• Korean Journal of Breeding Science
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.412-419
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• 2009

In order to study the inheritance of watermelon seed size, we used six watermelon lines of different seed sizes as parental lines. Six lines include three accessions, 'PI525088' with giant seed (GS), 'Charleston Gray' with big seed (BS), and 'NT' with normal medium size seed (NS), and three near isogenic lines, 'NTss' with small seed (SS), 'NTms' with micro seed (MS) and 'NTts' with tomato seed size (TS) bred by crosses between accession 'NT' of normal seed size and accession 'TDR' of the smallest seed size,. We inspected $F_1$, $F_2$, $BC_1F_1$ (P1), $BC_1F_1$ (P2) populations from the crosses between the adjacent seed size materials like $GS{\times}BS$, $BS{\times}NS$, $NS{\times}SS$, and $MS{\times}TS$, and two crosses between parental lines showing relatively big difference in seed size such as $GS{\times}TS$ and $NS{\times}TS$. Partial single dominant inheritance patterns were observed between $GS{\times}BS$, $NS{\times}SS$, and $MS{\times}TS$ and inheritance patterns based on two genes or more than two genes were speculated between $BS{\times}NS$. A very wide segregation range was observed from the population of $GS{\times}TS$ indicating many quantitative genes involved in the seed sizes. Overall, we speculated that more than six genes are involved in between the biggest and smallest seed size watermelon and three major genes between the normal seed size and the smallest seed size watermelon.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.18-27
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• 2009

B. thuringiensis strain LY-99 belonging to subsp. alesti (H3a3c), was isolated from Chinese tobacco warehouse and showed significantly high toxicity to Plutella xylostella. For the identification of the cry1-type genes from B. thuringiensis LY-99, an extended multiplex PCRrestriction fragment length polymorphism (PCRRFLP) method was established by using two pairs of universal primers based on the conserved regions of the cry1-type genes to amplify around 2.4 kb cry1-type gene fragments. Then the DNA fragment was cloned into pGEM-T Easy vector and digested with EcoRI and EcoRV enzymes. Through this method, a known cry1-type gene was successfully identified from the reference strain, B. thuringiensis subsp. alesti. In addition, the RFLP patterns revealed that B. thuringiensis LY-99 included a novel cry1A-type gene in addition to cry1Aa, cry1Ac, cry1Be and cry1Ea genes. The novel cry1A-type gene was designated cry1Ah2 (Genbank accession No DQ269474). An inverse PCR method was used to amplify the flank regions of cry1Ah2 gene. Finally, 3143 bp HindIII fragment from B. thuringiensis LY-99 plasmid DNA including 5' region and partial ORF was amplified, and sequence analysis revealed that cry1Ah2 gene from LY-99 showed 89.31% of maximum sequence similarity with cry1Ac1 crystal protein gene. In addition, the deduced amino acid sequence of Cry1Ah2 protein shared 87.80% of maximum identity with that of Cry1Ac2. This protein therefore belongs to a new class of B. thuringiensis crystal proteins.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.18 no.10
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• pp.1390-1394
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• 2008

Previously, we found that the transgenic rice plants over-expressing the Arabidopsis $H^+/Ca^{2+}$ antiporter CAX 1 (accession no. U57411) gene accumulated 2.7 to 7.5-fold more calcium in the T3 rice grains as compared to those of control. To examine physiological safety of the $T_3$ rice grains, the effect of the $T_3$ brown rice on change in levels of body weight and white blood cells was compared with that of the control Ilpum brown rice by feeding trial in mice. During the feeding trial for one month, there was no significant difference between two mice groups, which were fed by the $T_3$ brown rice or Ilpum brown rice. There were no detectable differences in their effects on immune functions including plaque-forming unit, peritoneal macrophage number, and NK-cell activity. In addition, biochemical analysis of the blood failed to exhibit any difference between two mice groups. Together, these results suggested that the $T_3$ brown rice, which was produced from a genetically modified organism (GMO), might be safe and possess a potential to be applicable as calcium-fortified feed or food. Long-term safety of the $T_3$ brown rice, however, remains to be elucidated.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2009

The genetic monitoring method was developed for the rapid detection of the PGPR and biocontrol agent, B. subtilis AH18 in red-pepper field soil by multiplex PCR using sid, aec and cel gene primers. The monitoring of B. subtilis AH18 in the soil was carried by amplified a 2,3-dihydro-2,3-dihydroxy benzoate dehydrogenase [EC: 1. 3. 1. 28]gene (sid - 794 bp : EF408238) which is a key enzyme of siderophore synthesis, an auxin efflux carrier gene (aec - 1,052 bp : EF408239) and a cellulase gene (cel - 1,582 bp : EF070194). The natural un sterilized soil was inoculated with B. subtilis AH18 to determine the sensitivity ($1.8\times10^5$ cfu/g) of multiplex PCR for the rapid dectection and then the strain was monitored successfully in rhizosphere or non-rhizosphere soil of red-pepper cultural soil. At 3 weeks after the treatment, density of the strain was monitored more abundantly in rhizosphere soil.