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Sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas(L.) Lam) is the world’s seventh most important food crop by production quantity. Cultivated sweetpotato is a hexaploid (2n = 6x = 90), and its genome (B1B1B2B2B2B2) is quite complex due to polyploidy, self-incompatibility, and high heterozygosity. Here we established a haploid-resolved and chromosome-scalede novoassembly of autohexaploid sweetpotato genome sequences. Before constructing the genome, we created chromosome-scale genome sequences inI. trifidausing a highly homozygous accession, Mx23Hm, with PacBio RSII and Hi-C reads. Haploid-resolved genome assembly was performed for a sweetpotato cultivar, Xushu18 by hybrid assembly with Illumina paired-end (PE) and mate-pair (MP) reads, 10X genomics reads, and PacBio RSII reads. Then, 90 chromosome-scale pseudomolecules were generated by aligning the scaffolds onto a sweetpotato linkage map.De novoassemblies were also performed for chloroplast and mitochondrial genomes inI. trifidaand sweetpotato. In total, 34,386 and 175,633 genes were identified on the assembled nucleic genomes ofI. trifidaand sweetpotato, respectively. Functional gene annotation and RNA-Seq analysis revealed locations of starch, anthocyanin, and carotenoid pathway genes on the sweetpotato genome. This is the first report of chromosome-scalede novoassembly of the sweetpotato genome. The results are expected to contribute to genomic and genetic analyses of sweetpotato.

Sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas [L.] Lam) is an important starch crop that ensures food and nutrition security in the era of climate change. Sweetpotato is tolerant to environmental stresses such as drought, high temperature, and high salt, and therefore, is well adapted to marginal lands; however, it is relatively vulnerable to flooding stress, which severely reduces its yield and commercial value. To understand the flooding stress response of sweetpotato, we performed comparative transcriptome analysis of the leaves of two sweetpotato cultivars with contrasting flooding stress tolerance levels: Yeonjami (YJM; flooding tolerant) and Jeonmi (JM; flooding sensitive). Both cultivars were partially submerged in water for 0, 0.5, and 3 days. RNA-seq data of both cultivars revealed 14,229 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), which were categorized into seven clusters and six groups, based on the expression pattern of co-expressed DEGs and expression duration of DEGs, respectively. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses showed that DEGs of distinguishing functions between the two cultivars were involved in plant hormone signaling, carbohydrate transport, and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling. Based on these results, we predict that YJM promotes adventitious growth, whereas JM exhibits shoot elongation under flooding stress. The expression levels of several key candidate genes involved in flooding tolerance correlated well with the comparative transcriptomics data. Overall, this study provides further insights into the molecular mechanism of flooding stress response in sweetpotato, and reveals candidate genes that could be used for developing new flooding tolerant sweetpotato cultivars.

Sweetpotato is an emerging food crop that ensures food and nutrition security in the face of climate change. Alpha-linoleic acid (ALA) is one of the key factors affecting plant stress tolerance and is also an essential nutrient in humans. In plants, fatty acid desaturase 8 (FAD8) synthesizes ALA from linoleic acid (LA). Previously, we identified the cold-induced IbFAD8 gene from RNA-seq of sweetpotato tuberous roots stored at low-temperature. In this study, we investigated the effect of IbFAD8 on the low-temperature storage ability and ALA content of the tuberous roots of sweetpotato. Transgenic sweetpotato plants overexpressing IbFAD8 (TF plants) exhibited increased cold and drought stress tolerance and enhanced heat stress susceptibility compared with non-transgenic (NT) plants. The ALA content of the tuberous roots of TF plants (0.19 g/100 g DW) was ca. 3.8-fold higher than that of NT plants (0.05 g/100 g DW), resulting in 8–9-fold increase in the ALA/LA ratio in TF plants. Furthermore, tuberous roots of TF plants showed better low-temperature storage ability compared with NT plants. These results indicate that IbFAD8 is a valuable candidate gene for increasing the ALA content, environmental stress tolerance, and low-temperature storage ability of sweetpotato tuberous roots via molecular breeding.

Rice is the staple food of more than 50% of the world population. Cultivated rice has the AA genome (diploid, 2n = 24) and small genome size of only 430 megabase (haploid genome). As the sequencing of rice genome was completed by the International Rice Genome Sequencing Project (IRGSP), many researchers in the world have been working to explore the gene function on rice genome. Insertional mutagenesis has been a powerful strategy for assessing gene function. In maize, well characterized transposable elements have traditionally been used to clone genes for which only phenotypic information is available. In rice endogenous mobile elements such as MITE and Tos have been used to generate gene-tagged populations. To date T-DNA and maize transposable element systems havebeen utilized as main insertional mutagens in rice. The Ac/Ds system offers the advantage of generating new mutants by secondary transposition from a single tagged gene. To enhance the efficiency of gene detection, advanced gene-tagging systems (i.e. activation, gene or enhancer trap) have been employed for functional genomic studies in rice. Internationally, there have been many projects to develop large scales of insertional mutagenized populations and databases of insertion sites has been established. Ultimate goals of these projects are to supply genetic materials and informations essential for functional analysis of rice genes and for breeding using agronomically important genes. In this report, we summarize the current status of Ac/Ds-mediated gene tagging systems that has been conducted by collaborative works in Korea.

