• Korean Journal Plant Pathology
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.1-4
• /
• 1997

Viroid-like RNA molecules were detected from the low molecular weight RNAs isolated from the Korean peonies which showed typical viroid symptoms of epinasty and dwarfing. Low molecular weight RNAs including viroid RNA molecules were purified by the Qiagen anion exchange minicolumns. Viroid-like RNA molecules showed a single viroid specific band in the native polyacrylamide gel. They were separated into two bands in the denaturing gel conditions. The band of circular form of viroid-like RNAs was crossed over the horizontal band of the linear form of viroid-like RNA molecules in 0~8 M urea gradient gel under the denaturing conditions of 37$^{\circ}C$. The two circular forms of viroid-like RNA molecules were detected in the reverse polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The viroid-like RNA molecules purified from the peonies were supposed to be unidentified viroid RNA molecules.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.25 no.1
• /
• pp.23-27
• /
• 1987

Low molecular weight plant ribonucleic acids including viroid-RNA molecules which are soluble in 2M lithium chloride were electrophoresed in the 0M to 8M urea-gradient polyacrylamide gel. Although the linear viroid-RNA molecules migrated at a similarrate across the urea-gradient gel under the denaturing temperature, the circular viroid-RNA molecules moved more rapidly at low urea-gradient region than at high urea-gradient region. Consequently, the migration of the circular viroid-RNA molecules showed a sudden shift across the band of linear forms in the midrange of the urea-gradient gels. Electrophoretic mobilities of the circular viroid-RNA molecules seemed to depend mainly on the concentration of urea in the denaturing urea-gradient gels.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
• /
• v.18 no.6
• /
• pp.342-344
• /
• 2002

Apple scar skin viroid (ASSVd) has been one of the most destructive diseases in Korean apple orchards. Symptoms of the scar skin viroid disease were detected in various apple cultivars, namely, Sansa, Fuji, Chukwang, Miki-Life, Hongro, and Songbongeum cultivated in the southern part of Korea. The RNA molecules were extracted from the apples bearing dapple apple symptoms with the application of CF-11 RNA extraction method. The purified RNAs were used for the synthesis of cDNA with RT-PCR. The PCR products were cloned and sequenced. The viroid RNA molecules from the six different cultivars bearing the dapple symptos showed the same nucleotide sequences as that of the Korean strain of ASSVd（ASSVd-K). ASSVd-K was detected from apple orchards in Kunwi, Sangju, Uiseong, Yeong-yang, Andong, and Youngduk in Gyeongbuk Province in 2001, and in Muju in Jeonbuk Province in 2002. As the viroid disease could be propagated vegetatively, it can be widely transmitted gradually in Korea.

• Korean Journal Plant Pathology
• /
• v.13 no.2
• /
• pp.113-117
• /
• 1997

Low moleuclar weight (LMW) RNAs were isolated form Korean peonies which expressed symptoms of stunt and epinasty. The LMW plant RNAs were purified by Qiagen column chromatography which could separate viroid specific nucleic acid at differential salt concentration. After the inoculation of the purified RNAs from the peonies, the inoculated tomatoes (cv. Rutgers) expressed the symptoms of stunt and epinasty. Also the same molecular weight RNAs with viroid-like RNAs were isolated from the inoculated tomatoes. Double-stranded cDNA were synthesized by the methods of reverse transcription (RT) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with the purified RNA and primers. The same cDNAs associated with viroid-like RNAs wre cloned from the inoculated tomatoes. The cDNA has been sequenced and its 375-nucleotides were arranged into secondary structure. The cloned cDNA showed 47~54% homology compared with other viroids. The sequence homology of the cloned cDNA were partially high with plant genomic RNAs.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
• /
• v.17 no.5
• /
• pp.300-304
• /
• 2001

Apple is the most economically important fruit in Korea. The suspected viroid disease of dapple apple was found in apple fruits cultivated in Kyungpook province. Symptoms begin in mid-July as small circular spots, which stand out against the background color on the young fruit. Dappling of the fruit becomes more intense and easier to detect as the fruit approaches maturity; the affected spots remain yellowish as the fruit matures. no leaf or bark syndromes have been associated with this disease. The infected fruits are downgraded considerably during quality grading. The low molecular weight RNA containing viroid RNA molecules were extracted from the peels of the apples with dapple symptoms. The RNA molecules were extracted from the apples using Qiagen column chromatography. The purified RNAs were used for the synthesis of cDNA with RT-PCR. The PCR products were then ligated into a pGEM-T Easy vector, cloned and sequenced. The sequence of the viroid RNA molecule shows 331 nucleotides with one base difference ("G" insertion between the position of 133 and 134) compared with that of the Apple scar skin viroid (ASSVd) reported by Hashimoto and Koganezawa in Japan. This is the first report on the occurrence of the ASSVd in apple trees cultivated in Korea, as well as the identification of a new Korean strain of the ASSVd.the ASSVd.

• Korean Journal Plant Pathology
• /
• v.3 no.4
• /
• pp.239-244
• /
• 1987

Low molecular weight plant ribonucleic acids including potato spindle tuber viroid(PSTV) RNA were electrophoresed in 0M to 8M urea-gradient polyacrylamide gels. The electrophoresis was carried on in a urea - gradient gel system with 1/40 and 1/10 dilution of TBE buffer at three different temperatures, $17^{\circ}C,\;37^{\circ}C\;and\;57^{\circ}C$. The most effective separation of PSTV - RNA molecules into circular and linear forms was achieved at the highly denaturing temperature of $57^{\circ}C$ and at 1/40 dilution of TBE buffer. The electrophoretic mobility of the denatured circular viroid-RNA molecules is dependent mainly on the concentration of urea. In addition, a low concentration of TBE buffer would increase the separation distance between the circular and linear forms of PSTV-RNA molecules in the denaturing urea-gradient gel system

• Korean Journal Plant Pathology
• /
• v.1 no.3
• /
• pp.199-206
• /
• 1985

Viroids are the smallest. well-characterized infectious agents presently known. and so far viroids have been found only in higher plants. The structures of viroid-molecules are single-stranded, covalently closed circular RNA molecules with a range of 240 to 380 nucleotides according to the various viroids. Viroids are remarkable not only as a new category of pathogen, which cause economically important diseases, but also as an excellent model system for biochemical and biophysical investigations because of their small size, relative stability and their self-replication. Four different patato spindle tuber viroid isolates, which express the different symptoms on the same host plant exchange only 2 to 6 nucleotides in the total number of 359 nucleotides, but now the mechanism of viroid pathogenicity is not explained fully. Viroid-melecules are replicated without any special viroid-associated proteins, and during the process of viroid replication oligomeric viroid-associated RNAs are detected at nuclei of viroid infected leaf tissue. The mechanism of viroid replication can now be illustrated according to a possible explanation of rolling-circle system. Although the rapid progress have been made in elucidation of the biochemical and biophysical properties of PSTV and other viroids, the mechanism of viroid replication and pathogenicity is less known and is still a matter of speculation. When these problems can be sufficiently explained, the viroid molecule could play an important role as an available vector in plant genetic engineering.