Olive flounder Paralichthys olivaceus is one of the most widely cultured fish species in Korea. Although olive flounder receive attention from aquaculture and fisheries and extensive research has been conducted eye morphological change in metamorphosis, but little information was known to molecular mechanism and gene expression of eye development- related genes during the early part of eye formation period. For the reason of eyesight is the most important sense in flounder larvae to search prey, the screening and identification of expressed genes in the eye will provide useful insight into the molecular regulation mechanism of eye development in olive flounder. Through the search of an olive flounder DNA database of expressed sequence tags (EST), we found a partial sequence that was similar to crystallin beta A1 and gamma S. Microscopic observation of retinal formation correspond with the time of expression of the crystallin beta A1 and gamma S gene in the developmental stage, these result suggesting that beta A1 and gamma S play a vital role in the remodeling of the retina during eye development. The expression of crystallin beta A1 and gamma S were obviously strong in eye at all tested developing stage, it is also hypothesized that crystallin acts as a molecular chaperone to prevent protein aggregation during maturation and aging in the eye.

Compared to wide ranges of genetic variation of natural populations, very limited Miscanthus cultivar has been released. This study was the first report on the development of Miscanthus cultivar by means of radiation breeding. Seeds of M. sinensis were initially exposed to gamma rays of 250 Gy for 24 h, generated from a 60Co gamma-irradiator. The irradiated seeds were sown and then the highly tiller-producing mutants were selected for this study. Biomass-related parameters including tiller number, plant height, stem diameter, and leaf number were measured. Ploidy level and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) were investigated to characterize the mutants compared to wild type (WT) Miscanthus. Plant height and tiller number were negatively related, where multi-tillering mutants were relatively short after 4 month growth. However stem diameter and leaf number were greater in mutants. All the materials used in this study were diploid, implying that the mutants with greater tiller numbers and stem diameter were not likely related to polyploidization. Based on the sequence of ITS regions, the mutants demonstrated base changes from the gamma irradiation where G+C content (%) was decreased in the ITS1, but increased in ITS2 when compared to WT sequence. ITS2 region was more variable than in ITS1 in the mutants, which collectively allows identification of the mutants from WT. Those mutants having enhanced tillers and allelic variations might be used as breeding materials for enhanced biomass-producing Miscanthus cultivars.

Next generation sequencing (NGS) approaches can also be useful tool for characterization of organelle genomes. We generated chloroplast (CP) genome sequences of two Korean ginseng cultivars, Chunpoong and Yunpoong, based on reference-guided assembly using whole genome NGS data. We used 0.5x of P. ginseng genome NGS reads to assemble CP genome. Of the NGS reads used, about 6% were mapped to the reference CP genome with mean coverage of 94x due to high copy number of CP genome in plant cell. CP genomes of the two cultivars were predicted to be 156,248 bp and 156,355 bp in length and showed about 0.1% differences at nucleotide level, compared to reference CP genome sequenced from P. ginseng (Acc.no. NC_006290), whereas difference between CP genomes of the two cultivars is very rare. In this study, we developed the molecular marker to perform taxon identification and also to elucidate phylogenetic relationship among Korean ginseng cultivars. Now, we are analyzing the CP genomes of other P. ginseng cultivars together with other Panax species including American ginseng and Panax related species.

Miniature inverted- repeat transposable elements are expected to play vital role in evolution of genes and genome of major eukaryotic organisms. However, there have been little reports on MITEs in B. rapa, a polyploidy model genome. We identified 13 novel MITE families in B. rapa genome by computational approach. Out of 13 MITEs families three, eight and two were classified under stowaway-like, tourist-like and hAT super families based on their unique structural characteristics. We characterized the members of 13 MITE families from the available 256 Mbp from whole genome draft sequences of B. rapa. We found ech MITE has high copiy number ranges from 14 to 977 which are distributed randomly along all the chromosomes. We also found more than 40% of the MITE members were associated with genes and gene rich regions. Furthermore, the polymorphism due to insertion and non-insertion of MITEs analysis suggest that MITEs are active in the genome. As, such the newly identified MITEs will provide a foundation for the further analysis of roles of MITEs in gene and genome evolution.