Dramatic increase in global population accompanied by rapid industrialization in developing countries has led to serious environmental, food, energy, and health problems. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has estimated world population will increase to 9.7 billion by 2050 and require approximately 1.7 times more food, and more than 3.5 times energy than that of today. Particularly, sweetpotato is easy to cultivate in unfavorable conditions such as heat, drought, high salt, and marginal lands. In this respect, sweetpotato is an industrially valuable starch crop. To replace crops associated with these food and energy problems, it is necessary to develop new crops with improved nutrients and productivity, that can be grown on marginal lands, including desertification areas using plant biotechnology. For this purpose, exploring useful genes and developing genetically modified crops are essential strategies. Currently, sweetpotato [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.] have been re-evaluated as the best health food and industrial crop that produces starch and low molecular weight antioxidants, such as vitamin A, vitamin E, anthocyanins and carotenoids. This review will focus on the current status of research on sweetpotato biotechnology on omics including genome sequencing, transcriptome, proteomics and molecular breeding. In addition, prospects on molecular breeding of sweetpotato on marginal lands for sustainable development were described.

Although it is well known that low-molecular-weight glutenin subunits (LMW-GS) from wheat affect bread and noodle processing quality, the function of specific LMW-GS proteins remains unclear. It is important to find the genes that correspond to individual LMW-GS proteins in order to understand the functions of specific proteins. The objective of this study was to link LMW-GS genes and haplotypes characterized using well known Glu-A3, Glu-B3, and Glu-D3 gene-specific primers to their protein products in a single wheat variety. A total of 36 LMW-GS genes and pseudogenes were amplified from the Korean cultivar Keumkang. These include 11 Glu-3 gene haplotypes, two from the Glu-A3 locus, two from the Glu-B3 locus, and seven from the Glu-D3 locus. To establish relationships between gene haplotypes and their protein products, a glutenin protein fraction was separated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DGE) and 17 protein spots were analyzed by N-terminal amino acid sequencing and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). LMW-GS proteins were identified that corresponded to all Glu-3 gene haplotypes except the pseudogenes. This is the first report of the comprehensive characterization of LMW-GS genes and their corresponding proteins in a single wheat cultivar. Our approach will be useful to understand the contributions of individual LMW-GS to the end-use quality of flour.

Crops are exposed to various environmental stresses. These have been affecting the growth of crops, resulting in the severe loss of agronomic production in many countries. Therefore, development of new varieties of resistant crops is required to assure the desired productivity of crops in stress conditions. In this study, a putatively stress-related gene BrTSR53 was isolated from Brassica rapa. The BrTSR53 is 481 bp long and contains ORF region of 234 bp. This ORF showed strong sequence similarities to the uncharacterized genes from Arabidopsis. The expression of BrTSR53 was determined by quantitative real-time PCR analysis. After 3 hr, the highest quantities of mRNA were revealed in cold and salt stress treatments. In drought stress treatments, there was the highest expression after 36 hr. Therefore, it was confirmed that the ORF in BrTSR53 should be a gene that confer increased resistance to B. rapa growing in different stress conditions. The ORF region of BrTSR53 gene was cloned into an expression vector, pYES-DEST52, and a new protein with molecular weight of 13 kDa was detected by western blot analysis. Also, stress tolerance tests showed that BrTSR53-ORF transgenic yeast exhibited increased resistance to the salt stresses compared with the control. In conclusion, the present data predicts that novel ORF in BrTSR53 can serve as an important genetic resource for abiotic stress resistance.

The DNA binding with one finger (Dof) proteins are plant-specific transcription factors that contain a particular class of zinc-finger DNA-binding domain. Thirty-different Dof genes are predicted to exist in the rice genome based on in silico analysis. A member of the Dof transcription factor family, Dof1 of rice (Oryza sativa), was identified from a dissociation (Ds) insertion mutant population. The Ds-tagged rice mutant line osdof1-Ds was identified from a population of rice tagged with promoterless β-glucuronidase (GUS) in T-DNA, and showed wound-responsive GUS expression. Genomic Southern analysis revealed that this mutant line contained a single copy of the Ds gene trap. Four wound-response-like cis-acting elements (PI-II, EIRE, W box, and G box-like elements) were found in the OsDof1 promoter region. To analyze the cis-acting elements, we constructed fusion genes between the OsDof1 promoter and the GUS reporter gene and transformed Arabidopsis and rice plants with these constructs. GUS gene expression was induced in leaf, seed, culm, and flower tissues of the osdof1-Ds mutant after wounding. Furthermore, histochemical analysis of the OsDof1 promoter::GUS fusion transgenic plants showed an early response to wounding. In addition, OsDof1 mRNA was induced by pathogen treatment. These results suggest that OsDof1 is a transcriptional activator that regulates gene expression in response to wounding.

We used microarray analysis to identify 6 730 genes potentially related to flavonoid biosynthesis by comparing their expression between high- and low-flavonoid cultivars at three stages of seed development. The genes included 167 transcription factors, 104 pathway-network genes, and 1 207 potential orthologs with flavonoid-related functions. We compared the transcription factors, pathway genes, and orthologs and identified seven conserved hypothetical genes that are involved in flavonoid biosynthesis. We then verified the seven genes experimentally by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. These conserved genes most likely play regulatory roles either in rice-flavonoid production or flavonoid signaling during seed development. Our study illustrates the effectiveness of microarray analysis followed by multi-layered screening for the identification of flavonoid-related genes in rice.

