• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.102-110
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• 2013

The novel BrRZFPs genes encoding C3HC4-type RING zinc finger protein were identified from FOX (full length cDNA over-expressing) library of Brassica rapa. Ten full-length cDNAs obtained from the library encode zinc-finger protein containing 346 amino acids, designated BrRZFPs. These genes were classified into four groups by phylogenic analysis showing conserved protein sequences at both termini. The tissue distribution of BrRZFPs transcription was examined by qRT-PCR revealing ubiquitous expression pattern. However, each gene was strongly expressed in the specific tissue. Transcriptional analysis showed that those acquired 10 genes were inducible under abiotic stresses. Likewise, the transcript of BrRZFP3 was strongly induced (~12-folds) by exogenous abscisic acid, whereas the transcripts of BrRZFP1, BrRZFP2 and BrRZFP3 were (> 9-folds) induced by cold. We suggest that these BrRZFPs that function as signal or response to abiotic stress are useful for crop improvement.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.195-206
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• 2005

Spatial and temporal expression of pathogenesis-related (PR) gene and proteins has been recognized as inducible defense response in pepper plants. Gene expression and/or protein accumulation of PR-1, $\beta-1,3-glucanase$ and chitinase was predominantly found in pepper plants during the inoculations by Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria, Phytophthora capsici and Colletotrichum coccodes. PR-1 and chitinase genes were also induced in pepper plants in response to environmental stresses, such as high salinity and drought. PR-1 and chitinase gene expressions by biotic and abiotic stresses were regulated by their own promoter regions containing several stress-related cis-acting elements. Overexpression of pepper PR-1 or chitinase genes in heterogeneous transgenic plants showed enhanced disease resistance as well as environmental stress tolerances. In this review, we focused on the putative function of pepper PR-1, $\beta-1,3-glucanase$ and chitinase proteins and/or genes at the biochemical, molecular and cytological aspects.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.255-260
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• 2009

The translation elongation factor 1A, eEF1A, catalyzes the binding of aminoacyl-tRNA to the A-site of the ribosome by a GTP-dependent mechanism. By subtractive suppression hybridization technique, we have isolated a soybean low-temperature inducible gene, SLTI100 encoding translation elongation factor 1A. Multiple sequence alignments and phylogenic analysis showed that SLTI100 and other eEF1As originated from diverse organisms are highly conserved. RNA expression of SLTI100 was specifically induced by low temperature, high salt, ABA, or drought stress. Based on the subcellular localization of the corresponding gene product fused to GFP, we were able to confirm that SLTI100-GFP was restricted to the nucleus and cytoplasm. We propose that soybean eEF1A may play an important role in translational regulation during abiotic stress responses in plants.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2016

Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) is an abundant form of genetic variation within individuals of species. DNA polymorphism can arise throughout the whole genome at different frequencies in different species. SNP may cause phenotypic diversity among individuals, such as individuals with different color of plants or fruits, fruit size, ripening, flowering time adaptation, quality of crops, grain yields, or tolerance to various abiotic and biotic factors. SNP may result in changes in amino acids in the exon of a gene (asynonymous). SNP can also be silent (present in coding region but synonymous). It may simply occur in the noncoding regions without having any effect. SNP may influence the promoter activity for gene expression and finally produce functional protein through transcription. Therefore, the identification of functional SNP in genes and analysis of their effects on phenotype may lead to better understanding of their impact on gene function for varietal improvement. In this mini-review, we focused on evidences revealing the role of functional SNPs in genes and their phenotypic effects for the purpose of crop improvements.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.53-58
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• 2002

Adverse environmental conditions such as drought, high salt and cold/freezing are major factors that reduces crop productivity worldwide. According to a survey, 50-80% of the maximum potential yield is lost by these "environmental or abiotic stresses", which is approximately ten times higher than the loss by biotic stresses. Thus, improving stress-tolerance of crop plants is an important way to improve agricultural productivity, In order to develop such stress-tolerant crop plants, we set out to identify key stress signaling components that can be used to develop commercially viable crop varieties with enhanced stress tolerance. Our primary focus so far has been on the identification of transcription factors that regulate stress responsive gene expression, especially those involved in ABA-mediated stress response. Be sessile, plants have the unique capability to adapt themselves to the abiotic stresses. This adaptive capability is largely dependent on the plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA), whose level increases under various stress conditions, triggering adaptive response. Central to the response is ABA-regulated gene expression, which ultimately leads to physiological changes at the whole plant level. Thus, once identified, it would be possible to enhance stress tolerance of crop plants by manipulating the expression of the factors that mediate ABA-dependent stress response. Here, we present our work on the isolation and functional characterization of the transcription factors.n factors.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.300-304
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• 2008

Cysteine proteinases play an essential role in plant growth and development but also in senescence and programmed cell death. They participate in both anabolic and catabolic processes. In addition, they are involved in signalling pathways and in the response to biotic and abiotic stresses. A cDNA clone encoding cysteine proteinase (CP) gene, designated PgCysP1, was isolated from Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer. Reverse transcriptase (RT)-PCR results showed that PgCysP1 expressed at different level in P. ginseng hairy root. Different stresses such as biotic as well as abiotic stresses triggered a significant induction of PgCysP1. The positive responses of PgCysP1 to the various stimuli suggested that PgCysP1 may help to protect the plant against reactive environmental stresses.

