• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.97-105
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• 2009

Seed storage lipids of plants, essential for seed germination as energy supplier, have been used for humankind and animal as nutrition sources. Fatty acids of vegetable oils have the characters appropriate for industry based on their chain length, the position and the number of double bonds. So they are used as raw materials for lubricants, cosmetics, soaps, paints and plastics or as energy source such as bio-diesel. However, there is a limit that applies vegetable oils from typical oil crops for industrial uses, mainly because of the mixture of five common fatty acids. Therefore, identification of unusual fatty acids for industrial uses from diverse plant resources and metabolic engineering to produce unusual fatty acids have been carried out in Arabidopsis as a model for the study of oilseed biology. Here, we discuss the unusual fatty acids for industrial uses, the genes synthesizing them in lipid metabolism, and the current limits in production of transgenic plants accumulating unusual fatty acid in their seeds. In addition, we describe our work on metabolic engineering of Brassica napus for the production of the unusual fatty acid ricinoleic acid in the seed, because of its industrial uses.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.9-18
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• 2000

Using differential display techniques, a new acidic pathogenesis-related (PR) protein-1 cDNA (GMPRla) gene was isolated from a cDNA library of soybean (Glycinemax L.Merr, cultivar Jangyup) hypocotyls infected by Phytophthora sojae f. sp. glycines. The 741 bp of fulllength GMPRla clone contains an open reading frame of 525 nucleotides encoding 174 amino acid residues (pI 4.23) with a putative signal peptide of 27 amino acids in the N-terminus. Predicted molecular weight of the protein is 18,767 Da. The deduced amino acid sequence of GMPRla has a high level of identity with PR-1 proteins from Brassica napus, Nicotiana tabacum, and Sambucus nigra. The GMPRla mRNA was more strongly expressed in the incompatible than the compatible interaction. The transcript accumulation was induced in the soybbean hypocotyls by treatment with ethephon or DL-$\beta$-amino-n-butyric acid, but not by wounding. In situ hybridization data showed that GMPRIa mRNAs were usually localized in the vascular bundle of hypocotyl tissues, especially phloem tissue. Differences between compatible and incompatible interactions in the timing of GMPRla mRNA accumulation were remarkable, but the spatial distribution of GMPRla mRNA was similar in both interactions. However, more GMPRla mRNA was accumulated in soybean hypocotyls at 6 and 24 h after inoculation.

• Journal of Plant Biology
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.91-99
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• 1983

The formation of chlorophyll-protein complexes (CP-complexes) during the greening of rape cotyledons (Brassica napus cv. Yongdang) was investigated by the SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The total chlorophyll content and Chl a/b ratio were also determined. In addition, the effects of dark treatment on the CP-complex patterns during greening have been examined with respect to their photosynthetic electron transport activity. Greening has brought about the increasein total chlorophyll content and the decrease in Chl a/b ratio, but there have been no changes in Chl a/b ratio after 24 hrs of greening. The light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b-protein complex (LHCP-complex0 was predominant during the initial greening period. Thereafter, the amout of chlorophyll a-protein complex (CP I-complex) was gradually increased. Twenty-four-hr dark treatment immediately after illumination for 6 hrs and 12 hrs resulted in the increase of the Chl a/b ration and the CP I complex, otherwise the decrease of the LHCP-complex. The LHCP/CP I ratio was gradually decreased with further greening, and appeared no change after 48 hrs illumination. The investigation of the photosynthetic electron transport activity indicated that photosystem (PS) II activity (H2Olongrightarrowp-PD*＋FeCy**) did not change, but the activity of PS I was increased suddenly due to the dark treatment. The data suggests that the increase of CP I-complex may result in that of P-700, that is, the increase of PS I activity.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.279-282
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• 2008

