• Journal of Crop Science and Biotechnology
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.31-38
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• 2008

Improvement of $N_2$ fixation by symbiotic rhizobia is considered an effective means for enhancing its productivity without high input of nitrogen(N) fertilizer. Several methods to improve $N_2$ fixation have been proposed including the use of supernodulating mutants. The objective of this research was to identify the varietal difference in N and $N_2$-fixation ability among the soybean supernodulating mutants, SS2-2 and Sakukei 4, with different nodulation abilities using $^{15}N$ in field conditions in both Korea and Japan. The dry weight(DW) was higher in wild-type soybeans. The distribution rate of DW in each plant part was high in seeds of supernoduating and wild-type soybeans but high in stems and leaves of non-nodulating mutants. Although the supernodulating mutants had a low DW rate at maturity, they showed a similar $N_2$ fixation ability compared with wild-type. Supernodulating mutant plants mainly obtained N from $N_2$ fixation, while soil N was the main resource for obtaining N in non-nodulating mutants. The percentage of N derived from atmospheric dinitrogen(Ndfa) was higher in supernodulating mutants than in wild-type and relatively high in seeds between plant parts at maturity. In particular, supernodulating mutants showed higher N content in roots than those of wild-type and non-nodulating mutants. It was considered that supernodulating mutants have the advantage of saving nitrate in soil and being beneficial for N absorption of subsequent crops due to their conserving more N in the field and releasing considerable amounts of N from roots and leaves fallen to the soil.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.313-319
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• 1995

The involvement of the cell-wall degrading enzymes in Rhizobium has long been an unsolved question about the infection process in the formation of root nodule. To assess the contribution of the cellulase to the nodulation of rhzobia, here we report the production of cellulase from R. meliloti TAL1372 which degrade carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) model substrate with CMC-plate method. We constructed a genomic library by cloning Sau3A-digested genomic DNA from R. meliloti TAL1372 into the BamHI site of the cosmid vector pLAFR3. Out of more than one thousand transductants of E. coli, one clone (pRC8-71) had CM-cellulase activity and contained pLAFR3 cosmid with 30 kb insert of R. meliloti DNA The product of CM-cellulase gene was analyzed by native PAGE. About 45 kD protein was considered to be a product of the gene. Tn5 mutagenesis reveals that the structural gene located in a ca. 3 kb KpnI fragment. The cellulase-minus mutants of R. meliloti TAL1372 were obtained by Tn5 mutagenesis of pRC8-71 and marker exchange techniques. Analyses of the nodulation ability of these Tn5 mutants showed that the CM-cellulase gene of R. meliloti TAL1372 may be involved in early nodulation development on alfalfa (Medicago satiua).

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.442-448
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• 1993

The aims of the work were to examme the variability induced by EMS (ethyl methanesulfonate) mutagenesis of soybean plants, and to isolate mutants altered in nodulation and other growth characters. Seeds of two soybean cultivars, ‘Hwanggeumkong’ and ‘Baegunkong’ were treated with 30 and 50mM EMS(pH 7.0) for 6 hours and were planted directly in the field. Field emergency of$M_1 seed was averaged to be 61.0%, and frequency of plants with chlorophyll-deficient sectors of the first trifoliolate is about 0.7%. Regardless of varieties and does of EMS, $M_1 plant injury at harvest was present in plant height, pod and seed number per plant when compared to those of original-type soybean plants. The $M_2 variability of nodulation process induced by EMS treatment was found to be narrower than that of shoot dry weight. On the basis of the occurrence of chlorophyll-deficient plants, mutated cell frequency within $M_1 seed ranged from 5.3% to 84.2%, suggesting that mutation frequency on the $M_1 seed induced by EMS occurred partly and randomly regardless of varieties and doses of EMS. The putative mutant, which had more nodulation than original-type plant, was short in plant height. Sparse-nodulating soybean mutant was lower in leaf chlorophyll content and showed reduced growth.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.222-227
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• 1991

Rhizobium fredii USDA193 is one of the causal organism for root nodule formation in soybean (peking). Previously we cloned the pectate lyase gene (SY1) of R. fredii USDA193. The $pel^-$ mutants (SY1$\Omega$ and SY1$\Omega$1) of SY1 were obtained using the in vitro insertional omega mutagenesis of RpelB (of Rhizobium pel) and fill-in reaction of RpelE (of Rhizobium pel) gene respectively, and we constructed two mutants (R, fredii USDA193$\Omega$ and R. fredii USDA193$\Omega$1) in pectate lyase function by marker-exchange with pe1B::$\Omega$ and R. fredii USDA193 strain (rif). The pectate lyase activity of two pel- mutant of R. fredii USDA193 was determined by spectrophotometric method. However, all pectate lyase activity of these mutants was not lost upon the mutagenesis by marker-exchange. This suggests that other pectate lyase genes may be present on the plasmid or the chromosome of R. fredii. As yet we do not have evidence linking RpelB and RpelE genes of R. fredii directly to the early nodulation process.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.290-296
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• 1987

