• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.571-577
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• 2017

Abscisic acid (ABA) is an important phytohormone involved in abiotic stress tolerance in plants. The group A bZIP transcription factors play important roles in the ABA signaling pathway in Arabidopsis but little is known about their functions in rice. In our current study, we have isolated and characterized a group A bZIP transcription factor in rice, OsABF3 (Oryza sativa ABA responsive element binding factor 3). We examined the expression patterns of OsABF3 in various tissues and time course analysis after abiotic stress treatments such as drought, salinity, cold, oxidative stress, and ABA in rice. Subcellular localization analysis in maize protoplasts using a GFP fusion vector further indicated that OsABF3 is a nuclear protein. Moreover, in a yeast one-hybrid experiment, OsABF3 was shown to bind to ABA responsive elements (ABREs) and its N-terminal region found to be necessary to transactivate a downstream reporter. A homozygous T-DNA insertional mutant of OsABF3 is more sensitive to salinity, drought, and oxidative stress compared with wild type plants ＆ OsABF3OX plants. In addition, this Osabf3 mutant showed a significantly decreased sensitivity to high levels of ABA at germination and post-germination. Collectively, our present results indicate that OsABF3 functions as a transcriptional regulator that modulates the expression of abiotic stress-responsive genes through an ABA-dependent pathway.

• Korean Journal of Plant Tissue Culture
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.453-459
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• 2000

Three rice (Oryza sativa L. var Dong-Jin) mutants (DTR1, DTR2, DTR3) resistant to S-methyltryptophan (5MT) were selected by mutagenized M3 seeds. The frequency of chlorophyll mutations induced by the EMS (0.2%) treatment performed 2 hours after flowering is clearly higher than that induced by other treatments in M1 generation. Progeny obtained from the self-pollinating of 5MT-resistant lines segregated with 3 : 1 of resistant to sensitive ratio. Furthermore, the ratio of homozygote to heterozygote in 5MT-resistant plants of the M4 generation was 1：2. These results show that 5MT resistance was inherited as a single dominant nuclear gene. The resistance was also expressed in callus derived from seeds. Total free amino acid content in homozygous seeds of DTR1 and DTR2 showed about 1.7 fold-increased compared to the wild-type seeds. In particular, the levels of phenylalanine and Iysine were, respectively, 6.2 and 3.2 times higher than those in the wild-type seeds. However, seeds of DTR3 had lower levels of free amino acid than the wild-type seeds. This result indicate that these mutants as a significant step towards the production of new rice with balanced amino acid content.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.235-240
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• 2002

We report the new method for the screening of genetically modified potato by competitive duplex-PCR using the potato specific single oligomer primer for the internal control and CaMV 35S promoter or NOS terminator specific primers. The single oligomer primer (rAGU4A) amplify the potato specific internal control band from the homozygous potato genomic DNA in the RAPD profiles of all analyzed potato varieties. The 530 bp internal control DNA was amplified independently to CaMV 35S promoter or NOS terminator DNA and identified as repetitive or microsatellite DNA of potato (AF541972). With this new technique, the transgenic potatoes which were transformed with vectors contained the different foreign genes are analyzed. In case of the commercialized transgenic potato varieties, 'Hew Leafs', those two genetic factors are used for promoter and terminator respectively So, this new PCR technique should be a promising method of cost effective and accurate screening for the commercialized GM potatoes on market.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.423-430
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• 2006

A total of 367 isolates of Phytophthora infestans was collected from the leaf samples of late blight disease from five provinces in Korea over the three growing seasons of 2002-2004. Of the 367 isolates, 337 isolates were of the A1 mating type, and 30 isolates were of A2 mating type, showing that the majority was A1 mating type. Profiles of Gpi and Pep defined four allozyme genotypes among the total of 367 isolates. All four allozyme genotypes could be distinguished on the basis of Gpi profiles alone, whereas all isolates were homozygous at the Pep locus (100/100). The mitochondrial DNA haplotype of all isolates were the IIa haplotype. Amplification of the genomic DNAs extracted from eight isolates of each mating type by polymerase chain reaction with the selected primer (OPC-5 primer) produced a total of 20 DNA bands, of which 11 bands were polymorphic. According to the RAPD analysis using the OPC-5 primer, 106 isolates including two standard isolates were separated into 8 groups at the similarity level of 92.5%. The RAPD groups were not correlated with the allozyme genotypes and the isolated locations. All of the eight RAPD groups were identified in Gangwon-do, suggesting that Gangwon-do is the center of origin of the P. infestans in Korea. A 600-bp DNA band generated with the OPC-5 primer was specific to A1 mating type isolates, but not detected with A2 mating type, showing that the specific PCR primer can distinguish different mating types in P. infestans.

