Background : Gentinae Macrophyllae Radix is one of the traditional medicines originated from the roots of multiple plants, Gentiana macrophylla Pall., Gentiana straminea Maxim., Gentiana crassicaulis Duthie ex Burkill and Gentiana dahurica Fisch., in Gentianaceae. Multi-origin traditional medicine usually has adulteration problem based on the morphological similarity and/or misunderstanding the species. Therefore, accurate and reliable identification criteria to ensure drug safety and quality is necessary. Methods and Results : We collected four original species of Gentinae Macrophyllae Radix from plantations and markets in China and Korea. DNA barcoding with four barcoding markers (Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS), rbcL, trnL intron, trnL-F intergenic sapcer) was performed. Intra-specific variation was observed in ITS nucleotide sequence however, successfully distinct four original species based on the nucleotide discrepancy while trnL intron has no difference. trnL-F intergenic spacer has two transitions(T→C and A→G) sites only in G. crassicaulis and rbcL shows one transition(C→T) site in G. dahurica and G. macrophylla. Phylogenetic relationship analysis of the Gentinae Macrophyllae Radix revealed two major clades – clade I including three groups, G. macrophylla, G. straminea and G. dahurica, and clade II including G. crassicaulis. This aspects was shown more clear with multi-region combined analysis. Conclusion : DNA barcoding will be accurate and powerful criteria for the analysis the origin of Gentinae Macrophyllae Radix. However, single region analysis might be deficient such as trnL intron, rbcL and trnL-F intergenic spacer results in this research. Multi-region combined analysis based on the multiregional DNA barcode markers will be overcome the disadvantage and also increase the precision.

Background : The roots of Codonopsis lanceolata have been used as a tonic crude drug and an edible plant in Korea. The plant mainly contains triterpenoid saponins, including codonolaside, codonolasideⅠ-Ⅴ, lancemaside A-G. Their saponins have shown anti-inflammatory effects such as bronchitis and cough, insomnia and hypomnesia. C. lanceolata is well known to affect various pharmacological effects for human health, and its consumption is increasing. Recently, plant and plant-derived products were treated a part of the healthcare system by applying the bioactive phytochemicals. Antioxidant and immune activity substances in food play an important role as a health-protecting factor. This study was designed to investigate the in vitro immune cell growth and xanthine oxidase Inhibitory activity of different storage period and storage temperature of C. lanceolata. Methods and Results : The plant materials were used the roots of C. lanceolata cultivated in Jeju area, Korea. Immune enhancing effect was conducted using T cell and B cell of human immune cells. Each cell incubated for 8 days with the sample extracts compared to the control group, and the immune activation was measured according to the growth of immune cells. The xanthine oxidase Inhibitory activity was measured by modifying the method of Noro(1983). In different storage period and storage temperature conditions, the immune cell growth of C. lanceolata extract promoted a concentration-dependent manner in both human T cell and B cell, and did not show a significant difference. The xanthine oxidase Inhibitory activity of C. lanceolata extract tended to decrease more, depending on the longer the storage period or the higher the storage temperature. Conclusion : These results of this study suggested that the root of C. lanceolata may assist in the potential biological activities, and can be used as a source of human health products.

Background : The natural stable isotope ratio of common bio-elements like carbon (C), nitrogen (N), oxygen (O), or sulfur (S) varies with diverse isotope fractionation processes in nature. Therefore, measuring the variation of these stable isotope ratios in ginseng roots can be a feasible tool to discriminate the geographical origins of ginseng in Korea. Methods and Results : The 3-year-old six Korean ginseng cultivars were cultivated at the five regions in Korea, and then used for measuring the stable isotope ratios of C, N, O, and S by isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS). The mean C, N, O, and S stable isotope ratio values in the ginseng roots significantly differed according to the cultivation regions (p < 0.05). However, these isotope ratios in ginseng roots had relatively weak discriminative power against to the ginseng cultivars at each cultivation region. The interaction of the cultivation region and ginseng cultivar type also significantly affected to the C, N, O, and S stable isotope ratio in ginseng roots (p < 0.0001). The two-dimensional plots associated with the N stable isotope ratio can effectively separate the ginseng roots in Jinan compared to those in the other regions. The partial least squares-discriminant analysis showed more significant separation between ginseng geographical origins compared to the principal component analysis. Conclusion : Our findings improve our understanding of how the isotope composition of ginseng roots varies with respect to cultivation regions and cultivars, and suggest that the analysis of the stable isotope ratios combined with chemometrics can be used as a feasible tool to discriminate geographical origin of ginseng in Korea.

