The adventitious root of Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer is regarded as an efficient alternative to cell culture or hairy root culture for biomass production due to its fast growth and stable metabolite production. To determine optimal culture conditions for the bioreactor culture of ginseng roots, experiments have been conducted on physical and chemical factors such as bioreactor type, dissolved oxygen, gas supply, aeration, medium type, macro- and micro-elements, medium supplement during culture period, sucrose concentration, osmotic agents, medium pH and light. Elicitation is a key step to increase ginsenoside accumulation in the adventitious roots but biomass growth is severely inhibited by elicitor treatment. To obtain high ginsenoside content with avoiding biomass decrease, we applied two-stage bioreactor culture system. Ginseng adventitious roots were cultured for 40 days to maximize biomass increase followed by elicitation for 7 days to enhance ginsenoside accumulation. We also experimented on types and concentrations of jasmonate to determine optimal elicitation methods. In this paper, we discussed several factors affecting the root propagation and ginsenoside accumulation. Based on the results obtained from previous experiments we have established large-scale bioreactor system (1 ton-10 ton) for the efficient production of ginseng adventitious roots and bioactive compounds including ginsenoside. Still, experiments are on going in our laboratory to determine other bioactive compounds having effects on diet, high blood pressure, DPPH elimination and increasing memories.

The TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) transdermal plaster (also known as "cataplasma") are flexible adhesive patches used for treatment of any pain, resulted from arthritis, sprain and bruise, tendovaginitis, lumbar spine protrude, neuralgia, hyperosteogeny ache, abdominal discomfort and metastatic cancer, etc. This paper provides a review of the TCM transdermal agents for pain palliation and the preparation of these herbal patches.l patches.

Biotechnology is certainly one of the major landmarks in the 20th century history of science. It may produce enormous utility to human beings, but at the same time, it carries huge potential risks to the environment and public health. Thus, with a view to securing safety for the environment and public health in relation to the development and use of living modified organisms (LMOs), the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety was adopted, in which a regulation Procedure as to the transboundary movements, transportation, handling, and use of LMOs were drawn up. In order to prepare for the entry into force of the Protocol, the Republic of Korea legislated the "Act on the Transboundary Movements of living modified organisms(hereinafter referred as the 'Act')" in Mar 2001, and has pre-announced the enactments of the enforcement ordinance and the enforcement regulation to the Act. Pursuant to the Act, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy, as a Competent National Authority, is making efforts to implement domestic biosafety schemes in cooperation with other bio-related government ministries. In order for these efforts to reap fruits, industry, academia, and research institutions should cooperate with one another, and civic groups and NGOs should narrow the differences in opinions and timely respond to the fast-changing situations. Focusing on the precautionary principle, the Protocol puts a great emphasis on the importance of information sharing amongst countries, and the Act also follows this principle. In order to gurantee biosafety, countries around the world, including the ROK, agreed to establish National Biosafety Clearing, designed to provide the information on the export/import of LMOs, R'||'&'||'Ds, risk assessment, safety control, etc. and register it on the CBD Central Biosafety Clearing House.e.

The Ac (activator) which is one of the well-characterized transposable elements from maize was examined for its transposition possibility to the heterologous plant (P.nigra x maximowiczii) genome via Agrobacterium tumefacience (LBA4404) mediated transformation system. A number of transgenic plants were successfully recovered after 30 weeks by amount reduction from 50 to 15 g/$m\ell$ kanamycin for in vitro selection to minimize phytotoxic effects and to increase callus growth and regeneration efficiency. Among transgenic plants, 62 out of 106 transgenic poplars (58.5%) showed abnormal phenotypes such as severe serrated leaves and light leaf coloration. Indigo staining with X-gluc proved indirectly the restoration of Gus enzyme function and the presence of Ac in poplar genome by PCR. Southern analysis indicated the transposition and existence of Ac element in poplar genomes. In this research, an Agrobacterium-mediated transformation system in poplar species was developed and identified that Ac derived from maize can be excised and trans posed into other poplar genomes.

As a consequence of tissue culture of rice, RAPD analysis was peformed to determine whether extended culture periods as undifferentiated calli affected the subsequent genetic constancy, and whether any resulting DNA rearrangements could be detected between sibling plants produced from the same callus. Somaclonal variation was induced at the initial stage of tissue culture and it increased with the length of culture maintenance. Of the 192 total bands, the number of polymorphic bands was 22 (11.5%), 33 (17.2%), and 49 (25.5%) in the callus of 1,3, and 6 months culture, respectively. A significantly higher level of genotypic polymorphisms between regenerants from two different somaclones was also detected, although all the regenerants were derived from a single genotype. In comparison of DNA polymorphisms between regenerants from non-irradiated and from irradiated calli, a scope of variation spectrum by gamma ray irradiation was larger than that by tissue culture. Consideration must be given to this genomic variation where attempts are to be made to use desirable somaclonal variants for plant breeding purpose and in genetic engineering program.

Microspore-derived cell lines resistant to 5-methyltryptophan (5MT, a tryptophan analog) or S-(2-aminoethyl)-L-cysteine (AEC, a Iysine analog) were selected in rice by in vitro mutagenesis. For selection of 5MT or AEC resistant cell lines, suspension-cultured cells were irradiated with gamma rays. Thirteen 5MT resistant cell lines were selected and they were able to grow stably at 2 times higher 5MT concentration. A feedback insensitive form of anthranilate synthesis, the pathway specific control enzyme for tryptophan synthesis, was detected from the 5MT resistant lines. Contents of the free amino acids in five resistant lines (MR12-1 to MR12-5) showed a 7.4 to 46.6 times greater level than that in the control culture. Tryptophan, phenylalanine, and tyrosine levels in the shikimate pathway were 28.1 and 22.5 times higher in MR12-3 and MR12 4, respectively, than that measured in the control cells. Four AEC resistant cell lines were isolated from cultures grown on medium containing 1 mM AEC, They were able to grow stably with 2 mM AEC, while sensitive calli were inhibited by 0.5 mM AEC. Aspartate kinase activities of the resistant lines were insensitive to the natural inhibitor, Iysine, and accumulated 2.2 to 12.9-fold higher levels of free Iysine than that of the control cells. Especially, the levels of aspartate, asparagine, and methionine in the aspartate pathway showed higher accumulation in the AEC resistant lines than that in the control cells.

