the assembly of 411 differentially expressed clones ESTs. Of these 135 unigenes, we selected 109 antiviral response-related candidates except 26 clones that high similarity with genes derived from BmNPV. Among 109 unigenes, a total of 80% had significant matches to genes from other organisms in the database, wheres 20% of the unigenes had not matched in the database. Functional groups of these sequences with matches in database were constructed according to their putative biological function. Three largest categories were control of cellular oraganization (52%), metabolism (20%), and protein fate (10%). The genetic information reported in this study will provide more information about antiviral-related genes in silkworms.