• ALGAE
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• 제33권4호
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• pp.351-358
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• 2018

The ability to transform the chloroplast of Cyanidioschyzon merolae was limited by lack of confirmed and reliable promoter sequences (among other reasons), capable of delivering stable or modulated DNA transcription followed by protein synthesis. Our research has confirmed the applicability of three selected chloroplast promoters in C. merolae chloroplast overexpression of the exogenous protein (i.e., chloramphenicol acetyltransferase) and genetic transformation. These results might facilitate further research on genetically modified strains of C. merolae to envisage yet unknown aspect of cellular and plastic physiology as well as C. merolae potential applications as bio-factories or sources of useful chemicals.

• ALGAE
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• 제17권1호
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• pp.59-68
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• 2002

A phylogenetic affinity between charophytes and embryophytes (land plants) has been explained by a few chloroplast genomic characters including gene and intron (Manhart and Palmer 1990; Baldauf et al. 1990; Lew and Manhart 1993). Here we show that a charophyte, Spirogyra maxima, has the largest operon of angiosperm chloroplast genomes, rpl23 operon (trnⅠ-rpl23-rpl2-rps19-rpl22-rps3-rpl16-rpl14-rps8-infA-rpl36-rps11-rpoA) containing both embryophyte introns, rpl16.i and rpl2.i. The rpl23 gene cluster of Spirogyra contains a distinct eubacterial promoter sequence upstream of rpl23, which is the first gene of the green algal rpl23 gene cluster. This sequence is completely absent in angiosperms but is present in non-flowering plants. The results imply that, in the rpl23 gene cluster, early charophytes had at least two promoters, one upstream of trnⅠ and and another upstream of rpl23, which partially or completely lost its function in land plants. A comparison of gene clusters of prokaryotes, algal chloroplast DNAs and land plant cpDNAs indicated a loss of numerous genes in chlorophyll a+b eukaryotes. A phylogenetic analysis using presence/absence of genes and introns as characters produced trees with a strongly supported clade containing chlorophyll a+b eukaryotes. Spirogyra and embryophytes formed a clade characterized by the loss of rpl5 and rps9 and the gain of trnⅠ (CAU) and introns in rpl2 and rpl16. The analyses support the hypothesis that the rpl23 gene cluster and the rpl2 and rpl16 introns of land plants originated from a common ancestor of Spirogyra and land plants.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• 제43권4호
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• pp.192-196
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• 2000

The molecular basis of plant adaptation to the environment is one of the most complex areas of plant science and an understanding of this subject is critical to our ability to feed an increasing word population. Research on plant adaptation to the environment often involves two complementary approaches; top-down studies of well-adapted plants with the goal of identifying and describing the biochemical basis of adaptation and bottom-up targeted analysis of specific biochemical mechanisms with the goal of understanding how these mechanisms contribute to overall plant performance. This brief review will provide examples of both of these approaches by describing the study of sorghum's adaptation to dry environments and the role of a blue light responsive chloroplast promoter that helps protect plants against damage by high irradiance.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• 제37권3호
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• pp.243-249
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• 2010

Molecular farming is production of pharmaceutically and industrially important proteins in plants. Plants and plant cell culture systems have been used as bio-factory to produce recombinant proteins such as monoclonal antibodies, enzymes, vaccines, hormones, interleukins, commercial enzymes and etc. The terms molecular farming, biofarming, molecular pharming, phytomanufacturing, recombinant or plant-made industrials, planta-pharma, plant bioreactors, plant biofactory, and pharmaceutical gardening are used interchangeably. Molecular farming can provide safe and inexpensive pharmaceutical proteins as well as commercial ones. In spite of several advantages of molecular farming such as safety and inexpensive cost, there are also a couple of drawbacks in the existing technology. One of them is low expression level of target gene in plants, which has been improved by optimizing gene-based codon usage, screening of strong promoters, expression of transcription factors, subcellular targeting of target proteins, chloroplast transformation, and transient expression using viral expression system (magnifection). Some plant-based commercial proteins have already been in markets and more than twenty plant-based pharmaceuticals have been in clinical trials, from that we can expect that several plant-based pharmaceutical proteins will be seen in the markets in the near future.