Lhx8 (LIM homeobox 8) gene encodes a LIM homeodomain transcriptional regulator that is preferentially expressed in germ cells and critical for mammalian folliculogenesis. However, Lhx8 DNA binding sequences are not characterized yet. We aimed to identify and characterize a cis-acting sequence of germ-cell specific transcriptional factor, Lhx8. To identify Lhx8 DNA binding element, Cyclic Amplification of Sequence Target (CAST) Analysis was performed. Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay (EMSA) was processed for the binding specificity of Lhx8. Luciferase assay was for the transcriptional activity of Lhx8 through identified DNA binding site. We identified a putative cis-acting sequence, TGATTG as Lhx8 DNA binding element (LBE). In addition, Lhx8 binds to the LBE with high affinity and augments transcriptional activity of luciferase reporter driven by artificial promoter containing the Lhx8 binding element. These findings indicate that Lhx8 directly regulates the transcription of genes containing Lhx8 binding element in oocytes during early folliculogenesis.

Cereal seeds, sorghum, foxtail millet, hog millet, adlay, and corn are traditionally used as health assistant as well as energy supplying food in Korea. While beneficial phytochemicals to human have revealed in cereals, the information on peptides from cereals is far less accumulated than major reserve protein. Here, we analyzed peptide profiles using surface enhanced laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF MS) in cereal seeds for construction of peptide information and attempted to develop peptide biomarkers for cereal identification. To optimize the analysis condition of SELDI-TOF MS, the effect of dilution factor on binding affinity to protein chips was tested using CM10 and Q10 arrays. Peptide clusters were significantly different at the level of 0.01 p-value. Peak spectra were the most stable in 1:50 of dilution factor in both chip arrays. Numbers of detected peak of 5 cereal seeds were 131 in CM10 and 74 in Q10 array. Each cereal was grouped as a cluster and well discriminated into different cluster in the level of 0.01 p-value. Numbers of potentially identified peptide biomarkers are 11, 13, 9, 5 and 12 in sorghum, foxtail millet, hog millet, adlay and corn, respectively. This study demonstrates that each cereal seed have own distinguishable specific peptides although their function are not identified yet in this study. In addition, the proteomic profiling using SELDI-TOF MS techniques could be a useful and powerful tool to discover peptide biomarker for discrimination and assess crop species, especially under 20 kDa.

We have identified ATTIRTA1 transposon, a kind of mariner-type DNA transposon from Brassica rapa genome. A total of 811 inverted-terminal repeat, ITR consisting of the both terminal on ATTIRTA1 transposon were found from B. rapa v1.1 sequence. Among them 616 ITR were paired by two in each transposon, indicating three quarters of the transposon exists in original form. Around 10 percentage of the transposon, 82 ITR was located in gene, expecially only in intron. Using these ATTRRTA1, we developed a display system modified from AFLP technique and applied for this system to analyze genetic diversity of Korea Brassica rapa core collection. The collection includes 220 accessions representing the different morphotypes and geographical origin. The analysis of population structure revealed five subgroups and the clustering patterns matched well with their morphological traits. ATTIRTA1 transposon display seems useful marker system for studying genetic relationships. Presently we have profiled the components and contents of glucosinolate in the core collection to analyze genome wide association. This collection will be helpful to identify agriculturally desirable traits from other supspecies.

A new rose variety, ‘Love Letter’ was selected from the progenies of a cross between ‘Red Giant’ and ‘Ensemble’ by rose breeding team of the Gyeonggi-Do Agricultural Research and Extension Services(GARES) in 2011. ‘Love Letter’ was crossed in 2007 and seedlings were produced. After the test of specific characters from 2008 to 2011, it was finally selected and named. ‘Love Letter’ was developed because of distinctive characters such as growth uniformity and high yielding potential. A standard type with large sized flower, It has red(Red Group 46A) color flower. ‘Love Letter’ takes 43 days from pruning to blooming and cut flower productivity was 152 stems/m2 in a year. The stems of cut flower have no thorn and the length was long with 70.5 cm. It has 9.3 cm in flower diameter and 32.4 in petal numbers per flower. Vase life of the this cultivar could be as long as 12 days.

A new rose variety, ‘Venus Berry’ was selected from the progenies of a cross between ‘Boy Friend’ and ‘GSR10315’ by rose breeding team of the Gyeonggi-Do Agricultural Research and Extension Services(GARES) in 2011. ‘Venus Berry’ was crossed in 2007 and seedlings were produced. After the test of specific characters from 2008 to 2011, it was finally selected and named. ‘Venus Berry’ was developed because of distinctive characters such as growth uniformity and high yielding potential. The petal of flower is so thick and has no scratch. A standard type with large sized flower, it has light pink(Red Purple Group 69C) color flower. ‘Venus Berry’ takes 45 days from pruning to blooming and cut flower productivity was 194.1 stems/m2 in a year. The length of cut flower was long with 65.5 cm. It has 10.2 cm in flower diameter and 43.6 in petal numbers per flower. Vase life of the this cultivar could be as long as 12 days.