Brown planthopper (BPH) is a phloem sap-sucking insect pest of rice which causes severe yield loss. We cloned the BPH18 gene from the BPH-resistant introgression line derived from the wild rice species Oryza australiensis. Map-based cloning and complementation test revealed that the BPH18 encodes CC-NBS-NBS-LRR protein. BPH18 has two NBS domains, unlike the typical NBS-LRR proteins. The BPH18 promoter::GUS transgenic plants exhibited strong GUS expression in the vascular bundles of the leaf sheath, especially in phloem cells where the BPH attacks. The BPH18 proteins were widely localized to the endo-membranes in a cell, including the endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, trans-Golgi network, and prevacuolar compartments, suggesting that BPH18 may recognize the BPH invasion at endo-membranes in phloem cells. Whole genome sequencing of the near-isogenic lines (NILs), NIL-BPH18 and NIL-BPH26, revealed that BPH18 located at the same locus of BPH26. However, these two genes have remarkable sequence differences and the independent NILs showed differential BPH resistance with different expression patterns of plant defense-related genes, indicating that BPH18 and BPH26 are functionally different alleles. These findings would facilitate elucidation of the molecular mechanism of BPH resistance and the identified novel alleles to fast track breeding BPH resistant rice cultivars.

Background Rice is one of the most important food crops for humans. To improve the agronomical traits of rice, the functions of more than 1,000 rice genes have been recently characterized and summarized. The completed, map-based sequence of the rice genome has significantly accelerated the functional characterization of rice genes, but progress remains limited in assigning functions to all predicted non-transposable element (non-TE) genes, estimated to number 37,000–41,000. Results The International Rice Functional Genomics Consortium (IRFGC) has generated a huge number of gene-indexed mutants by using mutagens such as T-DNA, Tos17 and Ds/dSpm. These mutants have been identified by 246,566 flanking sequence tags (FSTs) and cover 65 % (25,275 of 38,869) of the non-TE genes in rice, while the mutation ratio of TE genes is 25.7 %. In addition, almost 80 % of highly expressed non-TE genes have insertion mutations, indicating that highly expressed genes in rice chromosomes are more likely to have mutations by mutagens such as T-DNA, Ds, dSpm and Tos17. The functions of around 2.5 % of rice genes have been characterized, and studies have mainly focused on transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation. Slow progress in characterizing the function of rice genes is mainly due to a lack of clues to guide functional studies or functional redundancy. These limitations can be partially solved by a well-categorized functional classification of FST genes. To create this classification, we used the diverse overviews installed in the MapMan toolkit. Gene Ontology (GO) assignment to FST genes supplemented the limitation of MapMan overviews. Conclusion The functions of 863 of 1,022 known genes can be evaluated by current FST lines, indicating that FST genes are useful resources for functional genomic studies. We assigned 16,169 out of 29,624 FST genes to 34 MapMan classes, including major three categories such as DNA, RNA and protein. To demonstrate the MapMan application on FST genes, transcriptome analysis was done from a rice mutant of 1-deoxy-D-xylulose 5-phosphate reductoisomerase (DXR) gene with FST. Mapping of 756 down-regulated genes in dxr mutants and their annotation in terms of various MapMan overviews revealed candidate genes downstream of DXR-mediating light signaling pathway in diverse functional classes such as the methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphatepathway (MEP) pathway overview, photosynthesis, secondary metabolism and regulatory overview. This report provides a useful guide for systematic phenomics and further applications to enhance the key agronomic traits of rice. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12284-016-0089-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

We used a multiple screening process to identify genes involved in salt tolerance–specific biosynthesis and metabolism in rice (Oryza sativa L.). We selected 8,275 salt tolerance–related candidate genes using expression profiles generated across four stages on a microarray containing 135,000 probes (135 K microarray) in Oryza sativa. Using our method, we screened 342 ortholog genes, and 74 pathway genes associated with salt –response–related biosynthesis. Finally, we identified six genes by comparison of pathway-network genes and orthologous genes. The six genes were anchored to the chromosomes of rice to characterize their genetic-map positions and were used to construct the phylogenetic tree. The results were verified by reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction.

Glutelin is a major seed storage protein, accounting for 60–80 % of the total endosperm protein content in rice. To test whether we could augment the expression of an introduced recombinant protein in rice by suppressing the glutelin gene, we generated transgenic glutelin RNAi (glu RNAi) rice seeds. RNA gel blot analyses confirmed that the endogenous glutelin gene was severely suppressed in these transgenic rice lines. RT-PCR analysis further revealed that all the members of glutelin multigene family were downregulated. Transgenic glu RNAi rice seeds expressing a recombinant red fluorescent protein (RFP) showed stronger fluorescence than seeds transformed with the RFP gene only. Western blot analysis further revealed that the relative accumulation of RFP in glu RNAi seeds was twofold higher than that in the RFP-only transgenic seeds. These results suggest that RNAi targeting of an endogenous storage protein could be of great utility in obtaining higher transgene expression in genetically engineered rice and other plant lines.

