• 한국자원식물학회지
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• 제18권1호
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• pp.15-21
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• 2005

염류내성 식물은 염류농도의 변화에 따라 세포내의 삼투압을 유지하기 위한 화합물을 합성하는 기작을 가지고 있는데 이런 화합물은 주로 proline, glycine, betaine, polyols, sugar등으로 체내에 축적함으로서 고농도의 염류에 견디는 것으로 알려져 있다. Betaine은 미생물에서 2단계 반응을 통해 choline에서 합성되는데, 첫단계는 choline dehydrogenase (CDH)에 의해서 촉매되고(Bet A gene), bet B 유전자의 산물인 betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase(BADH)에 의해 수행된다. 본 실험에서는 Bet A, Bet B 유전자를 아그로박테리움에 도입하여 새로운 conjugants 2 종을 획득하였으며 (Agrobacterium tumefaciens MP90/pBet A, Agrobacterium tumefaciens MP90/pBet B), 먼저 재조합된 binary vector가 식물에서 발현 및 형질 전환되는지 여부를 조사하기 위해서 이미 담배에 형질전환을 시켰으며, 형질전환된 담배에서는 ,고농도의 kanamycin배지에서 생장이 가능하였고, PCR에 의하여 NPT II, Bet A, Bet B gene를 조사한 결과 담배 유식물체 모두 band가 형성되어 형질전환체임을 확인할 수 있었다. 인삼에 Beth, BetB gene의 도입은 1M의 mannitol이 함유된 식물호르몬 무첨가 MS 배지에서 단일배 발생방법에 형질전환체를 획득하였으나, 형질전환체의 발생빈도$(12\%)$가 매우 낮았다.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• 제38권1호
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• pp.87-93
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• 2011

SAMDC는 폴리아민 생합성 과정에서 주효소로 작용하며 항상성을 유지하기위해 정교하게 조절된다. 카네이션 SAMDC 유전자는 5'-leader sequence에 54개 아미노산으로 구성된 small uORF가 존재한다. Translation 과정을 조절하는 uORF의 작용기작을 연구하기 위하여 35S 프로모터에 SAMDC 유전자의 uORF 부위와 GUS 유전자를 재조합한 형질전환 담배 식물체를 이용하였다. 본 실험에서는 SAMDC uORF 염기서열 혹은 SAMDC uORF 단백질에 의해서 downstream GUS ORF의 translation이 억제되었다. 특히 translation 억제는 개시코돈이 point-mutation된 construct에서 효과적으로 이루어졌다. 따라서 이러한 결과는 ribosomal stalling이 translation 억제 과정에 관여한 것으로 사료된다. 개시 코돈과 종결코돈을 가진 SAMDC uORF의 아미노산 서열을 frame shift 시키면 GUS 활성이 증가하였는데 이는 translation inhibitor로서 작용할 때 아미노산 서열이 중요하다는 것을 의미하며, 결국은 SAMDC uORF의 단백질 구조가 중요하게 작용할 가능성을 제시한다. 또한 유식물과 담배 꽃 등의 in vivo 상에서도 GUS 발현을 조직화학적으로 분석했을 때 small uORF가 존재할 경우 GUS 염색이 크게 저하되었지만, 개시코돈이나 혹은 종결코돈이 제거되도록 point-mutation 시킨 construct가 도입된 형질전환식물체에서는 SAMDC uORF의 억제효과가 크게 완화 되었다. 또한 가장 중요한 관찰 결과로는 small uORF 염기서열로부터 in vitro 시스템에서 5.7 kDa의 단백질이 실제적으로 합성되었음을 관찰하였다. 폴리아민 처리 후 GUS 단백질이 억제된 결과는 uORF로부터 합성된 단백질이 폴리아민 뿐 만 아니라 translation 과정에 관여하는 다른 요소들과 상호작용을 이루어 조절될 수 있음을 암시한다.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제27권4호
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• pp.475-480
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• 2009

