Eun-Soo Seong

Antifungal Gene (Rs-AFP) Introduction into Rehmannia glutinosa and Gene Expression Mediated by Agrobacterium tumefaciens

Rehmannia glutinosa is one of the most important medicinal crops in Korea. However, various plant pathogens, including Fusatium spp., cause great damage on R. glutinosa and result in enormous economic losses. This study was conducted to breed Fusarium-resistant plants by using Agrobacterium tumefaciences and AFP (anti-fungal protein) gene. The plant material used was a native accession of R. glutinosa. The PCR analysis was conducted to verify transgenicity. Based on the PCR analysis, nptII band was observed in transgenic plant genome. Southern blot and AFP protein analyses also showed the expression of this gene in transgenic plants. Expression of AFP in transgenic plants offers the possibility of developing resistance to fungal infection.

The Role of Adenylyl Sulfate Reductase to Abiotic Stress in Tomato

The full-length cDNA of LeAPR1 encoded a protein of 461 amino acid residues, which contained homology with phosphoadenosine phosphosulphate reductase (PAPS reductase) in N-terminal and an adenylylsulfate reductase in N-term and C-terminal. Analysis of the deduced amino acid sequence of LeAPR1 revealed that it shares high sequence identity with potato StAPR (96% identity)(Gene bank accession no. CDC44841). We found that multiple copies of LeAPR1 gene are present in the tomato genome through southern blot using genomic DNA was digested with 3 different restriction enzymes. The expression of LeAPR1 was also examined in various organs and its expression was also detected at high levels in roots and stems. Only high amounts of LeAPR1 transcripts were detected at high transcripts in the leaves at time 0, and then reduced as the plant stressed by the NaCl and abscisic acid (ABA). After 24h treatment of NaCl and ABA were showed increasing patterns of LeAPR1 gene. Time course of LeAPR1 gene expression was examined under oxidative stresses from metyl viologen (MV) and hydrogen peroxide (). In the presence of 10 mM and MV, the levels of LeAPR1 transcript in leaves decreased after 1 h, and then increased strongly, peaked at 24 h. Our results indicated that LeAPR1 may play a role function of circadian regulation involved in abiotic stresses signaling pathways.

Lycopersicon Eculentum C 2 H 2 -type Zinc Finger Protein Induced by Oxidative Stress Especially

A tomato zinc-finger protein gene, LeZFP1, encoding the Cys2/His2-type zinc-finger transcription factor was searched from cDNA microarray analysis of gene expression following induction of the overexpressed tomato transgenic plants showing resistance for pathogen and abiotic stresses. The full-length cDNA of LeZFP1 encoded a protein of 261 amino acid residues. Analysis of the deduced amino acid sequence of LeZFP1 revealed that it shares high sequence identity with pepper CAZFP1 (81% identity). We found that single copy of LeZFP1 gene is present in the tomato genome through southern blot analysis. The LeZFP1 transcripts were constitutively expressed in the tomato mature and young leaves, but were detectable weakly in the flower, stem and root. The LeZFP1 transcripts were significantly reduced in treated leaf tissues with NaCl and mannitol. The LeZFP1 gene was induced by oxidative stress especially. Our results indicated that LeZFP1 may play a role function involved in oxidative stress signaling pathways.

Development of an Agrobacterium-mediated Transient Expression System for Intact Leaves of Chili Pepper

We established a transient gene expression system in chili pepper leaves based on Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of GUS gene. For the best GUS transient expression, two step culture system was adopted. When the Agrobacterium tumefaciens cell density of pre-culture was 0.3, the cells were harvested and diluted to 0.8 with virulence induction medium after cell harvested. The addition of acetosyringone (200 M) in virulence induction step was a key factor for successful transient expression. Additionally, Younger leaves showed more effective transient expression than older leaves. Temporally, the strongest intensity of GUS expression was detected at 2 days after infiltration. These results demonstrate that Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression can be used for a simple in vivo assays of plant promoters, transcription factors and furthermore provide efficient protocol for chili pepper transformation.