• Molecules and Cells
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• 제37권11호
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• pp.795-803
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• 2014

To withstand ever-changing environmental stresses, plants are equipped with phytohormone-mediated stress resistance mechanisms. Salt stress triggers abscisic acid (ABA) signaling, which enhances stress tolerance at the expense of growth. ABA is thought to inhibit the action of growth-promoting hormones, including brassinosteroids (BRs). However, the regulatory mechanisms that coordinate ABA and BR activity remain to be discovered. We noticed that ABA-treated seedlings exhibited small, round leaves and short roots, a phenotype that is characteristic of the BR signaling mutant, brassinosteroid insensitive1-9 (bri1-9). To identify genes that are antagonistically regulated by ABA and BRs, we examined published Arabidopsis microarray data sets. Of the list of genes identified, those upregulated by ABA but downregulated by BRs were enriched with a BRRE motif in their promoter sequences. After validating the microarray data using quantitative RT-PCR, we focused on RD26, which is induced by salt stress. Histochemical analysis of transgenic Arabidopsis plants expressing RD26pro:GUS revealed that the induction of GUS expression after NaCl treatment was suppressed by co-treatment with BRs, but enhanced by co-treatment with propiconazole, a BR biosynthetic inhibitor. Similarly, treatment with bikinin, an inhibitor of BIN2 kinase, not only inhibited RD26 expression, but also reduced the survival rate of the plant following exposure to salt stress. Our results suggest that ABA and BRs act antagonistically on their target genes at or after the BIN2 step in BR signaling pathways, and suggest a mechanism by which plants fine-tune their growth, particularly when stress responses and growth compete for resources.

• 생명과학회지
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• 제17권2호통권82호
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• pp.235-240
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• 2007

본 연구는 Affymetrix Arabidopsis DNA chip을 이용하여 비 병원성 인자인 AvrRpt2 단백질에 의해서 특이적으로 전사 과정이 조절되는 애기장대 유전자들을 분리하고 병 저항성 방어체계와 관련한 이들 유전자들의 기능 분석을 시도하였다. 그 중에서 먼저 식물 호르몬인 ethylene의 신호 조절에 관여하는 ERFs (ethylene-responsive element binding factors) 전사조절 유전자 family 중에서 Bla subfamily 그룹으로 알려져 있는 AtERF11 유전자의 병 저항성 관련 기능을 규명하였다. 저항성 유전자 RPS2가 없는 경우에는 비 병원성 인자인 AvrRpt2 단백질은 기주 식물체내의 기초 병저항성을 감소시키고 병원성 세균의 증식을 향상시켜서 병증을 증대시키는 effector로 작용한다는 기존의 연구결과와 유사하게, 저항성 유전자 RPS2가 없는 조건에서 AtERF11 유전자의 발현이 AvrRpt2 단백질의 작용에 의해서 특이적으로 감소되는 것을 확인하였다. 이러한 결과를 바탕으로 AtERF11 유전자는 식물체의 병 저항성 방어기작에 있어서 positive regulator로서 작용하기 때문에 effector로 작용하는 AvrRpt2 단백질에 의해서 조절되는 것으로 추측하였다. 본 가설을 증명하기 위해 AtERF11의 발현을 증폭시킨 애기장대 형질전화체를 제작하고 P. syringae pv. tomato DC 3000에 대한 병저항성을 실험하였다. AtERF11 유전자가 대량 발현하는 형질전화 된 애기장대에서는 야생종에 비해 대략 100배 이상 세균의 증식이 억제되는 강력한 병저항성을 가진다는 것을 검증하였다.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제23권2호
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• pp.161-169
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• 2007

We identified two alternatively spliced variants of the peroxisomal targeting signal 1 (PTS1) receptor protein Pex5ps in monocot (rice, wheat, and barley) but not in dicot (Arabidopsis and tobacco) plants. We characterized the molecular and functional differences between the rice (Oryza sativa) Pex5 splicing variants OsPex5pL and OsPex5pS. There is only a single-copy of OsPEX5 in the rice genome and RT-PCR analysis points to alternative splicing of the transcripts. Putative light-responsive cis-elements were identified in the 5' region flanking OsPEX5L and Northern blot analysis demonstrated that this region affected light-dependent expression of OsPEX5 transcription. Using the pex5-deficient yeast mutant Scpex5, we showed that OsPex5pL and OsPex5pS are able to restore translocation of a model PTS1 protein (GFP-SKL) into peroxisomes. OsPex5pL and OsPex5pS formed homo-complexes via specific interaction domains, and interacted with each other and OsPex14p to form hetero-complexes. Although overexpression of OsPex5pL in the Arabidopsis pex5 mutant (Atpex5) rescued the mutant phenotype, overexpression of OsPex5pS only resulted in partial recovery.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• 제35권6호
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• pp.684-691
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• 2019

