The plant breeding, a discipline of agricultural sciences, has greatly contributed to huan welfare in relieving food crisis by development of higher yielding, stronger resistant and better quality varieties. However, many conventional plant breeders, especially ones working for major crops, are facing exhaustion of useful genetic variability, which greatly limit the potentional of developing better cultivars. Therefore, the convectional plant breeders have been eagerly looking for new renovational methods in creating genetic varibility. It has been expected that biotechnology would provide the technique to create totally new genetic variability through gene transfer, chromosome manipulation and/or cell fusion. It is strongly suggested that very close interdisciplinary approaches between convectionla plant breeders and biotechnoligists is essentional for opening new era in developing better varieties.

Recent development of recombinant DNA techniques such as gene cloning and DNA sequencing has led to understanding of genetic information coded on plant genes and their application to crop improvements. Nuclear genes so far isolated and characterized at the molecular level from various plants are those involved mainly in photosynthesis, nitrogen fixation, seed development and defensive responses to environmental stresses. Most of plant genes contain intervening sequences (introns) flanked with GT and AG, as it typical of animal genes. The 5' flanking regions of plant gene revealed the presence of promoter elements such as TATAAA and CCAAT, which have been identified at animal genes to be involved in transcrip- tion initiation. The 3' untranslated regions include a sequence similar to AATAAA whcih functions as a polyadenylation signal in other eukaryotic genes. Furthermore, enhancer-type sequences were found at the 5' flanking regions of various plant genes. This indicates that the structure of plant genes is very similar to animal genes and mechanisms governing the synthesis and processing of mRNAs may be identical in higher eukaryotes. However, genes expression studies involving transformation revealed their differ ences within plants and between plant and animal systems.

Higher plant transformation vector systems are mainly developed based on the natural biosystems which infecting higher plants. Two major groups attracting much of the research are Cauliflower mosaic virus and Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Cauliflower mosaic virus has a double stranded genome, and a portion of the genome can be substituted for a foreign DNA segment without loosing the ability of infection. A. tumefaciens carries a large plasmid. Ti plasmid whose portion can be substitute and trasferred into the plant chromosome.

Light regulates a variety of genes in higher plants. The expression of light-induced plant genes is regulated at the level of transcription via red- light photomorphogenic receptor, phytochrome, as well as unknown blue light photoreceptor(s). Ribulose-5-phosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) small subunit (SSB) and light harvesting chlorophyll a/b (Cab) protein are those of the best understood genes regulated by light. 5'-upstream flanking sequence (- -400) of Rubisco SSB and Cab genes sis known as a light responsive, enhance-like element. It responses to red and blue light in transgenic plant system as a tissue specific manner. Phytochrome gene is also regulated by light. In contrast to most of the light regulated plant genes, it is negatively controlled by red light. Search for the cis- and trans-acting factors responsible for the light signal is in progress to understant photomorphogenesis and development in higher plants.

In an attempt to revies the informations about genes involved in symbiotic nitrogen fixation, developmental processes in which host plant interact with microbe during nodule formation were introduced first. The structure, function and regulation of the genes discussed were mainly about microbial genes; those involved in the process of nodule formation (nod-genes) and of nitrogen fixation (nif-genes). Informations about the host genes involved in the symbiosis were discussed briefly.

Along the developmental processes in higher plants, chloroplast follows a major route of development which is proplastid - etioplast - chloroplast. Development of chloroplast can be determined according to the expressions of the genes coded in the chloroplast DNA as well as in the chromosomal DNA. Most of the processes occuring in proplastid and etioplast seems to be coded in the chromosomal DNA, which the development of chloroplast from etioplast upon the exposure of plants to light is determined by harmonious expressions of the genes in the chloroplast and the chromosome.

Plants are inherited spatial and temporal coordination systems in their growth and differentiation processes which are precisely governed by the two interlocked control systems; autogenous and environmental. Looking into the overall course of plant development from molecular to organismal level, it can be comparable to a concerto for plant hormones, environmental stimuli and plant genomic orchestra conducted by an unidentified virtuoso. Some of the recent significant attempts to puzzle out the mystery of the life processes of plant development are briefly reviewed. The revolutionary advances in understanding the mystic processes are contemporarily achieved by the application of various molecular techniques. The characterization of plant genomes is now attained through recombinant DNA approaches, and the sensitive detection of specific gene products during the plant development is perimitted by the immunochemical procedures. However, along with the recognition of underlying molecular events such as developmental changes in gene expression and hormone-receptor interrelation associated with tissue sensitivity to hormones, more emphasis should be placed upon the physiological approaches of organismal level for the understanding the correlative systems of the developmental processes of plants as intact eukaryotic organisms.