Rice is a staple crop with a small genome of 389 Mb. Rice grain is a source of carbohydrates and proteins and has a relatively low protein content compared to other legume seeds. Glutelin and prolamin are the major storage proteins in rice. Prolamins are characterized by high glutamine and proline content and are generally soluble only in strong alcohol solutions. In this study, we obtained a total of 51,383 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from Ilpumbyeo (Oryza sativa L.), of which 33,201 and 18,182 clones were obtained from immature and germinating seeds, respectively. From the EST clones, 15,148 unigenes were identified, and 2,590 genes were expressed in both immature and germinating seeds. Gene expression profiling of rice prolamins indicated that prolamin gene expression increased 5 days after heading and reached maximal expression after 30 days, suggesting a high demand for prolamins during seed development and germination. Phylogenetic analysis grouped 33 prolamin genes based on the abundance of sulfur-containing amino acids methionine and cysteine according to the deduced amino acid sequences. Our results enhance the understanding of the regulation of seed maturation and germination, which can result in improved agricultural traits for the seed industry.

Rice is one of the most important food crops since it is consumed by approximately 60% of the world`s population. The most abundant component of rice grain is starch that is an important source of energy. The second abundant component is protein, which is an important protein source for people in many developing countries that rarely take animal protein. However, the rice protein lacks the essential amino acid lysine. Therefore, nutritional improvement in the essential amino acid composition of rice proteins is required. On the other side, rice grain has attracted attention as a diet and health food in developed countries, because its proteins have superior physiological and food processing properties. Thus, nutritional improvements in rice seed proteins by changing amino acid composition or introducing an useful protein or peptide have been studied. This review aims at assessing the current research status of biosynthesis, accumulation, genetic improvement of seed storage proteins by mutation or genetic engineering in rice.

Transposon tagging and insertional mutagenesis provide one of the most powerful tools in gene function studies. Here, we report a comparison between two novel drooping leaf (DL) mutants from transposon and T-DNA insertion lines of rice. DL is distinct from well-known ABC genes and a member of the YABBY gene family, and it is closely related to the CRABS CLAW (CRC) gene of Arabidopsis thaliana. Based on phenotypic analysis, DL regulated midrib formation by promoting cell proliferation in the central region of rice leaf and was necessary for the specification of carpel identity. We identified two DL mutants by screening the Ac/Ds and T-DNA insertional mutant pool of rice. Flanking sequence tag analysis indicated that both Ds and T-DNA segments were inserted in the promoter region at 3.4 kbs and 5.4 kb upstream, respectively, of the previously known OsYABBY domain. Interestingly, the progenies of DL lines of two different pools showed various degrees of leaf drooping and abnormal carpel formation. Flower structures revealed that there were more than two stigmas with normal stamens and pistils per panicle in the Ds-induced mutants. However, T-DNA induced mutant had extra stamens with staminoid carpels. These results indicate that the promoter region of DL plays an important function in regulating anther and carpel formation.

벼는 세계에서 가장 중요한 작물이며 크기가 383Mb로 게놈연구 모델 작물로 이용되고 있다. 또한 그 종자는 인간에게 탄수화물과 단백질 영양원을 제공한다. 벼 종자의 단백질은 약 8%를 차지하며 40%를 차지하는 콩 종자의 단백질 양에 비하여 상대적으로 적은 양을 나타낸다. 오스본의 분류에 의하면 종자 단백질은 수용성의 albumin, 염용해성 globulin, 알코올 용해성 prolamin 그리고 약산 또는 알카리 용해성 glutelin으로 나누어진다. Glutelin과 prolamin은 벼의 주요 저장단백질이다. 벼 glutelin 저장단백질 유전자의 발현분석을 위하여 일품벼 미숙종자의 발현유전자 (EST) 분석을 행하였다. 그 결과 11종의 미숙종자 발현 glutelin 유전자를 분리 하였으며 8개의 유전자는 염색체 2번에 위치하였다. Glutelin 유전자 발현양은 전체 미숙종자 발현유전자의 약 28.2%를 차지하였다. 또한 glu-04의 경우 같은 염색체 상에서 4.5 kb 떨어진 곳에 역방향의 같은 염기서열로 복제되어 있었다. 이와 같은 결과는 glutelin 유전자는 진화학적으로 복제되어 염색체 특이적으로 발현하는 것을 나타낸다. 종자 11개 glutelin 유전자들의 아미노산서열분석을 통하여 lysin 함량을 조사한 결과 glu05-type B7에서 4.51%의 높은 lysin 함량을 나타내었다. 향후 유전자의 과발현체를 이용한 lysin 함량을 높이는 영양성 강화 연구가 요구되어진다. 【Rice is one of the most important crop in the world, in particular for food resources. With its small genome size of 383 Mb, the Oryza sativa is a model plant for genome research. Indeed, it's grain provides human with a source of carbohydrates and proteins. Rice grain has relatively low protein contents (around 8%) compared to other legume seeds (around 40%). Osborne classified seed proteins into water soluble albumin, salt soluble globulin, alcohol soluble prolamin and acidic/alkaline solution soluble glutelin. Glutelin and prolamin are the major storage proteins in rice. For the gene expression study of seed storage proteins, we analyzed 33,192 EST clones at immature stages in a rice cultivar (Oryza sativa L. cv. 'Ilpum'). Based on the expression analysis, we cloned 11 glutelin genes and figured out the 8 genes are located on Chromosome 2. The expression of glutelin genes appears to be about 28.2% of total level in immature seeds. Interestingly, glu-04 is duplicated as inverted sequences on the same chromosomes as far 4.5 kb. Our results indicate that glutelin genes, evolutionarily, were replicated on the chromosome and thus expressed as specific manners. In a whole protein composition analysis, glu05 (type B7) contains the highest lysin contents (4.51%) among the 11 rice glutelin genes. It will be an interesting future work to increase lysin contents by the gene overexpressor strategy with the aim of improved diet nutritionally fortified.】