Apoptosis has been regarded as a therapeutic target because apoptosis is typically disturbed in human cancer. Silymarin found in the seeds of the milk thistle (Silybum marianum) has been reported to exert anti-cancer properties through apoptosis. This study was performed to investigate the molecular target for silymarin-mediated apoptosis in human colorectal cancer cells. Silymarin reduced the cell viability and induced an apoptosis in human colorectal cancer cells. ATF3 overexpression increased PARP cleavage by silymarin. Increased ATF3 expression in both protein and mRNA was observed in silymarin-treated cells. In addition, silymarin increased the luciferase activity of ATF3 promoter. Inhibition of JNK and IκK-α blocked silymarin-mediated ATF3 expression. The results suggest that silymarin induces apoptosis through JNK and IκKα-dependent ATF3 expression in human colorectal cancer cells.

Background : Recently, there is a urgent demand for development of new varieties with enhanced resistance to various biotic/abiotic stresses. In order to develop ginseng varieties with such traits, systematic breeding program and comprehensive field studies are prerequisite. Methods and Results : ‘Cheonmyeong' seeds were collected in 2008 from the farmer field of Buyeo. Physiological investigation and propagation were conducted from 2009 to 2011. It was given the name 'Eumseong No. 8 through the observed yield trial from 2012 to 2013 and local adaptability was carried out from 2014 to 2015. All phenotypes including agronomic characteristics, seed yield, and physiological response to biotic/abiotic stresses were investigated according to the ginseng GAP and UPOV guidelines. Yellow-red leaf and pink berry at maturing stage were observed. The time of emergence, flowering and berry maturity of the ‘Cheonmyeong’ were faster than those of ‘Chunpoong’. Stem length of ‘Cheonmyeong’ was shorter than that of ‘Chunpoong’, whereas stem diameter was thicker than that of ‘Chunpoong’. Main root length was shorter but main root diameter is thicker than that of ‘Chunpoong’. Number of seeds of ‘Cheonmyeong’ was fewer than that of ‘Chunpoong’ but 1,000-seeds weight and stratification rate were higher than those of ‘Chunpoong’. The yield performance of this variety was 661 kg/10 a in local adaptability test for two years, which is 22% higher than that of ‘Chunpoong’. ‘Cheonmyeong’ showed strong resistance to phytophthora blight, mulberry mealybug and nematode and moderate resistance to alternaria blight. ‘Cheonmyeong’ did almost not occur yellow spot of aerial part and rusty skin of root, show moderate resistance at high temperatures. Conclusion : Our study demonstrated that ‘Cheonmyeong’ is an ideal variety with heavier root weight and enhanced stress resistance and contribute will enhance biotic/abiotic stress resistance and increase the farmers' income.

By using the Optical Wide-field Patrol (OWL) network developed by the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI) we generated the right ascension and declination angle data from optical observation of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites. We performed an analysis to verify the optimum number of observations needed per arc for successful estimation of orbit. The currently functioning OWL observatories are located in Daejeon (South Korea), Songino (Mongolia), and Oukaïmeden (Morocco). The Daejeon Observatory is functioning as a test bed. In this study, the observed targets were Gravity Probe B, COSMOS 1455, COSMOS 1726, COSMOS 2428, SEASAT 1, ATV-5, and CryoSat-2 (all in LEO). These satellites were observed from the test bed and the Songino Observatory of the OWL network during 21 nights in 2014 and 2015. After we estimated the orbit from systematically selected sets of observation points (20, 50, 100, and 150) for each pass, we compared the difference between the orbit estimates for each case, and the Two Line Element set (TLE) from the Joint Space Operation Center (JSpOC). Then, we determined the average of the difference and selected the optimal observation points by comparing the average values.

