Coffee (Coffea L.) belongs to the family Rubiaceae and is a main cash crop for tropical farmers. It has more quantity of medicinal value and protein (25–28%). As an environmentally sensitive crop, climate change has a significant impact on the quality and stable production of coffee. To develop abiotic baroreceptors on the tolerance response in coffee, tremendous research is going on to improve the productivity under varying degrees of stress at various growth stages. Physiological, morphological and biochemical parameters change the productivity and quality of coffee. This paper reviews some of the important aspects of biotic and abiotic tolerance in coffee. We explain the best implementation methods for the improvement of coffee production and briefly advantages or importance of coffee in medicinal values, significances of biotechnological aspects and genetic engineering approaches for crop improvements.

농진청에서 수행하고 있는 아프리카 국제협력프로그램인KAFACI 사업의 일환으로 우간다 등 8개국에 ‘통일형 다수성벼 품종개발’ 사업을 추진하고 있다. 이를 위해 아프리카에서정상적인 생육과 수량을 나타내는 다수성 통일형 품종인 밀양23호와 아프리카의 재래종인 O. glaberrima를 이용하여 밀양23호의 유전적배경을 보유한 근동질 계통인 BC4F1을 육성하고, 약배양을 통해 유전적 고정계통을 육성하였다. 이 중 50개계통을 우간다에서 생물검정을 실시한 결과, 아프리카에서 문제시되는 Yellow Mottle Virus (RYMV), Bacterial LeafStreak(BLS), 흰잎마름병 및 도열병에 복합저항성인 계통으로판명되었다. 특히 RYMV에 대한 저항성은 저항성원이 결여되어 있는 병으로 본 연구를 통해 육성한 계통들은 향후 아프리카에 적응하는 내병성 다수성 품종개발에 유용한 재료를 활용 될 것으로 생각된다.

The Alfin-like transcription factor family is one of the important gene families in eukaryotic plants. They are involved in many biological processes, such as lignocellulosic wall biosynthesis, meristem development, metabolite transport, and responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. But the regulatory mechanism of these genes involved in stresses responses is still unrevealed. In this study, we identified a total of 16 Alfin-like genes from Brassica rapa database. The 16 putative Alfin-like proteins were divided into four groups (group I-IV) based on structural and phylogenetic analyses. Accordingly, this study analyzed stress resistance-related functions of all B. rapa Alfin-like (BrAL) genes through a homology study with existing biotic and abiotic stress resistance-related Alfin-like genes of other plant species and found a high degree of similarity with them. Subsequently, these genes were further investigated by real-time quantative PCR under cold, salt and drought stresses and after infection with Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. conglutinans in B. rapa. These genes showed an organ specific expression and all genes differentially expressed in Chiifu compared to Kenshin under cold stress. Ten and seven BrALs responded highly in Kenshin compared to Chiifu under salt and drought stresses respectively. In addition, six BrAL genes showed responsive expression after Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. conglutinans infection in B. rapa. Interestingly, four BrAL genes showed responses against both biotic and abiotic stress factors. Thus, our result provides a useful reference data set as the basis for functional analysis and utilization in the resistance molecular breeding of B. rapa.

Plants have evolved a set of protecting mechanisms against pathogens, which include secondary metabolites and induced defense responses to pathogen attack. The biological role of purine alkaloids including caffeine is largely unknown. It has been proposed that caffeine confers a resistance against pathogenic bacteria and herbivores. We, in this study, tested direct effects on the growth of rice pathogenic microbes, Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) causing a bacterial leaf blight and Magnaporthe grisea (M. grisea) causing a rice blast. Cell growth of Xoo and M. grisea were significantly retarded in presence of high concentration (2mM) of caffeine. Exogenous caffeine (5mM) induced resistance of wild type rice (cv. Dongjin, susceptible to Xoo and M. grisea) against those pathogens. These results indicated that caffeine enhanced the basal resistance to infection with Xoo. In addition, expression of pathogenesis-related (PR) genes was tested in the caffeine treated rice to elucidate the acquired resistance by caffeine, resulted in induction of PR genes including OsPR1a and OsPrb1. We have generated a transgenic rice producing caffeine by introduction of three N- methyltransferase genes (CaXMT1, CaMXMT1, CaDXMT1) identified from coffee plant. The transgenic rice successfully expressed the three genes, synthesized caffeine up to 5ug/g and showed enhanced resistance to Xoo. We also observed that transcripts of PR genes such as the OsPR1a and OsPrb1 encoding PR-1 type pathogenesis-related protein increased in the caffeine-producing rice. These result showed that caffeine is likely to act a powerful factor to increase level of rice defense as a natural and non-harmful metabolite.

