Seong-Whan Park

Flow karyotypes and chromosomal DNA contents of genus Triticum species and rye (Secale cereale)

The flow cytometry and chromosome imaging method were jointly used for analyzing genome content and chromosomal DNA content of hexaploid wheat (AABBDD), hexaploid triticale (AABBRR), tetraploid wheat (AABB), and AA, BB, DD genome donors and RR genome rye. Their genome sizes were 34.4 pg, 40.9 pg, 26.2 pg, 12.1 pg, 13.7 pg, 10.5 pg, and 16.9 pg, respectively. The 2C nuclear DNA content of BB genome donor with 13.7 pg was the highest value among the other genome donors, AA or DD. The genome content of tetraploid wheat, unlike hexaploid wheat or hexaploid triticale, was larger than the sum of the genomes of AA and BB genome donors. The DNA content of each chromosome ranged from 1.22 pg in DD genome donor to 2.61 pg in rye. Each chromosome peak was divided into three to four groups. Only one chromosome was included in the highest chromosomal DNA peak in hexaploid wheat, tetraploid wheat, DD genome donor and rye but two chromosomes in AA, BB genome donors, and hexaploid triticale. Correlation between 2C nuclear DNA content and chromosome density volume was the highest value compared with the other chromosomal parameters of chromosome area, or chromosome length.

Cloning and Characterization of Soybean IFS (Isoflavone Synthase) Genes from Korean Cultivar, Sinpaldalkong

Two genes, SinIFS1 and SinIFS2 from Korean soybean cultivar, Sinpaldalkong known as one of isoflavonerich cultivars, were cloned with PCR and degenerate primers. The sequences of two genes were analyzed with previously reported IFS genes of leguminous plants and their expression pattern in various environmental conditions was surveyed. The genomic clone of SinIFS1 contained 1,828bp nucleotides and encoded a polypeptide of 521 amino acids, and 1912bp nucleotides and a polypeptide of 521 amino acids for SinIFS2. Both genes included several conserved motifs, oxygen binding and activation (A/G-G-X-E/D-T-T/S), ERR triad (E...R....R), and heme binding (F-X-X-G-X-R-X-C-X-G) domain, which are typical in any member of cytochrome P45O superfamily. Very high sequence homology (>98%) was observed in the comparison with other IFSs of legumes. In the northern blot analysis to check the expression and increase of SinIFS1 to various environmental renditions (low temperature, light, dark, UV, and fungal elicitor), the most significant induction, more than 6 times of transcript level compared to the dark treatment as a control, was observed from the fungal elicitor treatment. The next up-regulated expression was from UV treatment (4), low temperature and light conditions.

Isolation of cDNA Encoding Low Temperature-inducible L-asparaginase from Soybean (Glycin max)

Suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) was used to isolate wound-induced cDNAs from wounded soybean. One of low-temperature-inducible cDNA, slti182 showed high homology with genes encoding 1-asparaginase. The full length cDNA of slti182, deginated GmASP1, is 1258 bp long and contains an open reading frame consisted of 326 amino acids. CmASP1 protein showed the highest identity (84%) with putative asparaginase from A. thaliana (AB012247), but it showed only 55% identity with another isoform of A. tathaliana (Z34884). The expression of GmASP1 during low temperature stress started to increase 3 hours after treatment, reached the maximum at 6 hour, and then decreased to the initial level at 48 hours. The amount of GmASP1 transcripts increased again when low-temperature-treated plants were transferred to room temperature, The present study suggests that GmASP1 may function to accelerate the protein synthesis which is important in the early response to low temperature.