A5101742017- Invertebrate Immune Response Mechanisms
- Insect symbiosis and bacterial influences
- Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research
- Insect Resistance and Genetics
- Insect and Pesticide Research
- Antimicrobial Peptides and Activities
- Insect Utilization and Effects
- Mosquito-borne diseases and control
- Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior
- Plant and animal studies
- Insect Pest Control Strategies
- Viral Infectious Diseases and Gene Expression in Insects
- Vector-Borne Animal Diseases
- Insect-Plant Interactions and Control
- Biochemical and Structural Characterization
- RNA Interference and Gene Delivery
- Phytochemistry and Bioactive Compounds
- Curcumin's Biomedical Applications
- Healthcare and Venom Research
- Enzyme Production and Characterization
- Carbohydrate Chemistry and Synthesis
- Transgenic Plants and Applications
- Circadian rhythm and melatonin
- CRISPR and Genetic Engineering
- Silk-based biomaterials and applications
Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology
1997-2023
University of California, Riverside
2002-2016
Seoul National University
2015
Michigan State University
2008
Kettering University
2008
University of Geneva
2007
Johns Hopkins University
2007
Colorado State University
2005
Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
1998
Mosquitoes are vectors of parasitic and viral diseases immense importance for public health. The acquisition the genome sequence yellow fever Dengue vector, Aedes aegypti (Aa), has enabled a comparative phylogenomic analysis insect immune repertoire: in Aa, malaria vector Anopheles gambiae (Ag), fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster (Dm). Analysis signaling pathways response modules reveals both conservative rapidly evolving features associated with different functional gene categories...
To overcome burden of mosquito-borne diseases, multiple control strategies are needed. Population replacement with genetically modified mosquitoes carrying antipathogen effector genes is one the possible approaches for controlling disease transmission. However, transgenic phenotypes based on overexpression a single type molecule not efficient in interrupting pathogen Here, we show that co-overexpression two antimicrobial peptides (AMP), Cecropin A, and Defensin Aedes aegypti results...
Significance Mosquitoes transmit some of the most dangerous human diseases. Microarray analysis developmental gene dynamics in female Aedes aegypti fat body has demonstrated that 6,146 genes are differentially expressed during juvenile hormone-dependent posteclosion development. These show striking temporal and functional separation. A RNAi microarray screen revealed a differential action Met down- up-regulation early late PE, respectively. Thus, this study provides substantial evidence...
Juvenile hormone (JH) governs a great diversity of processes in insect development and reproduction. It plays critical role controlling the gonadotrophic cycles female mosquitoes by preparing tissues for blood digestion egg development. Here, we show that Aedes aegypti JH III control gene expression is mediated heterodimer two bHLH-PAS proteins—the receptor methoprene-tolerant (MET) Cycle (CYC, AAEL002049). We identified CYC as MET-interacting protein using yeast two-hybrid screening....
Signaling by Drosophila Toll pathway activates two Rel/NF-kappaB transcription factors, Dorsal (Dl) and Dorsal-related immune factor (Dif). Dl plays a central role in the establishment of dorsoventral polarity during early embryogenesis, whereas Dif mediates receptor-dependent antifungal response adult Drosophila. The absence ortholog mosquito genomes suggests that may play its functional Toll-mediated innate responses. We have cloned molecularly characterized gene homologous to Anopheles...
In the mosquito Aedes aegypti, expression of two fat body genes involved in lipid metabolism, a carrier protein lipophorin (Lp) and its receptor (LpRfb), was significantly increased after infections with Gram (+) bacteria fungi, but not (-) bacteria. The these enhanced infection Plasmodium gallinaceum. RNA interference (RNAi) knockdown Lp strongly restricted development oocysts, reducing their number by 90%. Vg-DeltaREL1-A transgenic mosquitoes, gain-of-function phenotype Toll/REL1 immune...
The mosquito immune system is involved in pathogen-elicited defense responses. NF-κB factors REL1 and REL2 are downstream transcription activators of Toll IMD pathways, respectively. We have used genome-wide microarray analyses to characterize fat-body-specific gene transcript repertoires activated by either or two transgenic strains the Aedes aegypti. Vitellogenin promoter was each strain ectopically express (REL1+) (REL2+) a sex, tissue, stage specific manner. There significant change...
Insects impact human health through vector-borne diseases and cause major economic losses by damaging crops stored agricultural products. Insect-specific growth regulators represent attractive control agents because of their safety to the environment humans. We identified plant compounds that serve as juvenile hormone antagonists (PJHANs). Using yeast two-hybrid system transformed with mosquito JH receptor a reporter system, we demonstrate PJHANs affect receptor, methoprene-tolerant (Met),...