This study describes a phytoplasmal disease occurring in Petunia leaves grown in the glasshouse of the National Horticultural Research Institute, Suwon, Korea. Abnormal growth like flattened stem with flower malformation or phyllody was observed from the plant. The DNA extracted from the diseased leaves was amplified using a universal primer pair of P1/P6 derived from the conserved 16S rRNA gene of Mollicutes giving the expected polymerase chain reaction(PCR) product of 1.5 kb. In the nested PCR assays, the expected DNA fragment of 1.1 kb was amplified with the specific primer pair R16F1/R16R1 that was designed on the basis of aster yellows(AY) phytoplasma 16S rDNA sequences. The 1.1 kb PCR products were cloned and nucleotide sequences were determined, and the sequences of the cloned 168 rRNA gene were deposited in the GenBank database under the accession no. of EU267779. Analysis of the homology percent of the 168 rDNA of PFS-K showed the closest relationship with Hydrangea phyllody phytoplasma(AY265215), Brassica napus phytoplasma(EU123466) and AY phytoplasma CHRY(AY180956). Phytoplasma isolated from the diseased Petunia was designated as Petunia flat stem phytoplasma Korean isolate(PFS-K) in this study. Flattened stem occurring in Petunia was confirmed as infection of AY group of phytoplasma by determination of 16S rRNA gene sequences of phytoplasma and microscopic observation of phytoplasma bodies. This is the first report on the phytoplasmal disease in Petunia in Korea.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.431-434
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• 2000

To examine the allelopathic potentials of Chrysanthemum boreale, aqueous extracts and essential oil of the plant were used in these experiments. Seed germination of the receptor species was inhibited by the aqueous extracts and the inhibitory effect was increased in proportion to the concentration of extracts. In contrast, seedling elongation showed varied results. Achyranthes japonica, Bidens bipinnata, Raphanus sativus var. hortensis for. acanthiformis, Plantago asiatica, Pimpinella brachycarpa and Lactuca sativa were inhibited by increasing concentration of the aqueous extract, while Brassica campestris subsp. napus var. pekinensis and Echinochloa crus-galli were stimulated by the extract. Dry weight was also inhibited proportionally by increasing concentration of the aqueous extract, while some species were stimulated by a lower concentration of the extract. The volatile substances of C. boreale did not affect the seed germination of receptor plants, but seedling elongation and dry weight of some species were inhibited dose-dependently. Root hair development of selected plants was inhibited along with the concentration of essential oil. The above mentioned results, therefore, confirmed that the natural substances from C. boreale had allelopathic potentials to other plants.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.242-252
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• 2012

Seed storage oils are essential resources for not only human and animal diets but also industrial applications. The primary goal of this study was to increase seed oil content through comparative analysis of two seed-specific promoters, AtFAE1 from Arabidopsis Fatty Acid Elongase 1 gene and BnNapin from Brassica napus seed storage protein gene. AtWRI1 and AtDGAT1 genes encoding an AP2-type transcription factor and a Diacylglycerol Acyltransferase 1 enzyme, respectively, were expressed under the control of AtFAE1 and BnNapin promoters in Arabidopsis. The total seed oil content in all transgenic plants was increased by 8-11% compared with wild-type seeds. The increased level of oil content in AtWRI1 and AtDGAT1 transgenic lines under the control of both promoters was similar, although the activity of the BnNapin promoter is much stronger than that of AtFAE1 promoter in the mature stage of developing seeds where storage oil biosynthesis occurs at a maximum rate. This result demonstrates that the AtFAE1 promoter as well as the BnNapin promoter can be used to increase the seed oil content in transgenic plants.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.69-76
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• 1998