The transcription of soybean (Glycine max) calmodulin isoform-4 (GmCaM-4) is dramatically induced within 0.5 h of exposure to pathogen or NaCl. Core cis-acting elements that regulate the expression of the GmCaM-4 gene in response to pathogen and salt stress were previously identified, between -1,207 and -1,128 bp, and between -858 and -728 bp, in the GmCaM-4 promoter. Here, we characterized the properties of the DNA-binding complexes that form at the two core cis-acting elements of the GmCaM-4 promoter in pathogen-treated nuclear extracts. We generated GUS reporter constructs harboring various deletions of approximately 1.3-kb GmCaM-4 promoter, and analyzed GUS expression in tobacco plants transformed with these constructs. The GUS expression analysis suggested that the two previously identified core regions are involved in inducing GmCaM-4 expression in the heterologous system. Finally, a transient expression assay of Arabidopsis protoplasts showed that the GmCaM-4 promoter produced greater levels of GUS activity than did the CaMV35S promoter after pathogen or NaCl treatments, suggesting that the GmCaM-4 promoter may be useful in the production of conditional gene expression systems.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• 제2권1호
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• pp.43-49
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• 2000

An efficient and reliable Agrobacterium transformation procedure based on TDZ (thidiazuron)-induced organogenesis was established and applied to six Brazilian eggp1ant varieties. Optimum transgenic plants recovery was achieved upon the study of the following parameters affecting transformation efficiency, using F-100 variety as a model: i) explant source; ii) pre-culture period; iii) physical state of the pre-culture medium and iv) coculture conditions. The highest frequency of kanamycin-resistant calli derived from leaf explants (5%) was obtained without a pre-culture period and co-cultivation for 24 h in liquid medium followed by five days on solid RM (regeneration medium). For cotyledon explants, best results were achieved upon a pre-culture of 24 h in liquid RM and a co-cultivation period of 24 h in liquid RM followed by three days in solid RM, resulting in a transformation Sequency of 22.7%. Kanamycin-resistant organogenic calli were also obtained from cultivars Emb, Preta Comprida, Round nose Shaded, Campineira and Florida Market. The expression pattern of an epidermis-specific promoter was studied using transformants expressing a chimaeric construct comprised by the promoter Atgrp-5 transcriptionally fused to the coding region of the gus gene. The expression pattern was similar to that previously observed in tobacco and Arabidopsis thaliana, with preferential expression at the epidermis and the stem phloem. These results support the idea that the Atgrp-5 promoter can be used to drive defense genes in these tissues, which are sites of pathogen interaction and spread, in programs for the genetic improvement of eggplant.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• 제23권2호
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• pp.76-89
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• 2007

CaCDPK4, a full-length cDNA clone encoding Capsicum annuum calcium-dependent protein kinase 4, was isolated from chili pepper (Capsicum annuum L.). Deduced amino acid sequence of CaCDPK4 shares the highest homology with tobacco NpCDPK8 and chickpea CaCDPK2 with 79% identity. Genomic blot analyses revealed that CaCDPK4 is present as a single copy in pepper genome, but it belongs to a multigene family. CaCDPK4 was highly induced when pepper plants were inoculated with an incompatible bacterial pathogen. Induced levels of CaCDPK4 transcripts were also detected in pepper leaves by the treatment of ethephon, an ethylene-inducing agent, and high-salt stress condition. The bacterial-expressed GST-CaCDPK4 protein showed to retain the autophosphorylation activity in vitro. GUS expression driven by CaCDPK4 promoter was examined in transgenic Arabidopsis containing transcriptional fusion of CaCDPK4 promoter. GUS expression under CaCDPK4 promoter was strong in the root and veins of the seedlings. GW (-1965) and D3 (-1377) promoters conferred on GUS expression in response to inoculation of an incompatible bacterial pathogen, but D4-GUS (-913) and DS-GUS (-833) did not. Taken together, our results suggest that CaCDPK4 can be implicated on signal transduction pathway of defense response against an incompatible bacterial pathogen in pepper.