• Plant Resources
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.202-208
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• 2005

Osmotic stress is one of major limiting factors in crop production. In particular, seasonal drought often causes the secondary disease in the field, resulting in severe reduction in both quality and productivity. Recent efforts have revealed that many genes encoding protein kinases play important roles in osmotic stress signal transduction pathways. Previously, the AtSIK (Arabidopsis thaliana Stress Inducible Kinase) mutants have shown to enhance tolerance to abiotic stresses, accompanying with higher expression of abiotic stress-related genes than did the wild-type plants. In this study, we have transformed potato (cv. Taedong Valley) with the AtSIK expression cassette. Both PCR and RT-PCR using AtSIK-specific primers showed stable integration and expression of the AtSIK gene in individual transgenic lines, respectively. Foliar application of herbicide ($Basta^{(R)}$) at commercial application rate (0.3% (v/v)) revealed another evidence of stable gene introduction of T-DNA which includes the bar gene for herbicide resistance. Overexpression of the AtSIK gene under dual CaMV35S promoter increased sensitivity to salt stress (300 mM NaCl), which was demonstrated by the reduction rate of chlorophyll contents in leaves of transgenic potato lines. These results suggest that possible increase of osmotic tolerance in potato plants may be achieved by antisense expression of AtSIK gene.

• Plant Breeding and Biotechnology
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.123-133
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• 2017

AP2/EREBP gene family consists of transcription factor genes with a conserved AP2 DNA-binding domain and is involved in various biological processes. AP2/EREBP gene families were identified through genome-wide searches in five Cucurbitaceae species including cucumber, wild cucumber, melon, watermelon, and bitter gourd, which consisted of more than 100 genes in each of the five species. The gene families were further divided into five groups including four subfamilies (ERF, DREB, AP2 and RAV) and a soloist group. Among the subfamilies, DREB subfamily which is known to be related to abiotic stress response was more analyzed and a total of 25 genes were identified as Cucurbitaceae homologues of Arabidopsis CBF/DREB1 genes which are important for abiotic stress-response and tolerance. In silico expression profiling using RNA-Seq data revealed diverse expression patterns of cucumber AP2/EREBP genes. AP2/EREBP gene families identified in this study will be valuable for understanding the stress response mechanism as well as facilitating molecular breeding in Cucurbitaceae crops.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Crop Science Conference
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• 2017.06a
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• pp.27-27
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• 2017

The rapid growth of world population, reduction of cultivated areas for crop production, and detrimental effects of pests, diseases, and climate changes have required to breed new rice cultivars with high yield, accepted quality, but strong resistance to abiotic and biotic stresses. However, traditional breeding needs much time to breed a new cultivar, whereas the successful use of molecular breeding is still questionable. We have developed a novel mutation which allow to cross many rice cultivars together with low segregation, that allow to breed a new cultivar in only several cropping. The mechanism has been unknown, but we suggest that gene linkage may play a crucial role, of which the semi dwarf gene might be the center gene for gene linkage occurrence. The phenomenon of this possible gene linkage is contrary to Mendel rules, but it is promising to breed new rice cultivars, of which, the most elite genes in rice might be able to gather in a targeted rice variety.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.198-202
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• 2013

To produce transgenic cucumber expressing Nit gene coffering abiotic resistance, the cotyledonary-node explants of cucumber (cv. Eunsung) were inoculated with A. tumefaciens transformed with pPZP211 or pCAMBIA2300 carrying Nit gene, that has cis-acting element involved in resistance to various abiotic environmental stresses. After co-cultivation, the procedures of selection, shoot initiation, shoot elongation, and plant regeneration were followed by cotyledonary-node transformation method (CTM, Jang et al. 2011). The putative transgenic plants were selected when shoots were grown to a length greater than 3 cm from the cotyledonary-node explants on selection medium supplemented with 100 mg/L paromomycin as a selectable agent. The confirmation of transgenic cucumber was based on the genomic PCR, Southern blot analysis, RT-PCR, and Northern blot analysis. A 105 shoots (4.12%) selected from the selection mediums were obtained from 2,547 explants inoculated. Of them, putative transgenic plants were only confirmed with 45 plants (1.77%) by genomic PCR analysis. Transgenic plants showed that the Nit genes integrated into each genome of 39 plants (1.53%) by Southern blot analysis, and the expression of gene integrated into cucumber genome was only confirmed at 6 plants (0.24%) by RT-PCR and Northern blot analysis. These results lead us to speculate that the genes were successfully integrated and expressed in each genome of transgenic cucumber.