The National Agricultural Biotechnology Information Center (NABIC) reconstructed an AllergenPro database for allergenic proteins analysis and allergenicity prediction. The AllergenPro is an integrated web-based system providing information about allergen in foods, microorganisms, animals and plants. The allergen database has the three main features namely, (1) allergen list with epitopes, (2) searching of allergen using keyword, and (3) methods for allergenicity prediction. This updated AllergenPro outputs the search based allergen information through a user-friendly web interface, and users can run tools for allergenicity prediction using three different methods namely, (1) FAO/WHO, (2) motif-based and (3) epitope-based methods. Availability: The database is available for free at http://nabic.rda.go.kr/allergen/

To better understand the functional characterization of anthocyanin gene expression in black rice, we performed a detailed computational examination. The experiment was performed using the newly designed 135K Oryza sativa microarray to assess gene expression at three time points after the heading stage in Ds insertion lines. Transcription factors related to anthocyanin pigmentation biosynthesis were clustered. A total of 8,517 genes exhibited greater than 2.5-fold up- or downregulation in each comparison between three rice groups and three seed developmental stages. The resultant 82 transcription factor genes found to be associated with anthocyanin were classified into 12 groups. In addition, 12 unknown and hypothetical genes were identified from comparisons between the white cultivar and two black Ds insertion mutants tested. We identified 12 unknown and hypothetical genes involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis. These genes likely play either a regulatory role in the anthocyanin production process or are related to anthocyanin metabolism during flavonoid biosynthesis. While these genes require further characterization and validation, the results here underline the potential use of the newly designed microarray.

Rice is the staple food of more than 50% of the worlds population. Cultivated rice has the AA genome (diploid, 2n=24) and small genome size of only 430 megabase (haploid genome). As the sequencing of rice genome was completed by the International Rice Genome Sequencing Project (IRGSP), many researchers in the world have been working to explore the gene function on rice genome. Insertional mutagenesis has been a powerful strategy for assessing gene function. In maize, well characterized transposable elements have traditionally been used to clone genes for which only phenotypic information is available. In rice endogenous mobile elements such as MITE and Tos (Hirochika. 1997) have been used to generate gene-tagged populations. To date T-DNA and maize transposable element systems has been utilized as main insertional mutagens in rice. A main drawback of a T-DNA scheme is that Agrobacteria- mediated transformation in rice requires extensive facilities, time, and labor. In contrast, the Ac/Ds system offers the advantage of generating new mutants by secondary transposition from a single tagged gene. Revertants can be utilized to correlate phenotype with genotype. To enhance the efficiency of gene detection, advanced gene-tagging systems i.e. activation, gene or enhancer trap) have been employed for functional genomic studies in rice. Internationally, there have been many projects to develop large scales of insertionally mutagenized populations and databases of insertion sites has been established. Ultimate goals of these projects are to supply genetic materials and informations essential for functional analysis of rice genes and for breeding using agronomically important genes. In this report, we summarize the current status of Ac/Ds-mediated gene tagging systems that has been launched by collaborative works from 2001 in Korea.

Anthocyanins are a major class of flavonoids that are produced in the tissues of many plant species in response to environmental signals. The pigmentation of Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa) was analyzed using newly developed 300K Brassica rapa microarrays. The significantly expressed genes were analyzed by clusters of orthologous groups (COGs) and hypergeometric analyses for transcription factors associated with anthocyanin pigmentation. The candidate genes were classified into 11 groups that exhibited functionally diverse transcription factor activity involved in anthocyanin-based pigmentation. Thirty-eight unknown genes were identified that potentially play a role in anthocyanin biosynthesis. Three of these unknown genes differed dramatically among cabbage leaves with yellow, green, or red pigmentation. These three genes may play a regulatory role in the anthocyanin production process or may be related to anthocyanin metabolism during flavonoid biosynthesis. These results show functional diversity of transcription factor families and that the biological functions of the anthocyanin-related transcription factors may be activated in a pigmentation signaling pathway in Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa).

Although susceptibility to seed shattering causes severe yield loss during cereal crop harvest, it is an adaptive trait for seed dispersal in wild plants. We previously identified a recessive shattering locus, sh-h, from the rice shattering mutant line Hsh that carries an enhanced abscission layer. Here, we further mapped sh-h to a 34-kb region on chromosome 7 by analyzing 240 F(2) plants and five F(3) lines from the cross between Hsh and Blue&Gundil. Hsh had a point mutation at the 3' splice site of the seventh intron within LOC_Os07g10690, causing a 15-bp deletion of its mRNA as a result of altered splicing. Two transferred DNA (T-DNA) insertion mutants and one point mutant exhibited the enhanced shattering phenotype, confirming that LOC_Os07g10690 is indeed the sh-h gene. RNA interference (RNAi) transgenic lines with suppressed expression of this gene exhibited greater shattering. This gene, which encodes a protein containing a conserved carboxy-terminal domain (CTD) phosphatase domain, was named Oryza sativa CTD phosphatase-like 1 (OsCPL1). Subcellular localization and biochemical analysis revealed that the OsCPL1 protein is a nuclear phosphatase, a common characteristic of metazoan CTD phosphatases involved in cell differentiation. These results demonstrate that OsCPL1 represses differentiation of the abscission layer during panicle development.