Evolution of adaptive mechanisms to abiotic stress is essential for plant growth and development. Plants adapt to stress conditions by activating the abscisic acid (ABA) signaling pathway. It has been suggested that the ABA receptor, clade A protein phosphatase, SnRK2 type kinase, and SLAC1 anion channel are important components of the ABA signaling pathway. In this study, we report that the shaker type potassium (K⁺) channel, GORK, modulates plant responses to ABA and abiotic stresses. Our results indicate that the full length of PP2CA is needed to interact with the GORK C-terminal region. We identified a loss of function allele in gork that displayed ABA-hyposensitive phenotype. gork and pp2ca mutants showed opposite responses to ABA in seed germination and seedling growth. Additionally, gork mutant was tolerant to the NaCl and mannitol treatments, whereas pp2ca mutant was sensitive to the NaCl and mannitol treatments. Thus, our results indicate that GORK enhances the sensitivity to ABA and negatively regulates the mechanisms involved in high salinity and osmotic stresses via PP2CA-mediated signals.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• 제38권1호
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• pp.94-104
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• 2011

Salt stress is a major environmental factor influencing plant growth and development. To identify salt tolerance determinants, we systematically screened salt sensitive rice mutants by use of the Activator/Dissociation (Ac/Ds) transposon tagging system. In this study, we focused on the salt sensitive mutant line, designated SSM-1. A gene encoding a NAC transcription factor homologue was disrupted by the insertion of a Ds transposon into SSM-1 line. The OsNAC075 gene (EU541472) has 7 exons and encodes a protein (486-aa) containing the NAC domain in its N-terminal region. Sequence comparison showed that the OsNAC075 protein had a strikingly conserved region at the N-terminus, which is considered as the characteristic of the NAC protein family. OsNAC075 protein was orthologous to Arabidopsis thaliana ANAC075. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed OsNAC075 belonged to the OsNAC3 subfamily, which plays an important role in response to stress stimuli. RT-PCR analysis showed that the expression of OsNAC075 gene was rapidly and strongly induced by stresses such as NaCl, ABA and low temperature ($4^{\circ}C$). Our data suggest that OsNAC075 holds promising utility in improving salt tolerance in rice.

• 한국식물생명공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국식물생명공학회 2005년도 추계학술대회 및 한일 식물생명공학 심포지엄
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• pp.9-21
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• 2005

To study the biochemical and physiological role of the plastidic glucose transporter (pGlcT) in carbohydrate metabolism, we characterized transgenic plants with mutations in the pGlcT gene (GT), gt-1 and gt-2, as well double mutants of GT and the maltose transporter (MEX1) and GT and the triose phosphate/phosphate translocator (TPT), GT and the cytosolic fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase gene (cFBP), and MEX1 and TPT, gt-1/mex2, gt-1/tpt-2, gt-1/cfbp-1, mex1-1/tpt-2, respectively. Compared to the wild type, all mutants except the gt-1/cfbp-1 mutant lines displayed higher starch accumulation and higher levels of maltose. Starch accumulation is due to a decrease in starch turnover, leading to an imbalance between the rates of synthesis and degradation. Sucrose levels of gt alleles were higher than those in wild-type plants during the light period, suggesting possible nightly supplementation via the maltose transport pathway to maintain proper carbohydrate partitioning in the plant leaves. The gt plants displayed less growth retardation than mex1-1 mutant and gt-1/mex2 double mutant displayed accumulativesevere growth retardation as compared to individual gt-1 and mex1-1 mutants, implying that the maltose transporter-mediated pathway is a major route for carbohydrate partitioning at night. The gt-1/tpt-2, mex1-1/tpt-2 and gt-1/cfbp-1 double mutants had retarded growth and low chlorophyll content to differing degrees, indicating that photosynthetic capacity had diminished. Interestingly, the gt-1/tpt-2 line displayed a glucose-insensitive phenotype and higher germination rates than wild type, suggesting its involvement not only in carbon partitioning, but also in the sugar signaling network of the pGlcT and TPT.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제28권5호
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• pp.463-472
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• 2009