Gibberellin(GA) 3-$\beta$ hydroxylation is very important for the shoot elogation in the higher plants, since only 3$\beta$-hydryoxylated GAs promote shoot elogation in several plants. Fluctuation of 3$\beta$-hydryoxylase activity was examined during seed maturation using two cultivars of , P. vulgaris, Kentucky Wonder (normal) and Masterpiece (dwarf). Very immature seeds of both cultivars contain high level of 3$\beta$-hydroxylase activity (per mg protein). Both cultivars showed maximum of enzyme activity (per seed) in the middle of their maturation process. Gibberellin 3$\beta$-hydroxylase catalyzing the hydroxylation of GA20 to GA1 was purified 313-fold from very early immature seeds of P. vulgaris. Crude soluble enzyme extracts were purified by 15% methanol precipitation, hydrophobic interaction chromatogrphy, DEAE ion exchange column chromatography and gel filtration HPLC. The 3$\beta$-hydroxylase activity was unstable and lost much of its activity duting the purification. The molecular weight of purified enzyme was extimated to be 42, 000 by gel filtration HPLC and SDS-PAGE. The enzyme exhibited maximum activity at pH 7.7. The Km values for [2.3-3H] GA20 and [2.3-3H]GA9 were 0.29 $\mu$M and 0.33 $\mu$M, respectively. The enzyme requires 2-oxoglutarate as a cosubstrate; the Km value for 2-oxoglutarate was 250 $\mu$M using 3H GA20 as a substrate. Fe2+ and ascorbate significantly activated the enzyme at all purification steps, while catalase and BSA activated the purified enzyme only. The enzyme was inhibited by divalent cations Mn2+, Co2+, Ni2+, Cu2+, Zn2+, Cd2+ and Hg2+. Effects of several GAs and GA anaogues on the putrified 3$\beta$-hydroxylase were examined using [3H]GA9 and GA20 as a substrates. Among them, GA5, GA9, GA15, GA20 and GA44 inhibited the enzyme activity. [13C, 3H] GA20 was converted by the partially purified enzyme preparation to [13C, 3H]GA1, GA5 and GA6, which were identified by GC-MS, GA9 was converted only GA4, GA15 and GA44 were converted to GA37 and GA38, respectively. GA5 was epoxidized to GA6 by the preparation. This suggests that 3$\beta$-hydroxylation of GA20 and epoxidation of GA5 are catalyzed by the same enzyme in P, vulgaris.

Growth and development of a higher plant, or any living organism for that matter, could be defined as an orderly expression of the genome in time and space in close interaction with the environment. During differentiation and development of a tissue or organ a group of genes must be selectively turned on or turned off mainly by trans-acting regulators. In this general concept of regulation of regulation of gene expression, a DNA molecule is recognized at a specific nucleotide sequence by DNA-binding factors. Molecular biology of the regulatory factors such as hormones, and their receptors, target DNA sequences and DNA-binding proteins are well advanced. What is not clearly understood is the molecular basis of the interactions between DNA and binding factors, expecially of the usages of the dyad symmetry of the target DNA sequences and the dimeric nature of the DNA-binding proteins. A unique 3-dimensional structure of DNA has been proposed that may play an important role in the orderly expression of the gene. A foldback intercoil (FBI) DNA configuration which was originally found by electron microscopy among mtDNA molecules from pearl millet has some unique features. The FBI configuration of DNA is believed to be formed when a flexible double helix folds back and interwines in the widened major grooves resulting in a four stranded, intercoil DNA whose thickness is the same as that of double stranded DNA. More recently, the FBI structure of DNA has been also induced in vitro by a novel enzyme which was purified from pearl millet mitochondria. It has been proposed that the FBI DNA could be utillized in intramolecular recombination which leads to inversion or deletion, and in intermolecular recombination which can lead to either site-specific recombination, genetic recombination via single strand invasion, or cross strand recombination. The structure and function of DNA in 3-dimensional aspect is emphasized for better understanding orderly expression of genes during growth and development.

