• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.435-441
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• 2009

In the present study, we analyzed the defensin protein deduced from Korean radish (Raphanus sativus L.) seeds.To express the genes in E. coli, we constructed a recombinant expression vector with a defensin gene, named rKRs-AFP gene isolated from Korean radish seeds. Over expressed rKRs-AFP proteins was separated by SDS-PAGE to determine the purity, and protein concentration was determined by the Bradford method. Antifungal activity was assessed by disk assay method against the tested fungi. As a result, when 500 mL of cell culture were disrupted by sonicator, 32.5 mg total proteins were obtained. The purified protein showed a single band on SDS-PAGE with estimated molecular weight about 6 KDa, consistent with the molecular mass calculated from the deduced amino acid sequence. The purified rKRs-AFP protein showed remarkable antifungal activities against several fungi including Aspergillus niger, Botrytis cinerea causing the gray mold disease, and Candida albicans. In field tests using the purified rKRs-AFP protein, the protein showed the reducing activity of disease spot and the mitigating effect of spreading of disease like agrichemicals. The immuno-assay of rKRs-AFP protein showed that the purified protein entirely accumulated at B. cinerea cytoplasm through the hyphal septa shown by fluorescence imaging. There was no fluorescence inside the cell, when the hypha was incubated without the protein. These all results indicate that the recombinant rKRs-AFP proteins can be utilized as a potential antifungal drug to control harmful plant fungal pathogens.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.9
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• pp.1578-1583
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• 2008

Rhizobacteria are used as inoculants to enhance crop yield and for biological control of fungal pathogens. Fluorescent pseudomonads isolated from the rhizosphere of groundnut showed suppression of the phytopathogen Macrophomina phaseolina that causes charcoal rot of groundnut, an economically important agroproduct. Two strains of fluorescent pseudomonads, designated as PS1 and PS2, were selected as a result of in vitro antifungal activity. After 5 days of incubation at $28{\pm}1^{\circ}C$, both PS1 and PS2 caused clear inhibition zones in dual cultures, restricting the growth of M. phaseolina by 71 % and 74%, respectively. Both the strains were capable of producing siderophores, indole acetic acid, and hydrocyanic acid, and causing phosphate solubilization under normal growth conditions. These strains, when used as inoculants in groundnut, enhanced germination up to 15% and 30% with subsequent increase in grain yield by 66% and 77%, respectively. Conversely, when the pathogen alone was tested 57% decrease in yield was recorded. Thus the studies revealed the potential of the two pseudomonads not only as biocontrol agents against M. phaseolina, but also as a good growth promoter for groundnut.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.250-261
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• 2010

The expression of vaccine antigens in transgenic plants has the potential to provide a convenient, stable, safe approach for oral vaccination alternative to traditional parenteral vaccines. Over the past two decades, many different vaccine antigens expressed via the plant nuclear genome have elicited appropriate immunoglobulin responses and have conferred protection upon oral delivery. Up to date, efforts to produce antigen proteins in plants have focused on potato, tobacco, tomato, banana, and seed (maize, rice, soybean, etc). The choice of promoters affects transgene transcription, resulting in changes not only in concentration, but also in the stage tissue and cell specificity of its expression. Inclusion of mucosal adjuvants during immunization with the vaccine antigen has been an important step towards the success of plant-derived vaccines. In animal and Phase I clinical trials several plant-derived vaccine antigens have been found to be safe and induce sufficiently high immune response. Future areas of research should further characterize the induction of the mucosal immune response and appropriate dosage for delivery system of animal and human vaccines. This article reviews the current status of development in the area of the use of plant for the development of oral vaccines.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.150-156
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• 2020

Weeds play an important role in the survival of viruses and are potential inoculum sources of viral diseases for crop plants. In this study, specimens of Pseudostellaria heterophylla exhibiting symptoms of the cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) were collected in Bonghwa, Korea. The characteristics of the disease were described and leaf RNA was extracted and sequenced to identify the virus. Three CMV contigs were obtained and PCR was performed using specific primer pairs. RNA from positive samples exhibiting CMV leaf symptoms was amplified to determine the coat protein. A sequence comparison of the coat protein gene from the CMV BH isolate shared the highest nucleotide identity (99.2%) with the CMV ZM isolate. Phylogenetic analysis showed that CMV-BH belonged to subgroup IA and that the most closely-related isolate was CMV-ZM. All test plants used for the biological assay were successfully infected with CMV and exhibited CMV disease symptoms such as blistering, mosaic, and vein yellowing. To our knowledge, this is the first report of CMV infection in P. heterophylla from Korea.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.701-709
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• 2005

An efficient method of selecting an antagonistic strain for use as a biological control agent strain was developed. In this improved method, the surface tension reduction potential of an isolate was included in the 'decision factor,' in addition to two other factors; the growth rate and pathogen inhibition. By using a statistically designed method, an isolate from the soil was selected and identified as Bacillus sp. GB 16. In the pot test, this strain showed the best performance among the isolated strains. The lowest disease incidence rate and fastest seed growth were observed when the Bacillus sp. GB 16 was used. The action of the surface tension reducing component was assumed to enhance the wetting, spreading, and residing of the antagonistic strain in the rhizosphere. This result showed that the improved selection method was quite effective in selecting the best antagonistic strain for the biological control of soilborne infectious plant pathogens.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.1105-1110
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• 2014