• BMB Reports
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• 제40권6호
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• pp.845-852
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• 2007

The highly evolved flowers of orchids have colorful sepals and fused columns that offer an opportunity to discover new genes involved in floral development in monocotyledon species. In this investigation, we cloned and characterized the homologous PISTALLATA-like (PI-like) gene PhPI15 ($\underline{Ph}alaenopsis$ $\underline{PI}$ STILLATA # $\underline{15}$), from the Phalaenopsis hybrid cultivar. The protein sequence encoded by PhPI15 contains a typical PI-motif. Its sequence also formed a subclade with other monocot PI-type genes in phylogenetic analysis. Southern analysis showed that PhPI15 was present in the Phalaenopsis orchid genome as a single copy. Furthermore, it was expressed in all the whorls of the Phalaenopsis flower, while no expression was detected in vegetative organs. The flowers of transgenic tobacco plants ectopically expressing PhPI15 showed male-sterile phenotypes. Thus, as a Class-B MADS-box gene, PhPI15 specifies floral organ identity in orchids.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제17권4호
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• pp.547-559
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• 2007

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) was first described by Berliner [10] when he isolated a Bacillus species from the Mediterranean flour moth, Anagasta kuehniella, and named it after the province Thuringia in Germany where the infected moth was found. Although this was the first description under the name B. thuringiensis, it was not the first isolation. In 1901, a Japanese biologist, Ishiwata Shigetane, discovered a previously undescribed bacterium as the causative agent of a disease afflicting silkworms. Bt was originally considered a risk for silkworm rearing but it has become the heart of microbial insect control. The earliest commercial production began in France in 1938, under the name Sporeine [72]. A resurgence of interest in Bt has been attributed to Edward Steinhaus [105], who obtained a culture in 1942 and attracted attention to the potential of Bt through his subsequent studies. In 1956, T. Angus [3] demonstrated that the crystalline protein inclusions formed in the course of sporulation were responsible for the insecticidal action of Bt. By the early 1980's, Gonzalez et al. [48] revealed that the genes coding for crystal proteins were localized on transmissible plasmids, using a plasmid curing technique, and Schnepf and Whiteley [103] first cloned and characterized the genes coding for crystal proteins that had toxicity to larvae of the tobacco hornworm, from plasmid DNA of Bt subsp. kurstaki HD-1. This first cloning was followed quickly by the cloning of many other cry genes and eventually led to the development of Bt transgenic plants. In the 1980s, several scientists successively demonstrated that plants can be genetically engineered, and finally, Bt cotton reached the market in 1996 [104].

• 한국작물학회지
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• 제48권1호
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• pp.20-24
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• 2003

Proline is known as an osmotrotectant to enhance tolerance against both salt and dehydration stresses. A P5CS ($\Delta^1$-pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthetase) plays a major role in regulation of synthesis of proline. An overexpression of the mothbean P5CS gene in transgenic tobacco plant increased the levels of proline and osmotolerance. In an attempt to look for the possibility to use content of proline as well as a level of P5CS gene expression as molecular markers for salt tolerance, the amounts of proline and transcript levels of P5CS were measured as functions of either concentration of NaCl or length of treatment period among different species of zoysiagrass. Hybridzoysia showed the highest level of proline ($329\mu\textrm{g}$/g.f.w.) among five different species of zoysiagrass at 250 mM NaCl in 24 hours. The level of P5CS transcript was also the highest in the hybridzoysia at 250 mM NaCl in 24 hours. The transcriptions of P5CS gene were induced at the rates of 1.2, 1.2, 1.8, and 1.8, upon treatment of 250 mM NaCl in Z. japonica, Z. matrella, Z. sinica and hybridzoysia respectively. Based on a correlation between the level of P5CS transcript and the proline content among different species of zoysiagrass, a comparative structural analysis of the gene for P5CS from either Z. sinica or hybridzoysia may lead to an understanding of mechanism for salt tolerance shown differently among zoysiagrasses.

