췌장염 환자의 10–30%는 그 원인을 찾지 못하여 특발성 췌장염으로 분류되며, 그중 일부는 유전적 변이가 원인일 것 으로 생각된다. 유전성 췌장염은 소아 때부터 췌장염 관련 증상이 발생하여 대부분 30대 전후로 만성 췌장염으로 진행하기 때문에 췌장암의 발생에 대해 각별한 주의가 필요하다. 췌장염 관련 유전자는 현재까지 30종류 이상 발견되었으며, 대 표적으로 PRSS1, SPINK1, CFTR, CTRC 변이가 있으며, 이는 인종 및 지역에 따라 다양성을 보이고 있다. 따라서, 국내 특발성 췌장염 환자를 대상으로 한 유전자 연구를 통하여 한국인에서의 췌장염 관련 유전자 변이의 양상 및 특징을 파악 하는 것이 중요하겠다. 본고에서는 특발성 췌장염의 병태생리에서 유전적 변이의 역할에 대해 중점적으로 고찰해보고, 국내 문헌을 토대로 특발성 혹은 유전성 췌장염의 국내 연구 결과를 살펴보고자 한다.

Encouraging progress in the mutation breeding has been achieved since a mutation induction has become increasingly important for a cultivar development for complex reproductive or propagating modes, the creation of new genetic resources, especially for crops with a narrow genetic base, and the use of mutants for a genomics study. In Korea, more than 35 cultivars have been released by using the mutation breeding method since the mid-1960s, and the released cultivars were mostly developed (76%) by exposing to radiations (gamma and/or X-ray). Most of the released mutant cultivars (74%) in Korea were food and oil seed crops, especially for improving agronomic traits such as yield, lodging tolerance, maturity, or functional compounds. Currently a high yield potential of cultivated crop cultivars is relatively less popular than before, but the expectation of value-added crops, from the farmer’s side, is in high demand. Accordingly, the mutation breeding program in Korea has assigned more resources to other crop species, including some flowering and ornamental plants. These flowering and ornamental plants are ideal systems for a mutation breeding because their favored traits such as flower color or shape or plant architecture can be visually monitored after a mutagenic treatment. Additionally, these plant species are genetically heterozygous and often propagated vegetatively, which allows for an isolation and selection of mutants within M1 generation. In Korea, a program for the development of potential cultivars of flowering and ornamental crops was launched with financial support from the Biogreen 21 project in RDA. Thisintegrated program which will be conducted by a diverse array of experts will focus on major flowering and ornamental crops in Korea such as rose, chrysanthemum, lily, carnation, orchids, and clover. The potential outcomes from the program will be new highly valued-added cultivars which will provide greater money gains to Korean farmers and lots of valued mutants used for a gene isolation of interest and reverse genetics or functional genomics. Appropriate strategies should be implemented to complete its goals successfully, which includes a)induction of a wide mutant spectrum, b)applications of new irradiation techniques, c)unraveling the complex genetic phenomena controlling mutant traits, and d)development of a mass production and an intensive export system for the developed cultivars.