The flowers of Buddleja officinalis are used to treat sore and damaged eyes, a condition which is similar to skin wounds. However, whether it has any protective effect on oxidative DNA damage and cell death induced by hydroxyl radical remains unclear. In this study, we evaluated the protective effects of the extracts against oxidative DNA and cell damage caused by hydroxyl radical. DPPH radical, hydroxyl radical, hydrogen peroxide and intracellular ROS scavenging assay, and Fe2+ chelating assay were used to evaluate the antioxidant properties. phi X 174 RF I plasmid DNA and intracellular DNA migration assay were used to evaluate the protective effect against oxidative DNA damage. Lastly, MTT assay and lipid peroxidation assay were used to evaluate the protective effect against oxidative cell damage. It was found to prevent intracellular DNA and the normal cells from oxidative damage caused by hydroxyl radical via antioxidant activities. These results suggest that Buddleja officinalis may exert the inhibitory effect on ROS-induced carcinogenesis by blocking oxidative DNA damage and cell death.

Seed storage proteins of different solubility were extracted and denatured subunits of each protein were evaluated with malting barley quality parameters. Its been known that each subunit of seed storage protein encoded by each gene and subunit profiles were highly related to end-use quality in cereals. The purpose of this study is to provide selection criteria for high quality malting barleys with aid of bichemical-genetic information. Total 13 regional test lines and three locations (Naju, Jinju, and Jeju) were incorporated in this study. Albumin and hordein were extracted, denatured, and separated in 12% SDS-PAGE. Presence and absence of subunits of each protein were scored. Dendrogram (using XLSTAT program) was constructed to evaluated the relatedness of lines. The correlation between band profiles and quality test were assessed through Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering (AHC) for statistics analysis. Hordein subunits can be classified into four groups, A, B, C, and D group. In general, hordein fractions contribute higher than albumine to determine malting quality. Specific molecular weight ranges (97.4-31.0, 66.2-31.0, and 45.0-31.0 kDa) of subunits were highly correlated with malting barley quality parameters. The subunit information would be directly incorporated in providing selection criteria for high quality malting barley in the malting barley breeding program.

Pectin, one of the main components of plant cell wall, is deesterified in muro by PME (Pectin methylesterase). PME activity is particularly regulated by inhibitor proteins known as the pectin methylesterase inhibitor (PMEI). The PMEI plays a key role in wounding, osmotic stress, senescence and seed development. However, the role of PMEI in plant species still remains to be demonstrated especially in wheat. To facilitate the studies on the expression of the TaPMEI gene, RT-PCR was performed using leaf, stem and root tissues in response to exogeneous application of phytohormones and abiotic stress treatments. Transcription of the TaPMEI gene was significantly induced in NaCl, H2O2 and SA treatments, and reduced when plants were treated with ABA. To elucidate the subcellular localization of the TaPMEI protein, TaPMEI:GFP fusion construct was transformed into onion epidermal cells by particle bombardment. The fluorescence signal was exclusively detected in cell wall of the cells. In order to obtain recombinant TaPMEI protein, the TaPMEI protein, expressed in E.coli as a MBP (~42.5 kDa) fusion protein recombinant. Purification and functinal analysis of TaPMEI as an inhibitor of PME activity are described.

It was previously pointed out that mutation is the ultimate source of variation. Adequate variation is needed for plant breeding if there is a limitation in natural genetic resources. When the ionizing radiation has been known to cause chromosomal and genomic alternations, it is widely used for inducing mutagenesis. The electron beam as an ionizing radiation is the principal physical mutagens that induces mutation and effectively used in plant breeding. Since dose-response relationships of electron beam in plant species are rarely known, we investigated the seed germination rate and early seedling growth of irradiated seeds of creeping bentgrass (Agrostis palustris Huds., cv Penn-A1) with various electron beam irradiating conditions (1, 1.3, 2 MeV at both 0.03 mA and 0.06 mA with dose of 100 Gy (Gray) and 0.03, 1, 1.3, 2 MeV at 0.03 mA with dose of 200 Gy, respectively) using electron accelerator at Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute. The growth parameters in terms of shoot length, primary root length, and secondary root length showed similar response between 0.06 / 1 (mA / MeV) at 100 Gy and 0.03 / 0.3 (mA / MeV) at 200 Gy. Bentgrass seed germination was mainly affected by the intensity of irradiated dose (Gray). Germination rate was lowered as the irradiated dose increased. On the other hand, early seedling growth was mainly governed not by the dose of radiation but by voltage.

A new Asiatic lily cultivar “Fantasia” was derived from a cross between “Gran-paradiso” and line “No. 96-13” made in 1997. The cultivar was selected mainly for cut flower. “Gran-paradiso” is a orange red cultivar, while “No. 96-13” is a red-purple colored hybrid line. The selection and the survey for the flower characteristics were conducted from 1998 to 2005 in vinyl tunnels and greenhouses of National Institute of Highland Agriculture. The flowering date of “Fantasia” is July 22. The flower has no fragrance and its medium sized flower is 13.4 cm in width. The orange (O28A) colored petals have no spots. The bulb weight of “Fantasia” is about 68 g and its bulb size is about 18.6 cm in circumference.

A new Asiatic lily cultivar “Dajeong” was derived from a cross between “Prato” and “Positano” made in 1997. The cultivar was selected mainly for cut flower. Both “Prato” and “Positano” are well known for their flower color of orange red and yellow, respectively. The selection and the survey for the flower characteristics were conducted from 1998 to 2005 in vinyl tunnels and greenhouses of National Institute of Highland Agriculture. The flowering date of “Dajeong” is July 23. The flower has no fragrance and its medium sized flower is 12.0 cm in width. The medium orange and yellow (ON25 + YO23B) colored petals have no spot. The bulb weight of “Dajeong” is about 55.4 g and its bulb size is about 16.4 cm in circumference.

“Miso”, A new Asiatic lily cultivar was derived from a cross between “Kinks” and a line “A61” made in 1997. Both “Kinks” and “A61” are yellow flower cultivars, while “A61” is a hybrid line. The cultivar was selected mainly for cut flower. The selection and the survey for the flower characteristics were conducted from 1998 to 2005 in vinyl tunnels and greenhouses of National Institute of Highland Agriculture. The flowering date of “Miso” is July 26. The flower has no fragrance and its medium sized flower is 13.7 cm in width. The yellow (Y9A) petal have no spot. The bulb weight of “Miso” is about 42 g and its bulb size is about 15 cm in circumference.