Seed germination is the important stage to ex-press many genes for regulation of energy metabolism, starch degradation and cell division from seed dormancy state. For the functional analysis of seed germination mech-anisms, we were analyzed the rice cDNA clones ( Oryza sativa cultivar Ilpum ) obtained from seed imbibition during 48 hours. Total number of 18,101 Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs) were clustered using SeqMan program. Among them, 8,836 clones were identified as unique clones. We identified the chitinase gene specifically expressed in seed germination and amylase gene involved to starch degradation from the full length cDNA analysis, and several genes were registered to NCBI GeneBank. To analyzed the commonly expressed genes between inmature seed and germinated seed, 25,668 inmature ESTs and 18,101 germinated ESTs were clustered using SeqMan program and identified 2,514 clones as com-monly expressed unigene. Among them, alpha-glubulin and alcohol dehydrogenase I were supposed to LEA genes only expressed in the immature and germinated seed stages.For the clustering of orthologous group genes, we further analyzed the 8,836 EST clones from germinating seeds using NCBI clusters of orthologous groups database. Among the clones, 5,076 clones were categorized into information storage and processing, cellular processes and signaling, metabolism and poorly characterized genes, proportioning 783 (14.29%), 1,484 (27%), 1,363 (24.8%) and 1,869 (34%) clones to the previous four categories, respectively.

A gene detection strategy using two-component Ac/Ds construct, with the mobile Ds transposon, has been developed to better understand gene functions in crops. Currently, 115,000 Ds insertion lines have been generated through the Ac/Ds gene trap system in Korea using japonica rice Dongjin as donor. Four hundred and thirty-seven mutants from 12,162 Ds-tagged lines were catalogued, including physiological and agronomic traits. Different traits were identified with distinct characteristics in terms of tillers, panicles, leaves, flowers, seed, chlorophyll content, and height. Culm and panicle length, number of panicles, and days to flowering of the Dongjin Ds population revealed high standard deviations compared with the donor cultivar. An evaluation of the Ds distribution on the chromosome revealed that 74.5% of the Ds were reinserted into gene-rich regions, making this Ac/Ds-mediated gene trap system useful in helping to gain an understanding of the function of genes and thus improve the gene-tagging system in rice.

The Korean Rice Ds-tagging lines Database (KRDD) is designed to provide information about Ac/Ds insertion lines and activation tagging lines using japonica rice. This database has provided information on 18,158 Ds lines, which includes the ID, description, photo image, sequence information, and gene characteristics. The KRDD is visualized using a web-based graphical view, and anonymous users can query and browse the data using the search function. It has four major menus of web pages: (i) a Blast Search menu of a mutant line; Blast from rice Ds-tagging mutant lines; (ii) a primer de-sign tool to identify genotypes of Ds insertion lines; (iii) a Phenotype menu for Ds lines, searching by identi-fication name and phenotype characteristics; and (iv) a Management menu for Ds lines. Availability: The KRDD can be accessed at the web site of the National Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology (http://www. niab.go.kr/RDS/) Keywords: Ac/Ds database, Ds phenotype, Ds-tagging line, insertion line, KRDD

The nucleotide sequence was determined for the genome of Xanthomonas oryzae pathovar oryzae (Xoo) KACC10331, a bacterium that causes bacterial blight in rice (Oryza sativa L.). The genome is comprised of a single, 4 941 439 bp, circular chromosome that is G + C rich (63.7%). The genome includes 4637 open reading frames (ORFs) of which 3340 (72.0%) could be assigned putative function. Orthologs for 80% of the predicted Xoo genes were found in the previously reported X.axonopodis pv. citri (Xac) and X.campestris pv. campestris (Xcc) genomes, but 245 genes apparently specific to Xoo were identified. Xoo genes likely to be associated with pathogenesis include eight with similarity to Xanthomonas avirulence (avr) genes, a set of hypersensitive reaction and pathogenicity (hrp) genes, genes for exopolysaccharide production, and genes encoding extracellular plant cell wall-degrading enzymes. The presence of these genes provides insights into the interactions of this pathogen with its gramineous host.

Perilla citriodora is a diploid and an aromatic herb species belonging to the family Lamiaceae and widely distributed in East Asia. The complete chloroplast genome sequence of P. citriodora was generated by de novo assembly using whole genome next-generation sequences. The assembled chloroplast genome of P. citriodora was 152 588 bp in length and structurally divided into four distinct regions; large single copy region (83 699 bp), small single copy region (17 537 bp), and a pair of inverted repeat regions (25 676 bp). A total of 115 genes were annotated including 81 protein-coding genes, 30 tRNA genes, and four rRNA genes. Phylogenetic relationship with previously reported chloroplast genomes revealed that P. citriodora is most closely related to P. frutescens, a tetraploid Perilla species.

Sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas) is an autohexaploid species with 90 chromosomes (2n = 6x = 90) and a basic chromosome number of 15, and is therefore regarded as one of the most challenging species for high-density genetic map construction. Here, we used single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) identified by double-digest restriction site-associated DNA sequencing based on next-generation sequencing technology to construct a map for sweetpotato. We then aligned the sequence reads onto the reference genome sequence of I. trifida, a likely diploid ancestor of sweetpotato, to detect SNPs. In addition, to simplify analysis of the complex genetic mode of autohexaploidy, we used an S1 mapping population derived from self-pollination of a single parent. As a result, 28,087 double-simplex SNPs showing a Mendelian segregation ratio in the S1 progeny could be mapped onto 96 linkage groups (LGs), covering a total distance of 33,020.4 cM. Based on the positions of the SNPs on the I. trifida genome, the LGs were classified into 15 groups, each with roughly six LGs and six small extra groups. The molecular genetic techniques used in this study are applicable to high-density mapping of other polyploid plant species, including important crops.