Although the possible cellular roles of several ubiquitin-specific proteases (UBPs) were identified in Arabidopsis, almost nothing is known about UBP homologs in rice, a monocot model plant. In this report, we searched the rice genome database (http://signal.salk.edu/cgi-bin/RiceGE) and identified 21 putative UBP family members (OsUBPs) in the rice genome. These OsUBP genes each contain a ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase (UCH) domain with highly conserved Cys and His boxes and were subdivided into 9 groups based on their sequence identities and domain structures. RT-PCR analysis indicated that rice OsUBP genes are expressed at varying degrees in different rice tissues. We isolated a full-length cDNA clone for OsUBP6, which possesses not only a UCH domain, but also an N-terminal ubiquitin motif. Bacterially expressed OsUBP6 was capable of dismantling K48-linked tetra-ubiquitin chains in vitro. Quantitative real-time RT-PCR indicated that OsUBP6 is constitutively expressed in different tissues of rice plants. An in vivo targeting experiment showed that OsUBP6 is predominantly localized to the nucleus in onion epidermal cells. We also examined how knock-out of OsUBP6 affects developmental growth of rice plants. Although homozygous T3 osubp6 T-DNA insertion mutant seedlings displayed slower growth relative to wild type seedlings, mature mutant plants appeared to be normal. These results raise the possibility that loss of OsUBP6 is functionally compensated for by an as-yet unknown OsUBP homolog during later stages of development in rice plants.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• 제38권4호
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• pp.285-292
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• 2011

식물 잎의 발달과정에서 heteroblasty는 외부 환경에 대한 식물의 형태적 적응 방법을 매우 잘 반영하며 이에 따른 변화는 기관의 최종 형태와 크기에 영향을 미친다. Heteroblasty를 나타내는 인자 중에서 leaf index는 단엽식물의 잎의 최종 모양과 크기를 나타내는 대표적인 인자이다. Leaf index는 결국 잎몸에서의 세포 증식과 세포 신장의 두 요인에 의해 결정된다. 비록 세포의 증식과 신장을 조절하는 유전자와 조절 기작들이 연구되고 있으나 큰 청사진을 제시하기에는 아직 미흡하다. 본 연구에서는 발달과정 중 잎의 leaf index 조절에 관여하는 유전자를 밝히고 그 조절 기작을 알아내기 위하여 애기장대 돌연변이체를 이용한 분자유전학적, 생리학적인 실험을 수행하였다. 잎과 잎 세포가 커지는 돌연변이체인 macrophylla (mac)를 선발하여 잎의 확장과정과 leaf index의 이상으로 인해 잎 기관의 모양뿐 만 아니라 heteroblasty에 변화가 발생했다는 사실을 밝혀냈다. 또한 이 돌연변이체는 기존에 알려진 ROTUNDIFOLIA3 (ROT3) 유전자의 점 돌연변이에 의해 일어났다고 판명되었고 mac/rot3-5로 명명되었다. 브라시노스테로이드 처리로 인해 ROT3 유전자의 발현이 음성 되먹임 저해를 받는 것으로 보아 ROT3 유전자가 브라시노스테로이드 생합성에 관여함을 제시하였다. 또한 암상태에서 ROT3 유전자의 발현이 증가하며, mac/rot3-5 돌연변이체가 야생형보다 암반응이 약하게 나타났다. 이러한 분석 결과를 토대로 본 논문은 ROT3 유전자가 잎의 확장과정에서 잎의 leaf index 조절과 고유한 heteroblasty의 정립에 중요한 역할을 수행하며, 브라시노스테로이드 호르몬의 조절을 통하여 음지회피성과 같은 환경조절반응을 수행하고 있다는 새로운 사실을 제시하였다.

