• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.375-383
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• 2008

It is well known that NtMEK2, a tobacco MAPK kinase, is the upstream kinase of both salicylic acid-induced protein kinase and wound-induced protein kinase. In addition, expression of $NtMEK2^{DD}$, a constitutively active mutant of NtMEK2, is known to induce multiple defense responses in tobacco. In this study, transgenic rice plants that contained an active or inactive mutant of NtMEK2 under the control of a steroid inducible promoter were generated and used to determine if a similar MAPK cascade is involved in disease resistance in rice. The expression of $NtMEK2^{DD}$ in transgenic rice plants resulted in HR-like cell death. The observed cell death was preceded by the activation of endogenous rice 48-kDa MBP kinase, which is also activated by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae, the bacterial blight pathogen of rice. In addition, prolonged activation of the MAPK induced the generation of hydrogen peroxide and up-regulated the expression of defense-related genes including the pathogenesis-related genes, peroxidases and glutathione S-transferases. These results demonstrate that NtMEK2 is functionally replaceable with rice MAPK kinase in inducing the activation of the downstream MAPK, which in turn induces multiple defense responses in rice.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Plant Pathology Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.75.2-75
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• 2003

To develop an effective protection strategy against tomato bushy stunt virus (TBSV), tobacco plants expressing single-chain Fv antibodies (scFv), were established. A previous had shown that the replication activity of viral replicase was inhibited by the selected scFvs. Moreover, no systemic symptom was found after virus inoculation on leaves of wt N. benthamiana infiltrated with an Agrobacterium suspension resulting i3l expression of the scFvs. However, control plants showed systemic symptoms. In this study the localization of the scFvs within two transgenic plant lines, (CP28H3, CP-P55) was demonstrated using immunogold labelling. The gold particles, indicating the presence of scFv, were mostly found In the cytoplasm of the plant cells including chloroplasts and in the cell walls. However, they were hardly found in the vacuole, nucleoplasm and intercellular spaces. Gold particles often accumulated in either the cytosol or chloroplasts showing a specific labeling, There was no difference in type of gold labeling between both transgenic lines. The localization of the scFv in the cytoplasm further conforms the inhibition of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) by the selected scFv because it is known that the RdRp is localized to membraneous cytosolic structures.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.224-231
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• 1995

To increase the expression of a foreign protein in transgenic plant, the benefits of 5'-untranslated leader sequences of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) RNA or soybean glycinin gene, Gy2, fused to a protein coding sequence were exploited. pGA643-derived plasmid contains 355 promoter of cauliflower mosaic virus, protein coding sequence of maize 10 kDa zein (10kZ) and Gy2 terminator. The leader from Gy2 or TMV RNA was inserted between the promoter and the coding sequence in each construct. The recombinant DNAs were introduced into tobacco plants by Agrobacterium mediated leaf disc transformation method. Although the transgene without the leader had more transcripts than the others, mRNAs containing the leader were translated more efficiently. It might be due to difference in the length of 5'-untranslated sequence and context surrounding the AUG codon, but could be sequence specific rather. These results suggest that the leader sequences of Gy2 and TMV play important roles as an enhancer in translational control of foreign gene in transgenic tobacco plant.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.399-403
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• 2003

In order to understand the protection effects of antioxidant enzymes against oxidative stress caused by various environmental stresses, transgenic tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum cv, Xanthi) plants expressing both copper/zinc superoxide dismutase (CuZnSOD) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) in chloroplasts (referred to as CA plants) were subjected to highlight (1,100$\mu$mol m$^{-2}$ sec$^{-1}$) and chilling at 4$^{\circ}C$. The protection effects of CA plants using leaf discs were compared with those of transgenic plants expressing either CuZnSOD or APX in chloroplasts (SOD plants or APX plants, respectively) and non-transgenic (NT) plants. CA plants showed about 15％ protection in the photosynthetic efficiency (Fv/Fm) of photosystem II relative to NT plants 1 hr after treatment of both highlight and chilling, whereas they showed about 23％ protection in the redox state of P700 in photosystem I at 3 hr after treatment. SOD plants or APX plants showed an intermediate protection effect between CA plants and NT plants. These results demonstrated that the coexpression of CuZnSOD and APX in chloroplasts importantly involves in the protection effects against oxidative stress caused by various environmental stresses.

• Korean Journal of Plant Tissue Culture
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.195-200
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• 1995

The mammalian adenosine deaminase(ADA) gene was stably expressed in transgenic tobacco plane. The chimeric ADA gene 35S/35S/AMV/ADA/Tnos, has been constructed. This chimeric gene was introduced into the binary vector pRD400, which was thereafter mobilized into Agrobacterium tumefaiens strain MP90 harboring disarmed Ti-plasmid. The resulting strains were used to transform Nicofiana tabacum L. using the leaf disc. Incorporation of the chimeric gene into plant were confirmed by PCR and Northern blot analyses. Immunoblot analysis showed that ADA protein was successfully synthesized in the transgenic tobacco plants.