The have been many reports that phenoloxidase are correlated with development in many fungi. C. congregatus, one of nushroom-forming basidiomycetes, which requires light for its development also has phenoloxidases. In C. congragatus, there are two sets of membrane-associated phenoloxidase (PHO I and PHO II) which are differentiated by their isozyme patterns, and each enzyme set consists of two different subtrate specific enzyme protein; o-tolidine reacting enzyme, and DOPA reacting enzyme. PHO I which is localized by a protoplast-concanavalin A technique by using a new solidifying agent, Pluronic Polyol F 127, instead of agar appears in the vegetative hyphae, and PHO II appears at the early primordial stage on agar and at the sclerotial stage of liquid shake cultures. Inhibition of PHO I with the enzyme inhibitors inhibits mushroom formation as well as melanization of the vegetative hyphae at concentrations which do not inhibit the vegetative growth. PHO I deficient mutants do not form mushrooms or melanins, and the mutants show abnormal nuclear migration patterns. PHO II has roles; possibly cementing the adjacent hyphae during the actual three dimensonal structure formation, and melanizing mushrooms and sclerotia. The possible roles of PHO I in the light reception complex and in melanin formation, the function of malanin, and possible roles of postulated post translational modifying enzymes which regulate the phenoloxidases, nuclear migration pattern, and self-nonself recognition mechanism are discussed.

Arabidopsis thaliana has been used as a good model system for the molercular biological studies on plants for following reasons. It has small gonome size and short generation time, with easiness to obtain mutants and to be transformed. Prospect of its use in applied field is discussed briefly.

Germination characters of the lettuce seed that received photoperiodic pretreatments of low or high temperature from the flowering to harvest. MSU-15 seed, one of the lettuce cultivars used, having high dark germination, was modified to low dark germination by the long-day treatments during the seed formation. Light-requiring MSU-16 seed was modified to the dark-germination seed by high temperature given at the seed formation period. Above results suggest that the environmental conditions given to an immature seed adhered to a mother plant bring about some modification to its native germination habit. I confirmed that the spectral quality of light could influence the phytochrome system which controlled germination characters of the progeny of lettuce seed ; plants grown in light rich in far-red energies produced light-requiring seed, but those grown in high deficient in far-red energies produced dark germination seed.

Common usage of the concept of juvenility implies that there is one physiological phase, the juvenile phase, which manifests itself in the various morphological and physiological phenomena observed in juvenile higher plants. The juvenile phase is often defined as that time from seed germination until the plant attains the ability to flower regulating such behaviour. This definition precludes plants from flowering in the juvenile phase. It is of major interest, therefore, to identify the physiological controls(Bluehreife) regulating such behavior. The length of the juvenile period in higher plants ranges from one year to over 60 years in different species. The long juvenile period of seedling is the main cause of the long duration of the breeding process. I determined the length of the juvenile period in various plants and its control of phase changes in natural system in relation to factors such as plant size and age, shoot morphology, apex size, root system and phytohormonal and nutritional status is reviewed. From the own experimental and observational evidence available it appears that both hormonal and nutritional factors can be involved in control of juvenility but that a specific juvenile or flowering hormone is not involved. Grafting, ringing, scoring, root pruning and fertilization have been used to accelerate flowering, but in most cases these cultured treatments are only successful on plants that were passed the juvenile phase. It is suggested that there are intrinsic difference between the meristematic cells of the apieces of juvenile and adult shoot, which are thus determined with respect to there development potentialities. The problems associated with the maintenance of the determined state through mitosis are discussed. The properties of transitional forms of Ribes nigrum L. intermediate between the juvenile and adult phase, are descrived and there implications discussed. Analogies are drawn between juvenile phenomena in woody perennials and in herbaceous species.

