• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.275-281
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• 2014

The ozone depletion has caused plants to be exposed to an increased penetration of solar ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation. Enhanced UV-B radiation may have influence on biological functions of plant in many aspects including inhibition of photosynthesis. It is evident that UV-B can potentially impair the performance of all three main component processes of photosynthesis, the photophosphorylation reactions of the thylakoid membrane, the $CO_2$-fixation reactions of the Calvin cycle and stomatal control of $CO_2$ supply. Owing to these depressed reactions, the production and allocation of carbohydrates might be markedly affected, and therefore, the growth and development of plant are distinctly reduced. In this review paper, we provide basic theory and further researches in terms of photosynthesis and carbohydrate synthesis in response to elevated UV-B radiation.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.539-548
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• 2010

Potassium ($K^+$) is one of the most abundant cations in higher plant. It comprises about 10% of plant dry weight and it plays roles in numerous functions such as osmo- and turgor regulation, charge balance of plasma membrane and control of stomata and organ movement. Several potassium transporters and potassium channels regulate $K^+$ homeostasis in response to $K^+$ uptake systems. In this review, we describe the biological, biochemical and physiological characteristics of shaker like potassium channels in higher plant. Especially, we searched the rice genome databases and analysized expressed genes, genome structures and protein domain characteristics of shaker like potassium channels.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Crop Science Conference
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• 2017.06a
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• pp.110-110
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• 2017

Stomata are the main gateways for water and air transport between leaves and the environment. Inward-rectifying potassium channels regulate photo-induced stomatal opening. Rice contains three inward rectifying shaker-like potassium channel proteins, OsKAT1, OsKAT2 and OsKAT3. Among these, only OsKAT2 is specifically expressed in guard cells. Here, we investigated the functions of OsKAT2 in stomatal regulation using three dominant negative mutant proteins, OsKAT2(T235R), OsKAT2(T285A) and OsKAT2(T285D), which are altered in amino acids in the channel pore and at a phosphorylation site. Yeast complementation and patch clamp assays showed that all three mutant proteins lost channel activity. However, among plants overexpressing these mutant proteins, only plants overexpressing OsKAT2(T235R) showed significantly less water loss than the control. Moreover, overexpression of this mutant protein led to delayed photo-induced stomatal opening and increased drought tolerance. Our results indicate that OsKAT2 is an inward-rectifying shaker-like potassium channel that mainly functions in stomatal opening. Interestingly, overexpression of OsKAT2(T235R) did not cause serious defects in growth or yield in rice, suggesting that OsKAT2 is a potential target for engineering plants with improved drought tolerance without yield penalty.