Overexpression of OsGS gene modulates oxidative stress response in rice after exposure to cadmium stress. Our results describe the features of transformants with enhanced tolerance to Cd and abiotic stresses. Glutamine synthetase (GS) (EC 6.3.1.2) is an enzyme that plays an essential role in the metabolism of nitrogen by catalyzing the condensation of glutamate and ammonia to form glutamine. Exposure of plants to cadmium (Cd) has been reported to decrease GS activity in maize, pea, bean, and rice. To better understand the function of the GS gene under Cd stress in rice, we constructed a recombinant pART vector carrying the GS gene under the control of the CaMV 35S promoter and OCS terminator and transformed using Agrobacterium tumefaciens. We then investigated GS overexpressing rice lines at the physiological and molecular levels under Cd toxicity and abiotic stress conditions. We observed a decrease in GS enzyme activity and mRNA expression among transgenic and wild-type plants subjected to Cd stress. The decrease, however, was significantly lower in the wild type than in the transgenic plants. This was further validated by the high GS mRNA expression and enzyme activity in most of the transgenic lines. Moreover, after 10 days of exposure to Cd stress, increase in the glutamine reductase activity and low or no malondialdehyde contents were observed. These results showed that overexpression of the GS gene in rice modulated the expression of enzymes responsible for membrane peroxidation that may result in plant death.

Background Anther culture has advantage to obtain a homozygous progeny by induced doubling of haploid chromosomes and to improve selection efficiency for invaluable agronomical traits. Therefore, anther culturing is widely utilized to breed new varieties and to induce genetic variations in several crops including rice. Genome sequencing technologies allow the detection of a massive number of DNA polymorphism such as SNPs and Indels between closely related cultivars. These DNA polymorphisms permit the rapid identification of genetic diversity among cultivars and genomic locations of heritable traits. To estimate sequence diversity derived from anther culturing, we performed whole-genome resequencing of five Korean rice accessions, including three anther culture lines (BLB, HY-04 and HY-08), their progenitor cultivar (Hwayeong), and an additional japonica cultivar (Dongjin). Results A total of 1,165 × 106 raw reads were generated with over 58× coverage that detected 1,154,063 DNA polymorphisms between the Korean rice accessions and Nipponbare. We observed that in Hwayeong and its progenies, 0.64 SNP was found per one kb of Nipponbare genome, while Dongjin, bred by a conventional breeding method, had a lower number of SNPs (0.45 SNP/kb). Among 1,154,063 DNA polymorphisms, 29,269 non-synonymous SNPs located on 30,013 genes and these genes were functionally classified based on gene ontology (GO). We also analyzed line-specific SNPs which were estimated 1 ~ 3% of the total SNPs. The frequency of non-synonymous SNPs in each accession ranged from 26 SNPs in Hwayeong to 214 SNPs in HY-04. Conclusions The genetic difference we detected between the progenies derived from anther culture and their mother cultivar is due to somaclonal variation during tissue culture process, such as karyotype change, chromosome rearrangement, gene amplification and deletion, transposable element, and DNA methylation. Detection of genome-wide DNA polymorphisms by high-throughput sequencer enabled to identify sequence diversity derived from anther culturing and genomic locations of heritable traits. Furthermore, it will provide an invaluable resource to identify molecular markers and genes associated with diverse traits of agronomical importance.

Rice seed storage proteins accumulate in two types of protein body (PB-I and PB-II) that are nutrient sources for animals. PB-I is indigestible and negatively affects rice protein quality. To improve the nutritional value of rice seeds we are aiming to engineer the composition and accumulation of endogenous seed storage proteins. In this study we generated transgenic rice plants in which 13 kD prolamin genes were suppressed by RNA interference (13 kD pro-RNAi). Analysis based on qRT-PCR confirmed that the targeted 13 kD prolamins were markedly suppressed, and were compensated for by an increase in other storage proteins including 10 kD prolamin, glutelins, and chaperone proteins. The storage protein profiles further revealed that the levels of 13 kD prolamins were significantly reduced, while that of the glutelin precursor was slightly increased and the remaining storage proteins did not change. Amino acid analysis showed that the reduction of 13 kD prolamins resulted in a 28% increase in the lysine content relative to the wild type, indicating that the 13 kD pro-RNAi rice seeds are more nutritious. Furthermore, a reduction in the levels of 13 kD prolamins resulted in abnormal formation of PB-I, which was small and had no lamellar structure. These results suggest that alteration of prolamins can contribute to improving the nutritional quality of rice.