In vitro flowering system may minimize the confounded influence of non-floral meristem parts of plants in studying the relationship of a given treatment and flowering responses. We have induced flower buds from plantlets regenerated from zygotic embryo-derived somatic embryos of ginseng, which circumvented the normal 2-year juvenile period before flowering. The result suggests that the adulthood of ginseng root explants in the experiment previously conducted by Chang and Hsing (1980; Nature 284: 341-342) is not prerequired to flowering of plantlets regenerated through somatic embryogenesis. We have also induced flower buds from elongated axillary brandches from cotyledonary nodes by culturing ginseng zygotic embryos, seedlings, and excised cotyledonary nodes. It was found that 6-benzyladenine (BA) supplemented to the medium was essential for flowering, whereas abscisic acid (ABA) was inhibitory. Gibberellic acid(GA3) was also required for flowering when ABA was present with BA in the medium. The results suggest that cytokinins, gibberellins, and inhibitors play primary, permissive, and preventive roles, respective-ly, in the induction of flowering of ginseng. Tran Thanh Van (1980; Int. Rev. Cytol., Suppl. IIA: 175-194) has developed the "thin cell layer system" in which the induction of shoots, roots, or flower buds from epidermal layer explants were controlled by culture conditions and exogenous growth regulators in the medium, Utilizing the thin cell layer system, Meeks-Wagner et al. (1989; The Plant Cell 1: 25-35) have cloned genes specifically expressed during floral evocation. However, the system is too tedious for obtaining a sufficient amount of plant materials for biochmical and molecular biological studies of flowering. We have developed a garlic callus culture system and one obvious advantaging over the thin cell layer system is that an abundant cells committed to develope into flower buds proliferate. When the above cells were compared by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis with those which have just lost the competence for developing into flower buds, a few putative proteins specific to floral evocation were detected. The garlic callus culture system can be further explored for elucidation of the molecular biological mechanism of floral evocation and morphogenesis.hogenesis.

The regulatory mechanisms of gene expression in higher plant were not ascertained in detail because the genome size is very large and complex. However, the above-mentioned study is remarkably progressed in parallel with development of DNA recombinant technology and plant vector system. Some research results connected with the mechanisms could be summarized as follows. 1. Many plant genes including chloroplast genes are cloned. 2. The structures of some regulatory regions of gene expression are determined, and it is confirmed that new regulatory units are made by transposable elements. 3. Plant gene expression is regulated not only at transcriptional level but also at translational level. 4. The factors that regulate plant gene expression could be divided as two categorys. One is endogenous elements including the structural change of chromatin during development stage and tissue differentiation. The other is environmental stimulations such as air, water, heat, salts and light. However, some sufficient research-aid fund is essential in order to study the regulatory mechanisms of gene expression more systematically.

Plants store a significant amount of their nitrogen, sulfur and carbon reserves as storage proteins in seed tissues. The major proteins present in rice seeds are the glutelins. Glutelins are initially synthesized at 4-6 days postanthesis and deposited into protein bodies via Golgi apparatus. Based on nucleic acid sequences and Southern blot analysis, the three isolated glutelin genomic clones were representative members of three gene subfamilies each containing 5 to 8 copies. A comparison of DNA sequences displayed by relevant regions of these genomic clones showed that two subfamilies, represented by clones, Gt1 and Gt2, were closely, related and probably evolved by more recent gene duplication events. The 5' flanking and coding sequences of Gt1 and Gt2 displayed at least 87% homolgy. In contrast, Gt3 showed little or no homolgy in the 5' flanking sequences upstream of the putative CAAT boxes and exhibited significant divergence in all other portions of the gene. Conserved sequences in the 5' flanking regions of these genes were identified and discussed in light of their potential regulatory role. The derived primary sequences of all three glutelin genomic clones showed significant homology to the legume 11S storage proteins indicating a common gene origin. A comparison of the derived glutelin primary sequences showed that mutations were clustered in three peptide regions. One peptide region corresponded to the highly rautable hypervariable region of legume peptide region of legume 11S storage proteins, a potential target area for protein modification. Expression studies indicated that glutelin mRNA transcripts are differentially accumulated during endosperm development. Promoterss of Gt2 and Gt3 were functional as they direct transient expression of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase in cultured plant cell.

Glycinin and $\beta$-conglycinin are the most abundant storage protein in soybean. These proteins are known to be synthesized predominantly during germination and cell expansion phase of seed development for short period, and synthesized not in other tissues. Genes encoding these storage proteins are useful system to study the mechanism of development stage and tissue specific gene expression in eukaryotes, especially plants, at the molecular level. The cDNA and genomic clones coding for glycinin have been isolated and regulation mechanism of the gene expression has been studied. Initially, development and tissue-specific expression of the glycinin gene is regulated at the level of transcription. Post-transcriptional processing is also responsible for delayed accumulation of the mRNA. Translational control of the storage protein gene has not been reported. Post-translational modification is another strategic point to regulate the expression of the gene. It is possible to identify positive and/or negative reguratory clements in vivo by producing transgenic plants agter gene manipulation. Elucidation of activation and repression mechanism of soybean storage protein genes will contribute to the understanding of the other plant and eukaryotic genes at molecular level.