• The Journal of Natural Sciences
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.33-37
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• 1998

Cytokinin is one of major growth regulators in plants. In this study, the gene isopentenyl transferase (jpt) which encodes a key enzyme involved in the biosynthesis of the growth regulator cytokinin isolated from Agrobacterium tumefaciens was introduced ito tobacco plant via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. The jpt gene was modulated using the proteinase inhibitor II (PI-IIK) promotor. In general, this promoterlipt gene fusion resulted in overproduction of cytokinins throughout the transgenic plants. The overproduction of cytokinin caused dramatic changes in morphology of the plant, including stem thickness and reduced root development. The studies reported in this paper were initiated to examine the consequences of overproduction of cytokinin in plant.

• Korean Journal of Plant Tissue Culture
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.239-243
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• 2000

Helicobacter pylori, an etiologic agent of gastritis and peptic ulceration, produces urease which elicits a powerful immunoglobulin response in H. pylori-infected individuals. To establish a model plant vaccine agains H. pylori, 750 bp -ureA DNA amplified by polymerase chain reaction from pH 808 plasmid harboring urease gene cluster was cloned and manipulated to be expressed in tobacco plants. From the regenerated transgenic tobacco plants, ureA DNA integration,m its mRNA expression and protein synthesis were analyzed and confirmed by standard molecular techniques. The CaMV 35S promoter-driving ureA construct was expressed to produce a 30 kDa protein which was identical with bacterial UreA in size when detected on immunoblot of SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.103-108
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• 2003

LinA gene involving in the ${\gamma}$-benzenehexachloride degradation have been cloned from Sphingmonas paucimobilis UT26. This linA gene which catalyzes the first dechlorination step of ${\gamma}$-benzenehexachloride is known to play a key role in the ${\gamma}$-benzenehexachloride degradation pathway in UT26. In this study, the linA gene was designed to clean-up the ${\gamma}$-benzenehexachloride and its derivatives contaminated in soil, water and air using transgenic tobacco plants. The linA transgene was introduced into the chromosome of tobacco using leaf-disk transformation approach as revealed by Southern blot analysis. In addition, mRNA and protein produced by linA gene was expressed at a high level in the leaf tissue as demonstrated by both northern blot analysis and Western bolt analysis with polyclonal antibody against S. paucimobilis UT26. in vitro analysis using GC-MS showed that transgenic tobacco plant produced the linA protein which effectively degraded ${\gamma}$-benzenehexachloride into ${\gamma}$- pentachlorocyclohexene and 1,2,4-trichlobenzene compounds which are less toxic.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.49-54
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• 2013

C3HC4-type RING zinc finger proteins essential in the regulation of plant processes, including responses to abiotic stresses. We previously isolated and examined the C3HC4-type RING zinc finger protein (BrRZFP1) from Brassica rapa under abiotic stresses. To elucidate the role of the BrRZFP1 transcription factor in gene regulation, we transformed tobacco plants with the BrRZFP1 gene. Plants were regenerated from 82 independently transformed callus lines of tobacco and analysed for transgene expression. Transgene integration and expression was confirmed by Southern and RT-PCR analyses, respectively. T2 plants displayed more tolerance to the bacterial pathogens Pectobacterium carotovorum and Ralstonia solanacearum, and the tolerance levels were correlated with BrRZFP1 expression levels. These results suggest that the transcription factor BrRZFP1 is an important determinant of stress response in plants and its overexpression in plants could increase biotic stress resistance.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.91-99
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• 2014

The objective of this study is to identify cold-tolerance genes in Brassica rapa. In order to acheive this goal, we analyzed a KBGP-24K oligo chip data [BrEMD (B. rapa EST and Microarray Database)] using B. rapa ssp. pekinensis inbred line 'Chiifu' under cold stress condition ($4^{\circ}C$). Among 23,929 unigenes of B. rapa, 417 genes (1.7%) were primarily identified as cold responsive genes that were expressed over 5-fold higher than those of wild type control, and then a gene which has unknown function and has full length sequence was selected. It was named BrCSR (B. rapa Cold Stress Resistance). BrCSR was transformed using expression vector pSL101 to confirm whether BrCSR can enhance cold tolerance in tobacco plants. $T_1$ transgenic tobacco plants expressing BrCSR were selected by PCR and Southern hybridization analyses, and the function of BrCSR was characterized by expression level analysis and phenotype observation under cold stress condition. The expression level of BrCSR in transgenic tobacco plants increased up to about two folds in quantitative real-time RT-PCR assay and this was very similar to Northern blot hybridization analysis. Analysis of phenotypic characteristics clearly elucidated that transgenic tobaccos expressing BrCSR were more cold tolerant than wild type control under $4^{\circ}C$ treatment. Based on these results, we conclude that the over-expression of BrCSR might be closely related to the enhancement of cold tolerance.