This study was conducted to construct of the transgenic plants wliich are resistant to oxidative stresses including ozone with B. mpestris cytosolic glutathione reductase cDNA using the binary vector system of Agrobacterium tumefaciens. The 1.8kb B. campestris cytosolic GR cDNA was subcloned into the unique Sma I site of the plant transformation vector pBKSI- I, downstream of the constitutive CaMV 35s promoter and upstream of the nos termination sequence, in place of the uidA (GUS) reporter gene. The resulting plant transformation vector, pBKS-GRI, was introduced into A. tumefaciens LBA4404 by two cycles of tkeze-thaw method. The B. nqus cotyledonary petioles were transformed by the Agrubaferium harboring pBKS-GRI. Transformed shoots were induced and selected on regeneration medium supplemented with kanarnycin. The shoot formation was increased remarkably by addition of Ag$NO_3$, in MS media. The transgenic plants were analyzed for the presence of the B. campestris GR gene by Southern blot analysis and it was confirmed that a foregin gene was stably integrated into the genomes of B. nqus plants.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.231-238
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• 1997

Six rape (Brassica napus subsp. oleifera) cultivars have been recommended as the government recommended forage cultivars since 1984, however, the forage performance and quality have been mostly tested at two locations, such as Suweon in the Middle Northwestern Coast Region and Sunghwan in the Middle Southwestern Coast Region. Therefore, the objective of this experiment was to retest the forage performance and quality of already recommended four government rape cultivars at five scattered locations, such as Icheon, Suweon, Sunghwan, Keongsan and Kwangju fiom 1992 to 1994 with the intention of improving recommendations to dairy farmers. Among the rape cultivars tested, 'Bamapoli' and 'Sparta' (including 'Ramon' at Kwangju) gave the highest yields at all locations in 1992-94, whereas 'Akela' had the lowest yield. Mean plant heights varied fiom 50 to 69cm and 'Bamapoli' was the tallest rape, followed by 'Sparta', 'Ramon' and 'Akela' at all locations. Mean ADF contents for rape cultivars ranged fiom 16.7% for 'Akela' to 19.3% for 'Bamapoli', while mean NDF contents ranged fiom 22.3% for 'Akela' to 24.9% for 'Bamapoli'. The government recommended rape cultivars tested were generally well adapted across the country, however, in forage production situations in the fall where high yield is more important, 'Bamapoli', 'Sparta' and 'Ramon' might be preferable.

• Carbon letters
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.188-194
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• 2008

Porous carbon materials synthesized from various plant derived precursors i.e. seeds of [Castor (Ricinus communis), Soap nut (Sapindus sp.), Cashew-nut (Semecarpus anacardium), Jack fruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus), Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius), Ambadi (Crotolaria juncea), Neem (Azadirachta indica), Bitter Almond (Prunus amygdalus), Sesamum (Sisamum indicum), Date-palm (Phoenix dactylifera),Canola (Brassica napus), Sunflower (Helianthus annulus)] and fibrous materials from [Corn stem- (Zea mays), Rice straw (Oryza sativa), Bamboo (Bombax bambusa) and Coconut fibers (Cocos nucifera)] were screened to make supercapacitor in 5M KOH solution. Carbon material obtained from Jack fruit seeds (92.0 F/g), Rice straw (83.0 F/g), Soap nut seeds (54.0 F/g), Castor seeds (44.34 F/g) and Bamboo (40.0 F/g) gave high capacitance value as compared to others. The magnitude of capacitance value was found to be inversely proportional to the scan rate of measurement. It is suggested that carbon material should possess large surface area and small pore size to get better value of capacitor. Moreover, the structure of carbon materials should be such that majority of pores are in the plane parallel to the plane of electrode and surface is fluffy like cotton ball.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.15 no.6 s.73
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• pp.1034-1036
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• 2005

Chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris ssp. napus var. pekinensis Makino) seeds/seedlings were transformed via vacuum-infiltration with recombinant Agrobacterium tumefaciens LBA4404 cells. The agroinfiltration method was determined to be unsuccessful for Chinese cabbage transformation during the analysis of hepatitis B surface antigen expression by ELISA. However, treatment of sodium hypochlorite solution, prior to agroinfiltration, to pregerminated or germinating 1 day- or 2 days-old seeds was proven effectively to enhance transformation efficiency, suggesting that chemical wounding caused by sodium hypochlorite reaction might facilitate Agrobacterium infection and, therefore, transient gene expression in Chinese cabbage sprouts.