UNLABELLED The integration-based genome database provides useful information through a user-friendly web interface that allows analysis of comparative genome for agricultural plants. We have concentrated on the functional bioinformatics of major agricultural resources, such as rice, Chinese cabbage, rice mutant lines, and microorganisms. The major functions are focused on functional genome analysis, including genome projects, gene expression analysis, gene markers with genetic map, analysis tools for comparative genome structure, and genome annotation in agricultural plants. AVAILABILITY The database is available for free at http://nabic.naas.go.kr/

The National Academy of Agricultural Science (NAAS) has developed a web-based marker database to provide information about SNP markers in rice. The database consists of three major functional categories: map viewing, marker searching and gene annotation. It provides 12,829 SNP markers information including gene location information on 12 chromosomes in rice. The annotation of SNP marker provides information such as marker name, EST number, gene definition and general marker information. Users are assisted in tracing any new structures of the chromosomes and gene positional functions using specific SNP markers. Availability The database is available for free at http://nabic.niab.go.kr/SNP/

Microarray data can be used to derive understanding of the relationships between the genes involved in various biological systems of an organism, given the availability of databases of gene expression measurements from the complete spectrum of experimental conditions and materials. However, there have been no reports, to date, of such a database being constructed for rice (Oryza sativa). Here, we describe the construction of such a database, called RiceArrayNet (RAN; http://www.ggbio.com/arraynet/), which provides information on coexpression between genes in terms of correlation coefficients (r values). The average number of coexpressed genes is 214, with sd of 440 at r ≥ 0.5. Given the correlation between genes in a gene pair, the degrees of closeness between genes can be visualized in a relational tree and a relational network. The distribution of correlated genes according to degree of stringency shows how each gene is related to other genes. As an application of RAN, the 16-member L7Ae ribosomal protein family was explored for coexpressed genes and gene expression values within and between rice and Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), and common and unique features in coexpression partners and expression patterns were observed for these family members. We observed a correlation pattern between Os01g0968800, a drought-responsive element-binding transcription factor, Os02g0790500, a trehalose-6-phosphate synthase, and Os06g0219500, a small heat shock factor, reflecting the fact that genes responding to the same biological stresses are regulated together. The RAN database can be used as a tool to gain insight into a particular gene by examining its coexpression partners.

The National Agricultural Biotechnology Information Center (NABIC) constructs an agricultural biology-based infrastructure and develops a biotechnological database. The NABIC has concentrated on doing functional genomics of major crops, building a database for agro-biotech information and creating a national management system for useful genetic resources. In addition, we provide an integrated biotechnology database to concentrate on doing proteomics of major agricultural resources as of rice, Chinese cabbage, rice Ds-tagging lines, and microorganisms. In the NABIC, integrated database consists of multiple sub databases: Genome project, Gene expression, Gene submission, Genome annotation, Analysis tools, and others databases. User can access specific information through various menus. Additionally, user can download the analyzing information, and can analyze using by bioinformatics tools which include genome annotation, gene expression pattern, construction of genetic maps, and genetic markers analysis for agricultural resources.

Background Endophytic fungi are known plant symbionts. They produce a variety of beneficial metabolites for plant growth and survival, as well as defend their hosts from attack of certain pathogens. Coastal dunes are nutrient deficient and offer harsh, saline environment for the existing flora and fauna. Endophytic fungi may play an important role in plant survival by enhancing nutrient uptake and producing growth-promoting metabolites such as gibberellins and auxins. We screened roots of Ixeris repenes (L.) A. Gray, a common dune plant, for the isolation of gibberellin secreting endophytic fungi. Results We isolated 15 endophytic fungi from the roots of Ixeris repenes and screened them for growth promoting secondary metabolites. The fungal isolate IR-3-3 gave maximum plant growth when applied to waito-c rice and Atriplex gemelinii seedlings. Analysis of the culture filtrate of IR-3-3 showed the presence of physiologically active gibberellins, GA1, GA3, GA4 and GA7 (1.95 ng/ml, 3.83 ng/ml, 6.03 ng/ml and 2.35 ng/ml, respectively) along with other physiologically inactive GA5, GA9, GA12, GA15, GA19, GA20 and, GA24. The plant growth promotion and gibberellin producing capacity of IR-3-3 was much higher than the wild type Gibberella fujikuroi, which was taken as control during present study. GA5, a precursor of bioactive GA3 was reported for the first time in fungi. The fungal isolate IR-3-3 was identified as a new strain of Penicillium citrinum (named as P. citrinum KACC43900) through phylogenetic analysis of 18S rDNA sequence. Conclusion Isolation of new strain of Penicillium citrinum from the sand dune flora is interesting as information on the presence of Pencillium species in coastal sand dunes is limited. The plant growth promoting ability of this fungal strain may help in conservation and revegetation of the rapidly eroding sand dune flora. Penicillium citrinum is already known for producing mycotoxin citrinin and cellulose digesting enzymes like cellulase and endoglucanase, as well as xylulase. Gibberellins producing ability of this fungus and the discovery about the presence of GA5 will open new aspects of research and investigations.

In 2013, National Agricultural Biotechnology Information Center (NABIC) reconstructs a molecular marker database for useful genetic resources. The web-based marker database consists of three major functional categories: map viewer, RSN marker and gene annotation. It provides 7250 marker locations, 3301 RSN marker property, 3280 molecular marker annotation information in agricultural plants. The individual molecular marker provides information such as marker name, expressed sequence tag number, gene definition and general marker information. This updated marker-based database provides useful information through a user-friendly web interface that assisted in tracing any new structures of the chromosomes and gene positional functions using specific molecular markers. Availability The database is available for free at http://nabic.rda.go.kr/gere/rice/molecularMarkers/

The National Academy of Agricultural Science (NAAS) has developed a web-based database system (http:/ /nabic.naas.go.kr) to provide information about genetic markers in rice. A subscriber is assisted in tracing any new structures of the chromosome and gene positional functions through comparisons by using specific QTL markers. A genetic linkage map database system was constructed by using 1054 markers (112 QTL markers included) in each of 12 chromosomes in rice.