Objective: Metastases and invasion are the main reasons for oncotherapy failure. Momordica cochinchinensis (Mu Bie Zi in Chinese) had been used for a variety of purposes, and shown anti-cancer action. In this article, we focused on effects on regulation of breast cancer cell ZR-75-30 metastases and invasion by extracts of Momordica cochinchinensis seeds (ESMCs). Methods: Effect of ESMCs on ZR-75-30 human breast cancer cells proliferation were evaluated by MTT assay and on invasion and migration by wound-healing and matrigel invasion chamber assays. Expression and protease activity of two matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), MMP-2 and MMP-9, were analyzed by Western blotting and gelatin zymography, respectively. Results: ESMC revealed strong growth inhibitory effects on ZR-75-30 cells, and effectively inhibited ZR-75-30 cell invasion in a dose-dependent manner. Western blot and gelatin zymography analysis showed that ESMC significantly inhibited the expression and secretion of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in ZR-75-30 cells. Conclusions: ESMC has the potential to suppress the migration and invasion of ZR-75-30 cancer cells, and it might prove to of interest in the development of novel inhibitors for breast cancer.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.150-158
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• 1996

The potato has been used as a part of key staple foods in Korea. Recently, the demand for the potato tends to increase due to its nutritional Quality, and the Quantity of imports has rapidly been increasing. Contamination of seed potato by pathogens especially could cause a severe reduction of total production. In order to solve the problem, Korea Research Insistute of Bioscience and Biotechnology(KBIBB) developed the new commodity called a "potato microtuber". Before its production and distribution, researches on new commodity should be undertaken in many aspects, especially in terms of economic aspects. The main objectives of this study are to measure the economic value of the potato microtubers and to forecast its spreading effects and to examine the Contingent Valuation Method(CVM) could be accepted in the economic analysis for a new agricultural product, here in potato microtubers. Through the regression results, the consumer behavior analysis had performed for potential users of potato microtubers, and through the demand function derived by the consequence of functional relationship, consumer's surplus was estimated.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Crop Science Conference
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• 2017.06a
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• pp.150-150
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• 2017

Plants suffer from various abiotic stresses among them; soil salinity is one of major adverse factor in declining agricultural productivity. So, development of salt stress tolerance crops have potential role to increase crop production. The RING finger proteins are known to play crucial roles in abiotic stress environment to plants. In this study, we identified one Salt-responsive Really${\underline{I}nteresting}$ ${\underline{n}ew}$ ${\underline{g}ene}$ (RING) E3 ubiquitin ligase gene OsSIRF1 from rice root tissues during salt stress and studied its molecular function. Expression of OsSIRF1 was induced under various abiotic stress conditions, including salt, heat, drought, and ABA. Result of an in vitro ubiquitination assay clearly showed that OsSIRF1 Possess an E3 ligase activity. Moreover, OsSIRF1 was found to be localized to the nucleus within the cell. Heterogeneous overexpression of OsSIRF1 in Arabidopsis improved seed germination and increased root length under salt and Manitol stress conditions. Taking together, these results suggested that OsSIRF1 may be associated with plant responses to abiotic stressors and positively regulates salt and osmotic stress environment.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.47-52
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• 2013

We invesitagat the effects of antioxidant and suppression of MMP-1 in UV-irradiated human dermal fibroblasts (HDF) by schizandrin isolated from Schisandra chinensis. Ultrasonic technique was used to extract schizandrin from S. chinensis. The higher contents of schizandrin (6.34 mg/ml) in 70% EtOH extract obtained by ultrasonic treatment at 20 MHz for 2 h during 10 days. Schizandrin had antioxidant activities. Schizandrin (1-10 ${\mu}g/ml$) induced a significant dose-dependent decrease in the expression fo MMP-1 protein. These results suggest that schizandrin is a potential candidate for the prevention and treatment of skin aging.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.103-109
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• 2007

The increasing industrialization of the world has led to precipitous rise for the demand of petroleum-based fuels. The world is presently confronted with the twin crises of fossil fuel depletion and environmental pollution. The search for alternative fuels, which promise a harmonious correlation with sustainable development, energy conservation, efficiency and environmental preservation, has become highly pronounced in the present. Bioenergy is playing an increasingly important role as an alternative and renewable source of energy. Use of Bioenergy has several potential environmental advantages. The most important perhaps is reduction in life cycle greenhouse gases emissions relatives petroleum fuels, since bioenergy is derived from plants which convert Carbon dioxide ($CO_{2}$) into Carbohydrates in their growth. Bioenergy includes solid biomass, biomas and liquid bio-fuels which are fuels derived from crop plants, and include biomass that's directly burned. The two most important bio liquid fuels today are bioethanol from fermenting grain, grass, straw or wood, and biodiesel from plant seed oil.