Rice grain number and grain dimensions including grain length-width ratio are critical components in determining the rice yield and quality. Manual or visual inspection for breeding lines and germplasm over these traits are time-consuming jobs. We developed and tested two algorithms for analysing grain number and dimensions (grain length, grain width) through image analysis system, Metamorph offline 7.0 (Molecular devices™). The algorithm for determining number of grain and shape constitutes a series of fragmentation processes including Shading, Color separate, Threshold, Euclidean, Dialate, Watershed Line, Arithmetic. When the six rice cultivars with different grain shapes were tested, there was no difference in the averaged values and distribution for the grain number and grain length between mannual and image analysis methods. However, image analysis resulted in the slightly increased values for grain width and more wider distribution whereas length/width ratio was slightly reduced by about 0.1, indicating that image analysis can be utilized more effectively and accuately in investigating the grain number and dimensions for sizable breeding lines.

광나무(L. lucidum)는 ursolic acid와 oleanolic acid를 다량 포함하고 있다. 본 연구에서는 광나무 열매, 줄기, 잎 세 부위 추출물의 항주름 효능을 평가하였다. 광나무 추출물은 human skin fibroblasts에서 독성이 없을 뿐만 아니라 MMP-1과 MMP-2의 발현을 감소시키고 COL1A1의 발현을 증가시켰다. 이들 추출물은 모두 농도 의존적으로 COL1A1의 발현을 증가시켰으며 MMP-1과 MMP-2의 발현을 감소시켰다. 광나무 세 부위 추출물 가운데, 열매 부위에 가장 많은 양의 ursolic acid 와 oleanolic acid가 함유되어 있었으며 가장 강한 COL1A1 upregulating 효과와 MMP-1과 MMP-2 downregulating 효과를 나타냈다. 이처럼 항주름 효능을 보이는 광나무 열매 추출물은 기능성 화장품 소재로 개발될 수 있는 가능성이 있다.

It has been reported that bacterial diseases of domestic soybean are bacterial pustule, wildfire, bacterial blight and bacterial brown spot. Among these bacterial diseases, bacterial blight infected by Gram-negative Xanthomonas campestris pv. glycines had been the most issue in soybean diseases. In recently, issue in soybean disease was shifted to wildfire by Gram-negative Pseudomonas syringae pv. tabaci. When infected in nature, symptom of wildfire generally surrounded infected-area of bacterial blight and formed pustule in infective center. Because optimum growth temperature of Wildfire is lower than these of bacterial pustule, Wildfire caused damage to crop yield in later growth stage. In this study, we checked symptoms of bacterial diseases with growth stages of soybean. Also, we surveyed disease severity of single infection, simultaneous infection and sequential infection of bacterial pustule and wildfire.

For the development of SSR marker system in Vicia villosa Roth, an enriched library was constructed by using a modified biotin-streptavidin capture method and the selected clones were sequenced with GS-FLX(454). Of 37,794 sequenced reads, we found that 8,474 reads (22.4%) were redundant, leaving 29,320 unique ones (77.6%). Among the unique clones, 17,174 reads (58.6%) were having microsatellite repeating motifs. Sequence analysis of all SSR-containing reads revealed a predominance of the di-nucleotide SSRs (62.5%). The tri-nucleotide and the tetra-nucleotide SSRs were 5.7% and 22.5%, respectively. As the di-nucleotide type, the AG/GA class of repeat motif was most frequently identified (55.0% of the total di-nucleotide SSRs), followed by the CT/TC class (19.5%), and the TA/AT class (12.1%). Among the tri-nucleotide SSRs, the AGT/GTA/TAG class of repeat motifs was predominant (22.2%), followed by the ACT/CTA/TAC class (17.8%). Among the tetra-nucleotide SSRs, the CTTT/TTTC/TTCT/TCTT class of repeat motifs was predominant (31.2%), followed by the AAAG/AAGA/AGAA/ GAAA class (19.9%). Finally, we designed 779 primer pairs from the flanking sequences of SSR containing reads. We are undertaking the analysis of polymorphisms using the diverse collected accessions of Vicia villosa Roth now. This newly developed SSR marker set shall provide a very useful tool for implementing molecular diversity assessment and population structure studies of Vicia villosa Roth onward.