Heat shock protein (HSP) 70, the highly conserved stress protein families, plays important roles in protecting cells against heat and other stresses in most animal species. In the present study, we identified and characterized four Hsp70 (RuHSP4, RuHSC70, RuHSP12A, RuGRP78) family proteins based on the expressed sequence tag (EST) analysis of the Korean rose bitterling R. uyekii cDNA library. The deduced RuHSP70 family has high amino acid identities of 72-99% with those of other species. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that RuHsp70 family clustered with fish groups (HSP4, HSC70, HSP12A, GRP78) proteins. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis showed the specific expression patterns of RuHsp70 family members in the early developmental stages and several tissues in Korean rose bitterling. The expression of 4 groups of Hsp70 family was detected in all tested tissue. Particularly, Hsp70 family of Korean rose bitterling is highly expressed in hepatopancreas and sexual gonad (testis and ovary). The expression of Hsp70 family was differentially regulated in accordance with early development stage of Rhodeus uyekii.

High yield is the most important trait in various agricultural characteristics. Many approaches to improve yield have been tried in conventional agricultural practice and recently biotechnological tools employed for same goal. Genetic transformation of key genes to increase yield is one way to overcome current limitation in the field. We are producing transgenic soybean plants through high efficient transformation method by introducing all gene member with AT-hook binding domain, hoping to obtain manageable delay of senescence. Many transgenic soybean plants are growing in greenhouse and GMO field, and will be evaluated their senescence and any association with yield increase.

This study was performed to investigate the growth characteristics and inorganic components of Codonopsis lanceolata regarding regional differences. The plant height of Japanese Codonopsis lanceolata was 373.6 cm, so it’s revealed that it has more vigorous growth than Korean won. The flowering time of Korean Codonopsis lanceolata was 2 weeks faster than Japanese one. Total fresh weight of root was 41.0 g and 39.0 g for Korean and Japanese respectively, thus, no significance difference was found. However, regarding fresh weight, Korean one had a more fresh weight (35.4 g) of main root parts, but Japanese one had a more fresh weight (9.6 g) of the lateral root part. Each inorganic component was found more in the aboveground parts, regardless of the region and the content of K was the largest. Regarding the content of macroelements for each part of Codonopsis lanceolata, the content of Na, Mg, P, S, and Ca in Korean Codonopsis lanceolata was found the highest on the leaf, followed by stem and root. In the case of Japanese Codonopsis lanceolata, same result was found on the content of Mg and Ca, however, the highest content of Na and P was found in the stem.

This study was conducted to compare the growth, inorganic components, and proximate components of Codonopsis lanceolata grown in 10 regions of Korea for selecting superior species and breeding by crossing. Among the all tested lines, the shortest plant height (217.12 cm) was observed from the Ulleungdo region line (No. 4) while the longest (273.9 cm) was observed from Hwasun region line (No. 9). In addition, the lines of central and northern region (No. 1~No. 7) tend to have shorter plant height than those of southern region (No. 8~No. 9) except Jejudo region line (No. 10). Flowering tends to be late towards southern region, and lines in central and northern regions were started flowering about 2 weeks earlier than those in southern regions. However, the heaviest root weight was 13.1 g, found in only Jejudo line (No. 10) whereas there was no significant difference found in the other regions which have a range of 8.3~11.0 g. The inorganic components were varied in each line, however, proportion of macroelements, such as K, Ca, and P, was the largest for every line. Especially for Heongseong region line (No. 2), had larger proportion of macroelements than the others. There was a difference of proximate compositions of Codonopsis lanceolata, except the moisture content, among all regions, however, it was generally shown that the content of crude protein (1.31~3.76%) and crude fiber (2.18~3.12%) was the highest.

Osteosarcoma (OS) is one of the most common malignant primary bone tumors and NF-κB appears to play a causative role, but the mechanisms are poorly understood. OS is one of the pleomorphic, highly metastasized and invasive neoplasm which is capable to generate osteoid, osteoclast and osteoblast matrix. Its high incidence has been reported in adolescent and children. Cell signal cascade is the pivotal functional mechanism acquired during the differentiation, proliferation, growth and survival of the cells in neoplasm including OS. The major limitation to the success of chemotherapy in OS is the development of multidrug resistance (MDR). Answers to all such queries might come from the knock-in experiments in which the combined approach of miRNAs with NF-κB pathway is put into use. Abnormal miRNAs can modulate several epigenetical switching as a hallmark of number of diseases via different cell signaling. Studies on miRNAs have opened up the new avenues for both the diagnosis and treatment of cancers including OS. Collectively, through the present study an attempt has been made to establish a new systematic approach for the investigation of microRNAs, biophysiological factors and their target pairs with NF-κB to ameliorate oncogenesis with the “bridge between miRNAs and NF- κB”. The application of NF-κB inhibitors in combination with miRNAs is expected to result in a more efficient killing of the cancer stem cells and a slower or less likely recurrence of cancer.