• Korean Journal of Plant Tissue Culture
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.13-18
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• 2000

To investigate the function of chloroplast small HSP, transgenic tobacco plants (Nicotiana tabacum L. cv. Samsun) that constitutively overexpress the chloroplast small HSP (NtHSP21) from N. tabacum cv. Petit Havana SR1 were generated. Five homozygous lines of transformants showing different constitutive expression levels of the NtHSP21 were selected. To determine whether constitutive overexpression of NtHSP21 protein affects thermotolerance, wild-type and transformants were grown in Petri dishes, heat-stressed at 52$^{\circ}C$ for 45 min, and then incubated in normal growth condition. When heat-stressed wild-type plantlets were incubated at $25^{\circ}C$, leaf color gradually became white and all trio plantlets finally died within a week. As for the transformants, however, more than 70% of them remained green and survived under the conditions in which all the wild-type plants were dying. It was also found that the levels of NtHSP21 were correlated with the degree of thermotolerance. These results suggest that the NtHSP21 protein in transformants is responsible for the increase in thermotolerance.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.205-210
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• 2008

To develop molecular markers linked to the $L^4$ locus conferring resistance to tobamovirus pathotypes in pepper plants, we performed AFLP with 512 primer combinations for susceptible (S pool) and resistant (R pool) DNA bulks against pathotype 1.2 of pepper mild mottle virus. Each bulk was made by pooling the DNA of five homozygous individuals from a T10 population, which was a near-isogenic $BC_4F_2$ generation for the $L^4$ locus. A total of 19 primer pairs produced scorable bands in the R pool. Further screening with these primer pairs was done on DNA bulks from T102, a $BC_{10}F_2$ derived from T10 by back crossing. Three AFLP markers were finally selected and designated L4-a, L4-b and L4-c. L4-a and L4-c each underwent one recombination event, whereas no recombination for L4-b was seen in 20 individuals of each DNA bulk. Linkage analysis of these markers in 112 $F_2$ T102 individuals showed that they were each within 2.5 cM of the $L^4$ locus. L4-b was successfully converted into a simple 340-bp SCAR marker, designated L4SC340, which mapped 1.8 cM from the $L^4$ locus in T102 and 0.9 cM in another $BC_{10}F_2$ population, T101. We believe that this newly characterized marker will improve selection of tobamovirus resistance in pepper plants by reducing breeding cost and time.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.44 no.10
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• pp.770-779
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• 2021

Transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana expressing an anti-rabies monoclonal antibody (mAb), SO57, was obtained using Agrobacterium-mediated floral dip transformation. The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) retention signal Lys-Asp-Glu-Leu (KDEL) was tagged to the C-terminus of the anti-rabies mAb heavy chain to localize the mAb to the ER and enhance its accumulation. When the inaccurately folded proteins accumulated in the ER exceed its storage capacity, it results in stress that can affect plant development and growth. We generated T₁ transformants and obtained homozygous T₃ seeds from transgenic Arabidopsis to investigate the effect of KDEL on plant growth. The germination rate did not significantly differ between plants expressing mAb SO57 without KDEL (SO plant) and mAb SO57 with KDEL (SOK plant). The primary roots of SOK agar media grown plants were slightly shorter than those of SO plants. Transcriptomic analysis showed that expression of all 11 ER stress-related genes were not significantly changed in SOK plants relative to SO plants. SOK plants showed approximately three-fold higher mAb expression levels than those of SO plants. Consequently, the purified mAb amount per unit of SOK plant biomass was approximately three times higher than that of SO plants. A neutralization assay revealed that both plants exhibited efficient rapid fluorescent focus inhibition test values against the rabies virus relative to commercially available human rabies immunoglobulins. KDEL did not upregulate ER stress-related genes; therefore, the enhanced production of the mAb did not affect plant growth. Thus, KDEL fusion is recommended for enhancing mAb production in plant systems.