Significance Juvenile hormone is unique to arthropods and controls numerous essential functions in these organisms. Its receptor, Methoprene-tolerant, turns on genes by directly binding E-box–like motifs their regulatory regions. However, how juvenile represses has remained unclear. Here, we used the Aedes aegypti female mosquito, which necessary for reproductive maturation, show that repressor Hairy required gene-repressive action of Methoprene-tolerant. Moreover, demonstrate a corepressor,...
Reverse genetics is a powerful tool for understanding gene functions and their interactions in the mosquito innate immunity. We took transgenic approach, combination with RNA interference (RNAi) technique, to elucidate role of REL1, homolog Drosophila Dorsal, regulation Toll immune pathway Aedes aegypti. By transforming mosquitoes DeltaREL1-A or double-stranded construct REL1 driven by female fat body-specific vitellogenin (Vg) promoter pBac[3xP3-EGFP, afm] vector, we generated two different...
The fungal-specific immune response in the mosquito Aedes aegypti involves Toll pathway transduced through REL1, a homologue of NF-kappaB transcription factor Drosophila Dorsal. receptor and its ligand, Spätzle (Spz), link extracellular signals to intracellular transduction pathway. Five homologues (Toll1) (Toll1A, Toll1B, Toll5A, Toll5B, Toll4) three cytokine (Spz1A, 1B, 1C) were identified from genomic cDNA sequence data bases. Toll1A, Spz1A specifically induced fat body following fungal...
Prophenoloxidases (PPOs) are key enzymes of the melanization reaction, which is a prominent defense mechanism arthropods. The mosquito Aedes aegypti has ten PPO genes in genome, four (PPO1, PPO3, PPO5, and PPO8) were expressed response to microbial infection. Cactus depletion resulted transcriptional activation these genes, suggesting this up-regulation be under control Toll pathway. silencing also led developmental arrest death avian malaria parasite, Plasmodium gallinaceum. We discovered...
The lack of genetic means has been a serious limitation in studying mosquito immunity. We generated Relish-mediated immune deficiency (RMID) by transforming Aedes aegypti with the Δ Rel transgene driven vitellogenin ( Vg ) promoter using pBac[3xP3-EGFP, afm] vector. A stable transformed line had single copy Vg-ΔRel transgene. expression was highly activated blood feeding, and transgenic mosquitoes were extremely susceptible to infection Gram-negative bacteria. This RMID phenotype...
The Rel/NF-κB transcription factor Relish performs a central role in the acute-phase response to microbial challenge by activating immune antibacterial peptides. We cloned and molecularly characterized gene homologous Drosophila from mosquito Aedes aegypti . Unlike Relish, has three alternatively spliced transcripts encoding different proteins. First, predominant transcript of 3.9 kb contains both Rel-homology domains inhibitor κB (IκB)-like domain, which is similar mammalian p105 p100...
The impact of Autographa californica multicapsid nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) infection on host gene expression in Spodoptera exigua 4th instar larvae was investigated through the use 454 sequencing-based RNA-seq cDNA libraries developed from insects challenged with active AcMNPV or heat-inactivated AcMNPV.By comparing two libraries, we show that 201 genes are significantly up-regulated and 234 down-regulated by infection. Down-regulated included encoding antimicrobial peptides, namely...
Calotropis procera R. Br., a traditional medicinal plant in India, is promising source of commercial proteases, because the cysteine proteases from exhibit high thermo-stability, broad pH optima, and plasma-clotting activity. Though several such as Procerain, Procerain B, CpCp-1, CpCp-2, CpCp-3 have been isolated characterized, information their transcripts limited to cDNAs encoding mature peptides. Due this limitation, study, determine cDNA sequences full open reading frame these were...
We previously identified a novel lectin cDNA from the fall webworm [Shin et al. (1998) Insect Biochem. Mol. Biol. 28, 827-837], which encodes two carbohydrate recognition domains (CRD-N and CRD-C) is up-regulated following bacterial challenge. The lipopolysaccharide (LPS) binding activities of recombinant CRD-N CRD-C (rCRD-N rCRD-C) were investigated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. LPS rCRD-N rCRD-C was pH-dependent: at pH below 6.0, they show higher ability to LPS. inhibited both...
Abstract Wolbachia ‐like bacteria were observed in the egg cells of golden orb‐weaving spider, Nephila clavata , by means transmission electron microscopy. The exhibited typical morphology including three enveloping membranes. Based on amplification and sequencing partial 16S rDNA fts Z gene, identified as intracellular, transovarially inherited α‐proteobacteria invertebrates. Phylogenetic analysis based gene sequences invariably indicated that intracellular from N. belonged to group A which...