Some streptomycin resistant strains of Rhizobium trifolii having nodulation ability were selected, and their nitrogenase activities, symbiotic effects on plant growth, and nodule electronmicroscope were compared with those of the wild type. After NTG treatment, as a mutagen, at the concentration exhibiting 99.7% lethal rate, 5 strains of streptomycin resistant mutant having nodulating ability were selected. Among these nodulating mutant strains, 3 strains produced more nodules and 2 strains showed less nodules than wild type. But their nitrogenase activities were decreased significantly, and nodule formation time was also delay compared with those of the wild type, and there was no remarkable difference in effects on plant growth. Microstructure of nodules by electronmicroscopy had mant distinctive differences between red clover nodules inoculated with wild type and mutants.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.79-85
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• 1985

Rhizobium japonicum wild type strains isolated from local soybean variety Jangback root nodules with higher nitrogenase activity than R. japonicum 3I1110 or 61A76 was mutangenized by N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine and UV-irradiation, and screened by effectiveness assay with soybean. One mutant strain JB65 nodulated the roots earlier than the wild type and also expressed higher acetylene-reducing activity in the presence and absence of fixed nitrogen. The selected mutant was compared with SM35 strain and showed greater nodulation and symbiotic nitrogen fixing activity with local soybean variety Jangback than SM35 strain.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.24-29
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• 2003

SS2-2, a hypernodulating soybean mutant was isolated by EMS mutagenesis from Sinpaldalkong 2. This auto-regulation mutant showed greater number of nodules and smaller plant size than its wild type Sinpaldalkong 2. SSR markers were used to identify DNA variation at SSR loci from different soybean LG. The only SSR marker that detected a length polymorphism between SS2-2 and its wild type ancestor was Satt294 on LG C1 instead of LG H, locating a hypernodulating gene. Sequencing data of flanking Satt294 indicated that the size variation was due to extra stretch of TTA repeats of the SSR motif in SS2-2, along with $A\longrightarrow$G transversion. In spite of phenotypic differences between the wild type and its hypernodulating mutants, genomic DNA poly-morphisms at microsatellite loci could not control regulation of nodule formation. The cDNA-AFLP method was applied to compare differential display of cDNA between Sinpaldalkong 2 and SS2-2. After isolation and sequence comparison with many AELP fragments, several interesting genes were identified. Northern blot analysis, immunolocalization and/or the yeast two-hybrid system with these genes might provide information on regulation of nodule development in SS2-2.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.136-146
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• 1994

To research the effect of chemotaxis of Rhizobia toward the root exudate on nitrogen fixing ability in soybean Rhizobia symbiosis system. Root exudate from seedlings of Glycine max. L was collected aseptic conditions. B. japonicum KCTC 2422 induced the formation of symbiotic nitrogen fixing nodules on the root of soybean plant and possessed motility and chemotaxis toward the 2mM proline. LPN-100 mutant was $Nod^-$, $Che^+$, and LPN-101 was $Che^-$, $Nod^+$ strains. Physiological properties of mutants were similar to parent strain. The crude root exudate was tested for its chemotactic ability using the capillary tube method. Chemotactic responses of RCR 3407 toward crude root exudate were 2.2, 2.6, 2.9, those of KCTC 2422 were 2.3, 2.9, 3.0, respectively. The crude root exudate was fractionated into neutral, cationic and anionic fractions. Chemotactic responses of KCTC 2422 was least with anionic fraction, most with neutral and intermediate with cationic fraction. B. japonicum KCTC 2422 was attracted by carbohydrates, amino acids and carboxylic acid. Carbohydrates and amino acids were good chemoattractants and carboxylic acids were intermediate chemoattractants. The peak concentration was $10^{-3}M$ for ribose, glucose, glutamine, aspartic acid and carboxylic acids, with exception of xylose, arabinose, tryptophan, which elicited maximum responses at $10^{-4}M$. The formation of nodules and nitrogenase activity of soybean inoculated with KCTC 2422 was determined in 7days after inoculation, and those of LPN-101 was detected in 15days after inoculation, but LPN-100 didn't form of nodules in soybean plants.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.265-275
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• 2002

Flavonoid biosynthesis is one of the most extensively studied areas in the secondary metabolism. Due to the study of flavonoid metabolism in diverse plant system, the pathways become the best characterized secondary metabolites and can be excellent targets for metabolic engineering. These flavonoid-derived secondary metabolites have been considerably divergent functional roles: floral pigment, anticancer, antiviral, antitoxin, and hepatoprotective. Three species have been significant for elucidating the flavonoid metabolism and isolating the genes controlling the flavonoid genes: maize (Zea mays), snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus) and petunia (Prtunia hybrida). Recently, many genes involved in biosynthesis of flavonoid have been isolated and characterized using mutation and recombinant DNA technologies including transposon tagging and T-DNA tagging which are novel approaches for the discovery of uncharacterized genes. Metabolic engineering of flavonoid biosynthesis was approached by sense or antisense manipulation of the genes related with flavonoid pathway, or by modified expression of regulatory genes. So, the use of a variety of experimental tools and metabolic engineering facilitated the characterization of the flavonoid metabolism. Here we review recent progresses in flavonoid metabolism: confirmation of genes, metabolic engineering, and applications in the industrial use.