• Interdisciplinary Bio Central
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• 제1권1호
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• pp.1.1-1.5
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• 2009

Many organisms control their physiology and behavior in response to the local light environment, which is first perceived by photoreceptors that undergo light-dependent conformational changes. Phytochromes are one of the major photoreceptors in plants, controlling wide aspects of plant physiology by recognizing the light in red (R) and far-red (FR) spectra. Higher plants have two types of phytochromes; the photo-labile type I (phyA in Arabidopsis) and photo-stable type II (phyB-E in Arabidopsis). Phytochrome B (phyB), a member of the type II phytochromes in Arabidopsis, shows classical R and FR reversibility between the inter-convertible photoisomers, Pr and Pfr. Interestingly, the Pr and Pfr isomers show partitioning in the cytosol and nucleus, respectively. In the over 50 years since its discovery, it has been thought that the type II phytochromes only function to mediate R light. As described in the text, we have now discovered phyB has an active function in FR light. Even striking is that the R and FR light exert an opposite effect. Thus, FR light is not simply nullifying the R effect but has an opposing effect to R light. What is more interesting is that the phyB-mediated actions of FR and R light occur at different cellular compartment of the plant cell, cytosol and nucleus, respectively, which was proven through utilization of the cytosolic and nuclear-localized mutant versions of phyB. Our observations thus shoot down a major dogma in plant physiology and will be considered highly provocative in phytochrome function. We argue that it would make much more sense that plants utilize the two isoforms rather than only one form, to effectively monitor the changing environmental light information and to incorporate the information into their developmental programs.

• 한국작물학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국작물학회 2017년도 9th Asian Crop Science Association conference
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• pp.20-20
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• 2017

Plant genomes include heterochromatic loci that consist of repetitive sequences and transposable elements. LTR retrotransposon is the major class of transposons in advanced plants in terms of proportion in plant genome. The elements contribute not only to genome size but also to genome stability and gene expression. A number of cases have been reported transposon insertions near genic regions affect crop traits such as fruit pigments, stress tolerance, and yields. Functional LTR retrotransposons produce extrachromosomal DNA from genomic RNA by reverse transcription that takes place within virus-like-particles (VLPs). DECREASED DNA METHYLATION 1 (DDM1) plays important roles in maintaining DNA methylation of heterochromatin affecting all sequence contexts, CG, CHG, and CHH. Previous studies showed that ddm1 mutant exhibits massive transcription of retrotransposons in Arabidopsis, but only few of them were able to create new insertions into the genome. RNA-dependent RNA POLYMERASE 6 (RDR6) is known to function in restricting accumulation of transposon RNA by processing the transcripts into 21-22 nt epigenetically activated small interfering RNA (easiRNA). We purified VLPs and sequence cDNA to identify functional LTR retrotransposons in Arabidopsis ddm1 and ddm1rdr6 plants. Over 20 LTR copia and gypsy families were detected in ddm1 and ddm1rdr6 sequencing libraries and most of them were not reported for mobility. In ddm1rdr6, short fragments of ATHILA gypsy elements were detected. It suggests easiRNAs might regulate reverse transcription steps. The highest enriched element among transposon loci was previously characterized EVADE element. It has been reported that active EVADE element is more efficiently silenced through female germline than male germline. By genetic analyses, we found ddm1 and rdr6 mutation affect maternal silencing of active EVADE elements. DDM1-GFP protein accumulated in megaspore mother cell but was not found in mature egg cell. The fusion protein was also found in early embryo and maternal DDM1-GFP allele was more dominantly expressed in the embryo. We observed localization of DDM1-GFP in Arabidopsis and DDM1-YFP in maize and found the proteins accumulated in dividing zone of root tips. Currently we are looking at cell cycle dependency of DDM1 expression using maize system. Among 10 AGO proteins in Arabidopsis, AGO9 is specifically expressed in egg cell and shoot meristematic cells. In addition, mutation of AGO9 and RDR6 caused failure in maternal silencing, implying 21-22 nt easiRNA pathway is important for retrotransposon silencing in female gametophyte or/and early embryo. On the other hand, canonical 24 nt sRNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) pathways did not contribute to maternal silencing as confirmed by this study. Heat-activated LTR retrotransposon, ONSEN, was not silenced by DDM1 but the silencing mechanisms require RdDM pathways in somatic cells. We will propose distinct mechanisms of LTR retrotransposons in germline and somatic stages.