Resistant cell lines to azetidine-2-carboxylic acid (AZCA) were selected through rice embryo culture after mutagenic treatment of callus irradiated with 30,50,70,90 and 120 Gy. The optimum AZCA concentration for the selection of resistant cell lines was 3 or 4 mM AZCA considering $LD_{50}$ and the fresh weight of callus. Survival rate of the AZCA resistant callus showed remarkable increase in the callus irradiated with 50 and 70 Gy. Regeneration rate of the AZCA resistant callus was much lower on the whole. Ninety and 120 Gy increased the regeneration rate for calli selected from 3 and 4 mM AZCA, respectively. Based on fresh weight, survival rate and regeneration for selection of the AZCA resistant cell line, 50-90 Gy was considered as the optimum range of gamma irradiation. Irradiated calli selected from AZCA were more tolerant to NaCl than those from non-irradiated calli. It suggests that elevated resistance to osmotic stress resulted from mutagenic treatment. The level of free proline content in the AZCA resistant cell line was increased up to 3.5 times compared with that in the control. Proline content in the regenerant derived from the AZCA resistant cell line also increased to 1.7 times that from the control plants regenerated from callus grown in AZCA free medium. Selection of proline overproducing cell lines by in vitro mutagenesis was successful and seems to be useful for improvement of stress tolerance in this crop.

Doubled haploids have long been recognized as a valuable tool in plant breeding since it not only offers the quickest method of advancing heterozygous breeding lines to homozygosity, but also increased the selection efficiency over conventional procedures due to better discrimination between genotypes within any one generation. Salt tolerant mutants were obtained in rice the variety, 'Hawsungbyeo', through in vitro mutagenesis of in vitro cultured anther-derived calli. Various doses (30, 50, 70 and 90 Gy) of gamma ray were applied to investigate the effect of radiation on callus formation on medium containing 1% NaCl, green plant regeneration, frequency of selected doubled haploid mutants and of the salt tolerant screen. It was demonstrated that the dose of 30 and 50 Gy gamma rays had significant effects on callus formation, regeneration and selection of salt tolerance. No tolerant lines were obtained from non-mutagenized cultures. From gamma ray irradiated cultures, five tolerant lines ($M_2$generation) at germination stage and 13 tolerant lines ($M_3$genoration) at seedling stage were obtained. The frequency of salt tolerant mutants indicates that anther culture applied in connection with gamma rays is an effective way to improve salt tolerance.

Petiole explants from 20 cultivars of Catharanthus roseus were cultured on various shoot-inducing media to assess their competence for adventitious shoot formation. After eight weeks of culture on Murashige and Skoog' s medium supplemented with 4.4 $\mu\textrm{m}$6-benzyladenine and 0.5 $\mu\textrm{m}$ $\alpha$-naphthaleneacetic acid, petiole explants from 'Cooler Icy Pink' exhibited the greatest frequency of adventitious shoot formation at 40%, which was followed by 'Little Bright Eye'. By comparing with a previous study on assessment of competence for adventitious shoot formation in hypocotyl explant cultures of various cultures, it is indicated that the relative degree of their competence among cultivars varies to the organ used for the source of explant. Excised adventitious shoots were readily rooted on half-strength MS basal medium. Regenerated plantlets were successfully transplanted to potting soil and grown to maturity in a greenhouse.

Brassinosteroids are known to promote cell elongation in a wide range of plant species but their effect on cell division has not been extensively studied. The effect of brassinolide on the kinetics and final division frequencies of regenerating petal protoplasts of Petunia hybrida Vilm v. Comanche was examined. Under optimal auxin and cytokinin conditions, 10-100 nM brassinolide not only reduced the time of first cell division by 4.5 days but also altered the final division frequencies after 10 days of culture. One micromolar brassinolide showed the same acceleration of first cell division but inhibited the final division frequency by approximately 9%. Under sub-optimal auxin conditions, 10-100 nM brassinolide accelerated the first cell division, but no significant increase in the 8-10 days final division frequencies. Isolated protoplasts may provide a useful model system for the investigation of the molecular mechanisms of brassinosteroid action on cell division and proliferation in higher plants.

Brassinosteroids are known to promote cell elongation in a wide range of plant species but their effect on cell division has not been extensively studied. The effect of brassinolide on the kinetics and final division frequencies of regenerating petal protoplasts of Petunia hybrida Vilm v. Comanche was examined. Under optimal auxin and cytokinin conditions, 10-100 nM brassinolide not only reduced the time of first cell division by 4.5 days but also altered the final division frequencies after 10 days of culture. One micromolar brassinolide showed the same acceleration of first cell division but inhibited the final division frequency by approximately 9%. Under sub-optimal auxin conditions, 10-100 nM brassinolide accelerated the first cell division, but no significant increase in the 8-10 days final division frequencies. Isolated protoplasts may provide a useful model system for the investigation of the molecular mechanisms of brassinosteroid action on cell division and proliferation in higher plants.