Differential gene expressions of patatin, proteinase inhibitor II, PAPI, rbcS and actin in potato microtuber have been examined. Microtubers from the several different stages of development were collected and their protein and mRNA patterns were examined. SDS-PAGE of microtuber proteins revealed that developmental changes in protein should be analogous to that of potatoes grown in the field. The level of patatin mRNA was the highest at the 30th day of development. Proteinse inhibitor IImRNA level was at the highest at the 15th day and decreased thereafter. The levels of PAPI mRNA, rbcS mRNA and actin mRNA were low throughout the time course examined.

The R locus of maize in one of several genes that regulate the anthocyanin pigments throughout the body of the plant and seed. The R gene product may regulate pigment deposition by controlling the expression of the flavonoid biosynthetic gene pathway in a tissue-specific manner. To understand the basis for tissue specific regulation and allelic variation at R, the molecular study has been done by cloning a portion of the R complex by transposon tagging with Ac. R specific probe were cloned from the R-nj mutant induced by Ac insertion mutagenesis. From southern analysis of R-r complex using the R-nj probe, the structure of R-r was proposed that R-r containes the three elements, (P)(Q)(S). These elements may organize as the inversion triplication model which (S) sequence was inverted in relation to (P) and (Q). The R-sc derivated from R-mb or R-nj was cloned with R-nj probe, and molecular genetical data showed that R-sc containes tissue specific and tissue nonspecific area, and the sequencing of R-sc are progressed now.

Insertions of transposable elements in or near a structural gene give rise to null phenotypes, reduced levels of gene expression, or alteration on the tissue-specific pattern of gene expression. Null phenotypes often result from insertions in exons. Reduced levels of gene expression results from insertions in various regions such as promoter region, 5' non-translated region, exon and intron. The maize allele of Adh1-3F1124 is an example of alteration in the tissue-specific patetern of gene expression. Adh1-3F1124 contains a Mu element inserted 31 bp 5' to the transcriptional start site of the wild-type Adh1 activity in seeds and anaerobically-treated seedlings but normal levels in the pollen. Upon the insertion of a transposable element a certain number of host DNA sequences at the insertion site is duplcated. When transposable elements excise, all element sequences are deleted. However, the duplicated host sequences may be left intact or deleted to various extents. This results in null phenotypes, restoration of original levels of gene expression, or altered levels of gene expression. On the basis of effects of transposable-element insertions or excisions on gene expression, the usefulness of transposable ellements for studies on gene expression is discussed.

In an attempt to clarify the physiological functions of individual isoperoxidases, we have studied enzymatic and immunological properties as well as cellular distribution of isoperoxidases from tobacco callus and Korean radish. The gene expression patterns of isoperoxidases in shoot and non-shoot-forming tobbaco callus were also examined by rabbit reticulocyte lysatein vitro translation system. These results indicate that fraction of translatable poly(A)-isoperoxidase mRNA was increased considerably in shoots. At the present time, at least 6-7 isoperoxidases could be detected from the translation mixture of total cellular RNA, among which only one cell wall localized anodic isoperoxidase (named A3) mRNA was bimorphic mRNA. These data suggest the possible regulation of peroxidase activity during shoot formation by altering the polyadenylation state of mRNA. In case of Korean radish seedlings, poly(A)- peroxidase mRNA were also increased depending upon aging.

Plant chloroplast DNA exists as an unique circular structure in which large single copy(LSC) region and small single copy (SSC) region are separated by large inverted repeat sequences (IRS). It has been known that the unique existence of inverted repeat sequences in chloroplast DNA has no relation with the stability of the chloroplast DNA, but causes the inversion between inverted repeat its biological significance has not been understood so far. In rice, several gene clusters have been cloned and sequenced which contain ribulose-5-biophosphate car-boxylase large subunit (rbcL). Especially, one rbcL gene is linked with rp12 gene which is located in the IRS region in one of the gene clusters. By comparison of nucleotide sequence, the two genes are found to be linked through 151 bp repeat sequence which is homologous to the rp123 gene in IRS region. The repeat sequence is found to be located 3' downstream of rfcL gene and near psbA gene in LSC region. The existence of these repeat sequences and the presence of gene clusters caused by the gene rearrangement thorough the repeat sequence provide a possible which is found to be dispersed chloroplast DNA provide the model system to explaine the heterogeneity of the chloroplast DNA in rice in term of gene rearrangement.