Publications by authors named "Soo-Dong Woo"

In the baculovirus expression system, recombinant viruses generated via bacmids often exhibit reduced expression and genetic stability of target genes during serial passages. This instability is thought to arise from the proximity of non-essential exogenous genes to the target gene insertion site. This study investigated the impact of the target gene insertion locus on its expression and stability within the recombinant viral genome.

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A baculovirus expression system (BES) for the production of recombinant proteins requires rapid and easy virus titer determination. In this study, a novel direct titration method was developed using a novel Sf9-QE cell line to easily and economically determine virus titers in a short time. This direct titration method can determine virus titers by directly counting the initially infected cells.

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The following study was conducted to generate a transgenic Sf9 cell line for rapid and easy virus quantification in the baculovirus expression system (BES). The hr3 (homologous region 3) and and promoters were used as the expression structures to induce rapid and intense expression of the enhanced green fluorescent protein gene in cells in response to viral infection. Of 20 transgenic Sf9 cell lines generated using the piggyBac system, the cell line that showed the highest fluorescence expression in the shortest time in response to viral infection was selected and named Sf9-QE.

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  • The poultry red mite (PRM) is a significant threat to egg-laying hens, causing health issues and economic losses in the poultry industry due to their blood-feeding behavior.
  • Concerns over chemical treatments for mites include resistance to miticides and potential egg contamination, leading to the exploration of biocontrol methods using entomopathogenic fungi.
  • A study tested 17 fungal strains from South Korea, finding that 16 showed acaricidal properties, with Metarhizium anisopliae causing 100% mortality in mites after just five days, highlighting the potential for these fungi in effective PRM management.
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  • The study aimed to enhance the production of virus-like particles (VLPs) for enterovirus 71 (EV71), which causes hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD).
  • Researchers focused on optimizing the expression levels of the P1 precursor protein and the 3CD protein necessary for cleaving P1, adjusting factors like promoter strength.
  • Findings showed that using a specific weakened promoter led to effective P1 and 3CD expression, resulting in high structural protein production and improved VLP formation for HFMD.
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In this study, the complete mitogenome of the entomopathogenic fungus 15 R, which is highly virulent to aphids and was isolated from Korean soil, was assembled and annotated for three ATP synthase subunits (6, 8, and 9), three cytochrome oxidase subunits (1, , and 3), apocytochrome b (), seven subunits of NADH dehydrogenase (12344L5, and 6), two ribosomal RNAs ( and ), and 19 tRNA genes. Five genes were carrying a total of eight introns, and they may encode ribosomal protein S3, LAGLIDADG and GIY-YIG endonucleases. Phylogenetic analysis based on the mitochondrial nucleotide sequence confirmed that the 15 R is a member of the Clavicipitaceae, and is closely related to the species and The mtDNA base sequence of the 15 R strain reported in this study is thought to be useful for biological resource genetic data.

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Beauveria bassiana, a representative entomopathogenic fungus, is increasingly being utilized as an eco-friendly pest management alternative to chemical insecticides. This fungus produces a range of insecticidal secondary metabolites that act as antimicrobial and immunosuppressive agents. However, detailed qualitative and quantitative analysis related to these compounds remains scarce, we developed a method for the rapid analysis of these metabolites.

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  • This study tested 342 types of fungi to find the most effective extracts for combating honeybee nosemosis, a disease caused by spores.
  • Among the tested fungi, 89 extracts demonstrated high inhibitory activity, and 44 of these maintained their effectiveness at 1% concentration.
  • Ultimately, two fungal extracts significantly reduced honeybee death rates and improved their survival, highlighting their potential as biocontrol agents against nosemosis.
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Entomopathogenic fungi have potential as biocontrol agents against insect pests, and mycovirus-mediated hypervirulence may enhance their efficacy. Before initiating research on hypervirulence, the presence or absence of double-stranded (ds) RNA elements was determined in 94 Korean entomopathogenic fungi. dsRNA elements varying in size from ca.

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This study examined the control of nosemosis caused by Nosema ceranae, one of the hard-to-control diseases of honey bees, using RNA interference (RNAi) technology. Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) for RNAi application targeted the mitosome-related genes of N. ceranae.

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This study was conducted to determine the optimal entomopathogenic fungus for the simultaneous control of the adults of two mosquito species, Aedes albopictus and Culex pipiens. The pathogenicity and virulence against the two species of mosquitoes were evaluated by using 30 isolates of Beauveria bassiana, an entomopathogenic fungus isolated from Korea that has high thermotolerance and UV-B tolerance. Regarding pathogenicity, 23 isolates were pathogenic to Ae.