AtRabG3b and CaMsrB2 genes incorporated into pPZP vetor were transformed to Korean soybean cultivar Kwangan using highly efficient transformation system. AtRabG3b gene plays a positive role in xylem development in Arabidopsis and 64 transgenic plants were produced. CaMsrB2 gene is known to confer drought tolerance in rice and 63 transgenic plants were produced. As a result of PPT leaf painting assay, about 20% of transformation efficiency was observed from 2 times of inoculation. These transgenic plants were confirmed for gene introduction using PCR. Currently, the copy number and the gene expression is investigating using qRT-PCR and RT-PCR. Moreover, 62 lines and 53 lines of T1 seeds from AtRabG3b and CaMsrB2, respectively, were sown in GMO field.

Soybean mosaic virus (SMV), a member of Potyviridae family, is one of the most typical viral diseases and results in yield and quality loss of cultivated soybean. Due to the depletion of genetic resources for resistance breeding, a trial of genetic transformation to improve disease resistance has been performed by introducing SMV-CP and HC-Pro gene by RNA interference (RNAi) method via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Transgenic plants were infected with SMV strain G5 and investigated the viral response. As a result, two lines (3 and 4) of SMV-CP(RNAi) transgenic plants and three lines (2, 5 and 6) of HC-Pro(RNAi) transgenic plants showed viral resistance. In genomic Southern blot analysis, most of lines contained at least one T-DNA insertion in both SMV-CP(RNAi) and HC-Pro(RNAi) transgenic plants. Subsequent investigation confirmed that no viral CP and HC-Pro gene expression was detected in two SMV-resistant lines of SMV-CP(RNAi) and three lines of HC-Pro(RNAi) transgenic plants, respectively. On the other hand, non-transgenic plants and other lines showed viral RNA expression. Viral symptoms affected seed morphology, and clean seeds were harvested from SMV-resistant line of SMV-CP(RNAi) and HC-Pro(RNAi) transgenic plants. In addition, strong viral gene expression was detected from seeds of SMV-susceptible non-transgenic plants and SMV-susceptible transgenic lines. When compared the viral resistance between SMV-CP(RNAi) and HC-Pro(RNAi) transgenic plants, soybean transgenic plants with the HC-Pro gene using RNAi strategy showed much stronger and higher frequency of viral resistance.

‘Haeoreum’, a new variety of Hibiscus syriacus was selected from the progenies of artificial breeding between ‘Bulkot’, as a mother plant, and ‘Wonhwa’, as a pollenizer, at the Korea Forest Research Institute in 2006. The preliminary, advanced and regional trials for evaluation and selection of this variety were carried out from 2012 to 2013. Investigated morphological characteristics showed that ‘Haeoreum’ is a simple flower type and has bell shape in open type of corolla. The diameter of flower is about 12.8mm, and the white petals are slightly folded each other. The length of red eye zone is very long, about 26.0mm. Leaf type is in oval shape, and leaf thickness, glossy level and the shape of leaf base is medium, medium and rounded, respectively. Its blooming period each year lasted more than 80 days, and the quantity of bloom is large in normal condition. In addition, it showed faster growth performance compared to the similar varieties, about 90cm per growing season in tree height. According to all these characteristics, the new variety ‘Haeoreum’ could be useful for large container plants or street trees.

Marked neutrophilia associated with neoplasia is a relatively rare finding and has been considered as a paraneoplastic manifestation. Thyroid cancer seldom presents with paraneoplastic leukocytosis. We report on a case of a 69-year-old man who presented with paraneoplastic leukocytosis seven months after undergoing total thyroidectomy and I-131 therapy for treatment of papillary thyroidcarcinoma. We found neither bone marrow involvement of malignant cells nor hematologic malignancy. Based on elevated levels of serum granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, we concluded that the cause was paraneoplastic leukocytosis. Another interesting point was the anaplastic transformation in the pleural metastatic site. It usually occurs in the intrathyroid or regional lymph node.