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.

Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa ssp. pekinensis) is one of the most important vegetables and widely cultivated in Asia countries including Korea and China. Recently, whole genome sequence and full-length cDNA information of this species became available, which are encouraging genetic studies of this species to characterize agricultural important traits. Orange-colored (Or) cultivar of Chinese cabbage has inner leaves in orange, whereas other cultivars generally cultivated have yellow (Ye)- or white-colored inner leaves. In this study, we investigated phenotypes and carotenoid biosynthesis genes related to color variation in the Or cultivar. Firstly we compared the carotenoid content and composition between the Or and Ye cultivars by HPLC analysis. The inner leaves of Or cultivar contained approximately 9-fold high β-carotene content, whereas content of both lutein and violaxanthin was decreased to less than 30%, compared to Ye cultivar. Or cultivar was segregated with ratio of 3:1 in F2 population derived from crossing between Or and Ye inbred lines, indicating that Or phenotype is controlled by single recessive gene. To identify this gene, we investigated the expression of several genes involved in carotenoid biosynthesis by RT-PCR analysis. Among genes tested, two encoding putative carotenoid isomerase (CRTISO) and phytoene desaturase (PDS) were identified to show different expression between Or and Ye cultivars. Through further analysis of genomic DNA regions of these two genes, we could expect that several mutations such as InDel and base-substitution occurred and then affected expression of these genes in Or cultivar. In this presentation, I will introduce more detailed results for Or cultivars.

An OTO intersectional hybrid lily cultivar ‘Flashy Party’ was developed in 2011 at National Institute of Horticultural and Herbal Science (NIHHS), Rural Development Administration (RDA), of Korea. The cross was made between female parents Lilium OT intersectional hybrid ‘Avocado’ and male parents L. Oriental hybrid ‘Acapulco’ in 2005. Preliminarily selection was done as ‘OTO-08-3’ in 2008. Multiplication and bulb formation, and characteristic tests were conducted from 2008 to 2010. The evaluation of this line was performed and named as ‘Flashy Party (Wongyo C1-113)’ in 2011. ‘Flashy Party’ flowers in the end of June and grows average 131 cm. It flowers semi upward-facing, Red-light yellow color(RHS, R47A+Y8C) with the size of flower 21.5 cm. Mean outer-petal length and width is 15 cm and 4.7 cm, respectively. Leaves are 20 cm long and 3.3 cm wide, respectively. The weight and size of bulb is 65.3 g and 18 cm, respectively. Year-round flowering can be by storing the bulb under -1.5℃ conditions. For forcing culture, it is necessary to add calcium to the fertilizer or remove side scales to prevent leaf scorch. It is needed to control Botrytis disease in wet season.

An Asiatic lily cultivar ‘Red Flame’ was developed in 2011 at National Institute of Horticultural and Herbal Science (NIHHS), Rural Development Administration (RDA), of Korea. The cross was made between female parents Lilium Asiatic ‘A01-78’ and male parents L. Asiatic ‘Rodrigo’ in 2001. Preliminarily selection was done as ‘A04-8’ in 2004. Multiplication and bulb formation, and characteristic tests were conducted from 2005 to 2010. The evaluation of this line was performed and named as ‘Wongyo C1-110’ in 2011. ‘Red Flame’ flowers at the first days of June and grows average 95.6 cm. It flowers upward-facing, dark red (RHS, R45A) with the size of flower 15.7 cm. Mean petal length and width is 9.7 cm and 3.0 cm, respectively. Leaves are 11 cm long and 1.7 cm wide, respectively. The weight and size of bulb is 52 g and 18 cm, respectively. Year-round flowering can be by storing the bulb under -1.5℃ conditions. For forcing culture, it is necessary to add calcium to the fertilizer or remove side scales to prevent leaf scorch. It is needed to control Botrytis disease in wet season.