• Genes and Genomics
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• 제40권12호
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• pp.1259-1267
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• 2018

Litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) is an important subtropical fruit crop with high commercial value due to its high nutritional values and favorable tastes. However, irregular bearing attributed to unstable flowering is a major ongoing problem for litchi producers. Previous studies indicate that low-temperature is a key factor in litchi floral induction. In order to reveal the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying the reproductive process in litchi, we had analyzed the transcriptome of buds before and after low-temperature induction using RNA-seq technology. A key flower bud differentiation associated gene, a homologue of FLORICAULA/LEAFY, was identified and named LcLFY (GenBank Accession No. KF008435). The cDNA sequence of LcLFY encodes a putative protein of 388 amino acids. To gain insight into the role of LcLFY, the temporal expression level of this gene was measured by real-time RT-PCR. LcLFY was highly expressed in flower buds and its expression correlated with the floral developmental stage. Heterologous expression of LcLFY in transgenic tobacco plants induced precocious flowering. Meantime, we investigated the sub-cellular localization of LcLFY. The LcLFY-Green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion protein was found in the nucleus. The results suggest that LcLFY plays a pivotal role as a transcription factor in controlling the transition to flowering and in the development of floral organs in litchi.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• 제10권6호
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• pp.482-493
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• 2005

Biomass is originally photosynthesized from inorgainic compounds such as $CO_2$, minerals, water and solar energy. Recent studies have shown that anaerobic bacteria have the ability to convert recalcitrant biomass such as cellullosic or chitinoic materials to useful compounds. The biomass containing agricultural waste, unutilized wood and other garbage is expected to utilize as feed, food and fuel by microbial degradation and other metabolic functions. In this study we isolated several anaerobic, cellulolytic and chitinolytic bacteria from rumen fluid, compost and soil to study their related enzymes and genes. The anaerobic and cellulolytic bacteria, Clostridium thermocellum, Clostridium stercorarium, and Clostridium josui, were isolated from compost and the chitinolytic Clostridium paraputrificum from beach soil and Ruminococcus albus was isolated from cow rumen. After isolation, novel cellulase and xylanase genes from these anaerobes were cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The properties of the cloned enzymes showed that some of them were the components of the enzyme (cellulase) complex, i.e., cellulosome, which is known to form complexes by binding cohesin domains on the cellulase integrating protein (Cip: or core protein) and dockerin domains on the enzymes. Several dockerin and cohesin polypeptides were independently produced by E. coli and their binding properties were specified with BIAcore by measuring surface plasmon resonance. Three pairs of cohesin-dockerin with differing binding specificities were selected. Two of their genes encoding their respective cohesin polypeptides were combined to one gene and expressed in E. coli as a chimeric core protein, on which two dockerin-dehydrogenase chimeras, the dockerin-formaldehyde dehydrogenase and the dockerin-NADH dehydrogenase are planning to bind for catalyzing $CO_2$ reduction to formic acid by feeding NADH. This reaction may represent a novel strategy for the reduction of the green house gases. Enzymes from the anaerobes were also expressed in tobacco and rice plants. The activity of a xylanase from C. stercorarium was detected in leaves, stems, and rice grain under the control of CaMV35S promoter. The digestibility of transgenic rice leaves in goat rumen was slightly accelerated. C. paraputrificum was found to solubilize shrimp shells and chitin to generate hydrogen gas. Hydrogen productivity (1.7 mol $H_2/mol$ glucos) of the organism was improved up to 1.8 times by additional expression of the own hydrogenase gene in C. paraputrficum using a modified vector of Clostridiu, perfringens. The hydrygen producing microflora from soil, garbage and dried pelletted garbage, known as refuse derived fuel(RDF), were also found to be effective in converting biomass waste to hydrogen gas.