Brown leaf spot, caused by necrotrophic Cochliobolus miyabeanus (imperfect; Bipolaris oryzae), is one of the devastating disease in rice (Oryza sativa). Especially, recommended agricultural system such as diminishing fertilizer and environmental alteration like temperature increment result in the favorable conditions for the outbreak of this disease. Lack of water supply also requires drought-tolerant rice cultivar. We hypothesized that regulation of programmed cell death (PCD) should be a common solution conferring resistance and tolerance against above biotic and abiotic stresses at the same time. Among 17 CYCLIC NUCLEOTIDE-GATED ION CHANNEL in rice (OsCNGCs), over expression of a CNGC resulted in lesion mimic phenotypes in Dongjin background. Further, knock out of a CNGC resulted in enhanced resistance against rice brown spot in the field. These results indicate that selected OsCNGC should be involved in the PCD regulation and fungal infection-specific regulation of OsCNGC expression might induce resistance against rice brown spot because of pathogen’s necrotrophic nature. Vitamin E, tocopherol, is involved in the accumulation inhibition of reactive oxygen species involving superoxide and hydrogen peroxide. Tocopherol cyclase in Nicotiana benthamiana (NtTC), which is included in tocopherol systhesis, conferred tolerance against drought stress to rice. We already have settled down the recombination system effectively removing selection markers in vector. Based on these systems, we will define fungal secretome and genome, confirmation of PAMPs/effectors, identification of rice pattern recognition receptor, and functional characterization of these rice genes in the respect of PCD and disease resistance. We will also develop marker-free transgenic rice tolerant to drought and/or salinity stresses. These works should give us a bundle of rice genes conferring resistance and tolerance against biotic and abiotic stresses and amount of information useful for the analyses of common cross talk points between disease resistance and stress-tolerance.

Recently there are many reports that signaling pathways of abiotic stress and biotic stress are correlated. These relations are not only antagonistic but also synergistic. In this project we are searching the common components in abiotic and biotic stress signaling through proteome and transcriptome analysis. In this project, we are profiling the transcriptome under ABA and biotic stress treatment and searching the common genes which were regulated in both treatment. Furthermore, we are analyzing the secretome and proteome induced under C.maydis. It would be expected that integrative analysis of transcriptome and proteome will presents us the candidate genes to develop abiotic/biotic stress tolerant transgenic plants.

Rehmannia glutinosa shows a high level of resistance to the non-selective herbicide paraquat. To characterize the antioxidant enzyme system of R. glutinosa, we comparatively examined the responses of antioxidant enzymes to UV, wounding and a general elicitor yeast extract in R. glutinosa and soybean. The levels of enzyme activities of the two plant species were drastically different between those per fresh weight (general activity) and per protein (specific activity) bases. The general activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POX), catalase (CAT), and glutathione reductase (GR) were lower, but that of ascorbate peroxidase (APX) was higher in R. glutinosa than in soybean. The specific activities of the enzymes, however, were about two- to seven-fold higher in R. glutinosa than in soybean, except that of CAT, which was about 12-fold higher in soybean. The general and specific enzyme activities of R. glutinosa relative to those of soybean showed a consistent increase in responses to the stresses only in SOD. The specific activities of SOD and APX were higher in R. glutinosa in all stress treatments. The results might suggest a relatively higher contribution of SOD and APX to the stress tolerance.