Development of transgenic plant with desirable traits to cultivated plant is one of the important procedures in plant molecular breeding. However, applicable assessment of transgenic plant in laboratorial scale is not much except cultivating transgenic plant for a whole life in field condition. Here, we analyzed chlorophyll fluorescence in three transgenic soybean lines with AtMYB44 transcription factor for assessment of photosynthetic activity under abiotic stresses such as drought. Soybean varieties used in this study were ‘Bert’ and ‘Bert’ derived three transgenic soybeans, ‘AtMYB44 CM35101’, ‘AtMYB44 CM2471’, and ‘AtMYB44 CM4481’. Analyzed five different chlorophyll fluorescence variables are maximum PSII quantum yield (QY_max), steady state PSII quantum yield (QY_Lss), steady state non-photochemical quenching (NPQ_Lss), coefficient of photochemical quenching in steady-state (Qp_Lss), and fluorescence declineratio in steady-state (Rfd_Lss). To determine main chlorophyll fluorescence variable affected by abiotic stress, principal component analysis (PCA) was conducted with five chlorophyll fluorescence variables measured from four varieties. QY_Lss and NPQ_Lss were main chlorophyll fluorescence variables to evaluate abiotic stress, particularly in drought stress. In comparison with transgenic soybean lines based on chlorophyll fluorescence variables, ‘AtMYB44 CM2471’ and ‘AtMYB44 CM4481’ are more tolerant to drought than the others. Interestingly, three transgenic soybean lines which have a same AtMYB44 gene with different regions of chromosome revealed the quite different responses of chlorophyll fluorescence to drought treatment.

Cryopreservation has been known as an efficient method for long-term preservation of clonally propagated plants, and several cryopreservation methods have been developed. Among them, a droplet-vitrification method for potato using axillary shoot tips in vitro has been established previously. In this study, we have optimized the procedure in which explants were submitted to a step-wise pre-culture in liquid sucrose-enriched medium (0.3 and 0.7 M for 7 and 17 h, respectively). The pre-cultured explants were dehydrated with PVS3 (w/v, 50% glycerol + 50% sucrose) for 90 min or modified PVS2 vitrification solution (w/v, 37.5% glycerol + 15% DMSO + 15.0% ethylene glycol + 22.5% sucrose) for 30 min. This two dehydration solutions produced post-cryopreservation regeneration percentages of 57.2% and 80.9%, respectively. We also compared a new post-culture medium (0.1 mg L ･ -1 GA3, 0.1 mg L ･ -1 kinetin) with the conventional one (0.15 mg L ･ -1 IAA, 0.2 mg L ･ -1 zeatin, 0.05 mg L ･ -1 GA3); the shooting initiation rates were 80.9% and 43.5%, respectively. The results suggest that the modified droplet-vitrification protocol described in this study is more effective, easier to implement, and more economical than the droplet-vitrification protocols currently used for potato.

Physiological responses to salinity stress were evaluated in six rice genotypes differing in their tolerance to salinity at the seedling stage. Susceptible genotypes ('Dongjingbyeo', 'Hwayeongbyeo', and 'IR29') showed salt injury symptoms (mean 8.8) and higher visual score under salt stress than that of tolerant ones ('Pokkali', 'IR74009', and 'IR73571'). As salinity affects growth and physiological parameters, the six genotypes thus showed significant reduction because of salt stress. Tolerant Japonica/Indica bred lines ('IR74009', 'IR73571') showed lower reduction, 33.9%, 34.5%, and 50%, respectively, in plant seedling height, dry shoot weight and dry root weight than those of the susceptible Japonica varieties ('Dongjingbyeo', 'Hwayeongbyeo'), and the highest reduction under salt stress was observed in dry root weight, followed by dry shoot weight and seedling height, respectively. Shoot Na+ concentration of IR74099 and IR73571 was lower than that of the susceptible varieties, 'Dongjinbyeo' and 'Hwayeongbyeo'. There were no significant differences among genotypes in root Na+ concentration. Shoot K+ concentration showed a reverse tendency compared to shoot Na+ concentration. IR74009 and IR73571 had considerably lower ratio compared to 'Dongjinbyeo' and 'Hwayeongbyeo' in Na+/K+ ratio of their shoot and was not different the tolerant check, 'Pokkali'.