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  • - It is commonly believed that the gene ORF1629 is crucial for baculovirus replication in insect cells, leading to the development of recombinant viruses through a baculovirus expression system.
  • - Researchers discovered that a bacmid (a modified baculovirus) could still proliferate in insect cells even when it lacked a complete ORF1629, indicating that the gene is not strictly necessary for replication.
  • - While ORF1629 is not essential, its absence resulted in slower growth rates and lower yields of the virus, along with larger but fewer occlusion bodies, affecting the overall production efficiency of baculoviruses like AcMNPV and BmNPV.
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  • The baculovirus expression system (BES) is effective for producing tough vertebrate proteins, and Ssp DnaB mini-intein serves as a beneficial fusion partner that can self-cleave under controlled conditions.
  • Recombinant viruses were created to express multiple proteins fused to the mini-intein, resulting in successful intracellular cleavage during infection, although the timing varied with each protein.
  • Overall, using Ssp DnaB mini-intein significantly boosted protein production, helping to counterbalance the loss from self-cleavage, and demonstrates its potential for easier purification and enhanced yields in BES applications.
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  • The study focuses on improving the purification process for spores of an intracellular fungal parasite that harms honey bees and increases their vulnerability to other pathogens.
  • By incorporating 2 mm beads and enzymatic treatments with collagenase and trypsin, researchers significantly increased the yield of spores extracted from the honey bee midgut.
  • The optimal treatment duration was found to be one hour, and a simple filtration method effectively removed cell debris, making this technique useful for purifying other similar fungal spores as well.
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The green peach aphid (), a plant pest, and gray mold disease, caused by , affect vegetables and fruit crops all over the world. To control this aphid and mold, farmers typically rely on the use of chemical insecticides or fungicides. However, intensive use of these chemicals over many years has led to the development of resistance.

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Unlabelled: ORF11 (ac11) of Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) is a highly conserved gene with unknown function. To determine the role of ac11 in the baculovirus life cycle, an ac11 knockout mutant of AcMNPV, Ac11KO, was constructed. Northern blot and 5' rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) analyses revealed that ac11 is an early gene in the life cycle.

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Mamestra brassicae nucleopolyhedrovirus-K1 (MabrNPV-K1) was isolated from naturally infected M. brassicae (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) larvae in Korea. The full genome sequences of MabrNPV-K1 were determined, analysed and compared to those of other baculoviruses.

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  • ORF78 (ac78) is a core gene in the AcMNPV virus, but its function was previously unknown.
  • Researchers created a mutant strain, Ac78KO, to study ac78's role, finding that it is a late gene essential for virus production.
  • The study showed that while ac78 is involved in creating infectious viruses, it does not affect viral DNA replication and is crucial for forming occlusion bodies.
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To enhance the production efficiency of foreign protein in baculovirus expression systems, the effects of polyhedrin fragments were investigated by fusion expressing them with the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP). Recombinant viruses were generated to express EGFP fused with polyhedrin fragments based on the previously reported minimal region for self-assembly and the KRKK nuclear localization signal (NLS). Fusion expressions with polyhedrin amino acids 19 to 110 and 32 to 110 lead to localization of recombinant protein into the nucleus and mediate its assembly.

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A novel recombinant baculovirus, NeuroBactrus, was constructed to develop an improved baculovirus insecticide with additional beneficial properties, such as a higher insecticidal activity and improved recovery, compared to wild-type baculovirus. For the construction of NeuroBactrus, the Bacillus thuringiensis crystal protein gene (here termed cry1-5) was introduced into the Autographa californica nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) genome by fusion of the polyhedrin-cry1-5-polyhedrin genes under the control of the polyhedrin promoter. In the opposite direction, an insect-specific neurotoxin gene, AaIT, from Androctonus australis was introduced under the control of an early promoter from Cotesia plutellae bracovirus by fusion of a partial fragment of orf603.

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A novel recombinant bacmid, bEasyBac, that enables the easy and fast generation of pure recombinant baculovirus without any purification step was constructed. In bEasyBac, attR recombination sites were introduced to facilitate the generation of a recombinant viral genome by in vitro transposition. Moreover, the extracellular RNase gene from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, barnase, was expressed under the control of the Cotesia plutellae bracovirus early promoter to negatively select against the non-recombinant background.

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Although, classical swine fever virus (CSFV) envelope glycoprotein E2 subunit vaccine has been developed using the baculovirus expression system, the expression of viral antigens in baculovirus-infected insect cells is often ineffective. Therefore, an alternative strategy to the traditional baculovirus expression system is needed that is more productive and effective. Here, we report a novel strategy for the large-scale production of a CSFV E2 in the larvae of a baculovirus-infected silkworm, Bombyx mori.

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  • - Monochamus saltuarius is a pest that spreads pine wilt disease, causing significant harm to pine trees in Korea.
  • - A fungus, identified as Beauveria bassiana and named MsW1, was isolated from dead M. saltuarius and showed potential as a biocontrol agent.
  • - Virulence tests indicated that B. bassiana MsW1 resulted in 100% mortality of M. saltuarius adults and larvae after 11 and 13 days, respectively.
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Previously, we found that expression by translational fusion of the polyhedrin (Polh)-green fluorescence protein (GFP) led to the formation of granular structures, and that these fluorescent granules were easily precipitated by high-speed centrifugation. Here, we developed an easy, fast, mass purification system using this baculovirus expression system (BES). An enhanced GFP (EGFP) fused with the Polh gene at the N-terminus, including a linker and enterokinase (EK) site between Polh and EGFP, was expressed in Sf9 cells.

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