• Plant Biotechnology Reports
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.317-324
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• 2009

The insecticidal toxin gene of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is one of the most commonly used in the development of genetically modified (GM) crops. In this research, we analyzed Bt rice showing lepidopteran pest-resistance. The Bt gene is a synthetic Cry1Ac composed of optimal codons for plants, and the Bt protein is targeted to the chloroplast by a transit peptide. Three Cry1Ac rice events (C103-3, C127-1, and C7-1) were analyzed for molecular characterization. C103-3 contains two copies of T-DNA where the left border (LB) region is truncated. Both C7-1 and C127-1 have a single copy of T-DNA, but a part of the vector backbone DNA is inserted into the genome of C127-1; thus, only C7-1 had intact T-DNA. Progenies of C7-1 crossed with the original cultivar, Nakdong, and double-haploid lines from anther culture of lines crossed with the elite cultivar, Dongjin, were analyzed for T-DNA flanking genomic DNA and genotyping. Results showed that an intact T-DNA region without the vector backbone was inserted into the genome and was stably inherited through generations. The C7-1 homozygous event could be used as breeding material to develop GM rice with pest resistance.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.72-79
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• 2013

Inactivation of the gene coding for dihydroflavonol 4-reductase (DFR) is responsible for the color difference between red and yellow onions (Allium cepa L.). Two inactive DFR-A alleles, DFR-$A^{PS}$ and DFR-$A^{DEL}$, were identified in our previous study. A functional marker was developed on the basis of the premature stop codon that inactivated the DFR-$A^{PS}$ allele. A derived cleaved amplified polymorphic sequences (dCAPS) primer was designed to detect the single nucleotide polymorphism, an A/T transition, which produced the premature stop codon. Digested PCR products clearly distinguished the homozygous and heterozygous red $F_2$ individuals. Meanwhile, to develop a molecular marker for detection of the DFR-$A^{DEL}$ allele in which entire DFR-A gene was deleted, genome walking was performed and approximately 3 kb 5' and 3' flanking sequences of the DFR-$A^R$ coding region were obtained. PCR amplification using multiple primers binding to the extended flanking regions showed that more of the extended region of the DFR-A gene was deleted in the DFR-$A^{DEL}$ allele. A dominant simple PCR marker was developed to identify the DFR-$A^{DEL}$ allele using the dissimilar 3' flanking sequences of the DFR-A gene and homologous DFR-B pseudogene. Distribution of the DFR-$A^{PS}$ and DFR-$A^{DEL}$ alleles in yellow onion cultivars bred in Korea and Japan was surveyed using molecular makers developed in this study. Results showed predominant existence of the DFR-$A^{PS}$ allele in yellow onion cultivars.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Sericultural Science Conference
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• 1997.06a
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• pp.23-49
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• 1997

This is a progress report of rice biotechnology including development of gene transformation system, gene cloning and molecular mapping in rice. The scope of the research was focused on the connection between conventional breeding and biotech-researches. Plant transformation via Agrobacterium or particle bombardment was developed to introduce one or several genes to recommended rice cultivars. Two chimeric genes containing a maize ribosome inactivating protein gene (RIP) and a gerbicide resistant gene (bar) were introduced to Nipponbare, a Japonica cultivar, and transmitted to Korean cultivars. The homozygous progenies of herbicide resistant transgenic plant showed good fertility and agronomic characters. To explore the genetic resourses in rice, over 8,000 cDNA clones from immature rice seed have been isolated and sequenced. About 13% of clones were identified as enzymes related to metabolic pathway. Among them, twenty clones have high homology with genes encoding enzymes in the photorespiratory carbon cycle reaction. Up to now about 100 clones were fully sequenced and registered at EMBL and GenBank. For the mapping of quantitative tarits loci (QTL) and eternal recombinant inbred population with 164 F13 lines (MGRI) was developed from a cross between Milyang 23 and Gihobyeo, Korean rice cultivars. After construction of fully saturated RFLP and AFLP map, quantitative traits using MGRI population were analyzed and integrated into the molecular map. Eighty seven loci were determined with 27 QTL characters including yield and yield components on rice chromosomes. Map based cloning was also tried to isolate semi-dwarf (sd-1) gene in rice. A DNA probe, RG 109, the most tightly linked to sd-1 gene was used to screen from bacterial artifical chromosome (BAC) libraries and five over lapping clones presumably containing sd-1 gene were isolated. Rice genetic database including results of biotech reasearch and classical genetics is provided at Korea Rice Genome Server which is accessible with world wide web (www) browser. The server provides rice cDNA sequences and map informations linked with phenotypic images.