Soybean mosaic virus (SMV), a member of Potyviridae family, is one of the most typical viral diseases and results in yield and quality loss of cultivated soybean. Due to the depletion of genetic resources for resistance breeding, a trial of genetic transformation to improve disease resistance has been performed by introducing SMV-CP and HC-Pro gene by RNA interference (RNAi) method via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Transgenic plants were infected with SMV strain G5 and investigated the viral response. As a result, two lines (3 and 4) of SMV-CP(RNAi) transgenic plants and three lines (2, 5 and 6) of HC-Pro(RNAi) transgenic plants showed viral resistance. In genomic Southern blot analysis, most of lines contained at least one T-DNA insertion in both SMV-CP(RNAi) and HC-Pro(RNAi) transgenic plants. Subsequent investigation confirmed that no viral CP and HC-Pro gene expression was detected in two SMV-resistant lines of SMV-CP(RNAi) and three lines of HC-Pro(RNAi) transgenic plants, respectively. On the other hand, non-transgenic plants and other lines showed viral RNA expression. Viral symptoms affected seed morphology, and clean seeds were harvested from SMV-resistant line of SMV-CP(RNAi) and HC-Pro(RNAi) transgenic plants. In addition, strong viral gene expression was detected from seeds of SMV-susceptible non-transgenic plants and SMV-susceptible transgenic lines. When compared the viral resistance between SMV-CP(RNAi) and HC-Pro(RNAi) transgenic plants, soybean transgenic plants with the HC-Pro gene using RNAi strategy showed much stronger and higher frequency of viral resistance.

The transplantation of bone-marrow stem cells into the heart might restore viability after myocardial infarction, and the regenerative potentials of human autologous adult stem cells with respect to myocardial regeneration and neovascularization after myocardial infarction may contribute to healing in the infarcted areas. Here, we describe the results of this method in a patient with acute myocardial infarction who exhibited quantitative improvements in ventricular geometry and contractility. Furthermore, left ventricular ejection fraction and infarct area were improved at 3 month after stem cell transplantation as compared with baseline echocardiography and myocardial single photon emission computed tomography findings.

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.

Twenty two common millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) varieties collected from Korea, China and Russia were investigated for their phylogenetic relationship using 5S ribosomal DNA sequences with a hope to provide the basic information on their exact origin. Sequences of 5S rDNA were isolated by PCR. The primers, 5s-rRNA1 and 5s-rRNA2, were designed to isolate the complete NTS. Genomic DNA amplification produced two fragments with different length, 900 bp and 400 bp fragments, confirming the presence of two types of 5S rDNA repeats that differed from each other in the length of the NTS region. Amplified DNAs of 400 bp fragment were subcloned and used for further investigation. The obtained NTS sequences ranged from 200 to 300 bp and homology of sequences among plant materials was much higher than long repeat. CLUSTALW multiple aligment of 5S rDNA sequences from 22 different common millets revealed the clear difference by their origin. And critically different areas with insert or deletion were also confirmed. Those sequence difference seems to be used for discrimination of cultivars from different origin and use as molecular markers for origin identification. In phylogenic tree construction, the clear classification was shown where the genotypes from China and Russia is positioned together and stay away from domestic genotypes.

Citrus is one of the major fruits produced in Korea. There are about 20 species mainly grown in Jeju Island, Korea. Four representative species, which are quite different in the shape of leaf and the taste of fruit, were selected and were used to profile the transcriptomes. These species are ‘Miyagawa Wase’ (C. unshiu Marcov.) satsuma mandarin, ‘Kiyomi’ (C. unshiu Marcov. × C. sinensis) mandarin hybrid, ‘Dangyuja’ (C. grandis) and ‘Natsudaidai’ (C. natsudaidai). Classification of the up-regulated and down-regulated genes using the Cluster of Orthologous Groups of proteins (COG) database reveals that the number of genes included in each group differed significantly among the four species. Several genes that showed significant differences in expression on the microarray were selected and their expression patterns were examined by reverse transcription- ploymerase chain reaction. Metabolic genes such as tyrosine decarboxylase and β-glucosidase ligase were found to be highly expressed in Miyagawa Wase, relative to other species. On the other hand, the expression level of mannose phosphate isomerase was lower in Miyagawa Wase. An efflux pump gene was found to be up-regulated in Kiyomi, whereas cinnamyl-alcohol dehydrogenase was down-regulated. β-carotene 15,15’-dioxygenase, which is involved in the vitamin metabolism, was up-regulated in Natsudaidai. Interspecific differentiations of gene expression are analyzed in terms of the metabolic pathways and their possible roles in citrus species.