Rural Development Administration

About: Rural Development Administration is a government organization based out in Jeonju, South Korea. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Gene & Population. The organization has 4372 authors who have published 4919 publications receiving 94318 citations.

Nondestructive Evaluation for the Viability of Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) Seeds Using Fourier Transform Near Infrared Spectroscopy

Abstract: th , 2013; Revised: November 4 th , 2013; Accepted: November 4 th , 2013 Purpose: Conventional methods used to evaluate seeds viability are destructive, time consuming, and require the use of chemicals, which are not feasible to implement to process plant in seed industry. In this study, the effectiveness of Fourier transform near infrared (FT-NIR) spectroscopy to differentiate between viable and nonviable watermelon seeds was investigated. Methods: FT-NIR reflectance spectra of both viable and non-viable (aging) seeds were collected in the range of 4,000 – 10,000 cm -1 (1,000 – 2,500 nm). To differentiate between viable and non-viable seeds, a multivariate classification model was developed with partial least square discrimination analysis (PLS-DA). Results: The calibration and validation set derived from the PLS-DA model classified viable and non-viable seeds with 100% accuracy. The beta coefficient of PLS-DA, which represented spectral difference between viable and non-viable seeds, showed that change in the chemical component of the seed membrane (such as lipids and proteins) might be res ponsible for the germination ability of the seeds. Conclusions: The results demonstrate the possibility of using FT-NIR spectr oscopy to separate seeds based on viability, which could be used in the development of an online sorting technique.

Identification and molecular properties of SUMO-binding proteins in Arabidopsis.

Abstract: Reversible conjugation of the small ubiquitin modifier (SUMO) peptide to proteins (SUMOylation) plays important roles in cellular processes in animals and yeasts. However, little is known about plant SUMO targets. To identify SUMO substrates in Arabidopsis and to probe for biological functions of SUMO proteins, we constructed 6xHis-3xFLAG fused AtSUMO1 (HFAtSUMO1) controlled by the CaMV35S promoter for transformation into Arabidopsis Col-0. After heat treatment, an increased sumoylation pattern was detected in the transgenic plants. SUMO1-modified proteins were selected after two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) image analysis and identified using matrix-assisted laser-desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). We identified 27 proteins involved in a variety of processes such as nucleic acid metabolism, signaling, metabolism, and including proteins of unknown functions. Binding and sumoylation patterns were confirmed independently. Surprisingly, MCM3 (At5G46280), a DNA replication licensing factor, only interacted with and became sumoylated by AtSUMO1, but not by SUMO1ΔGG or AtSUMO3. The results suggest specific interactions between sumoylation targets and particular sumoylation enzymes.

Composite Transport Model and Water and Solute Transport across Plant Roots: An Update.

Abstract: The present review examines recent experimental findings in root transport phenomena in terms of the composite transport model. It has been a well-accepted conceptual model to explain the complex water and solute flows across the root that has been related to the composite anatomical structure. There are three parallel pathways involve in the transport of water and solutes in roots – apoplast, symplast and transcellular paths. The role of aquaporins, which facilitate water flows through the transcellular path, and root apoplast were examined in terms of the composite transport model. The contribution of the plasma membrane bound aquaporins for the overall water transport in the whole plant level was varying depending on the plant species, age of roots with varying developmental stages of apoplastic barriers, and driving forces (hydrostatic vs. osmotic). Many studies have demonstrated that the apoplastic barriers, such as Casparian bands in the primary anticlinal walls and suberin lamellae in the secondary cell walls, in the endo- and exodermis are not perfect barriers and unable to completely block the transport of water and some solute transport into the stele. Recent research on water and solute transport of roots with and without exodermis triggered the importance of the extension of conventional composite transport model adding resistances that arrange in series (epidermis, exodermis, mid cortex, endodermis, and pericycle). The extension of the model may answer current questions about the applicability of composite transport model for composite water and solute transport of roots that contain complex anatomical structures with heterogeneous cell layers.

Whole-Genome Analyses of Korean Native and Holstein Cattle Breeds by Massively Parallel Sequencing

Abstract: A main goal of cattle genomics is to identify DNA differences that account for variations in economically important traits. In this study, we performed whole-genome analyses of three important cattle breeds in Korea—Hanwoo, Jeju Heugu, and Korean Holstein—using the Illumina HiSeq 2000 sequencing platform. We achieved 25.5-, 29.6-, and 29.5-fold coverage of the Hanwoo, Jeju Heugu, and Korean Holstein genomes, respectively, and identified a total of 10.4 million single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), of which 54.12% were found to be novel. We also detected 1,063,267 insertions–deletions (InDels) across the genomes (78.92% novel). Annotations of the datasets identified a total of 31,503 nonsynonymous SNPs and 859 frameshift InDels that could affect phenotypic variations in traits of interest. Furthermore, genome-wide copy number variation regions (CNVRs) were detected by comparing the Hanwoo, Jeju Heugu, and previously published Chikso genomes against that of Korean Holstein. A total of 992, 284, and 1881 CNVRs, respectively, were detected throughout the genome. Moreover, 53, 65, 45, and 82 putative regions of homozygosity (ROH) were identified in Hanwoo, Jeju Heugu, Chikso, and Korean Holstein respectively. The results of this study provide a valuable foundation for further investigations to dissect the molecular mechanisms underlying variation in economically important traits in cattle and to develop genetic markers for use in cattle breeding.

Evaluation of the genetic diversity and population structure of sesame ( Sesamum indicum L.) using microsatellite markers

Abstract: Sixteen polymorphic microsatellite (SSR) markers, developed from an SSR-enriched genomic DNA library of sesame (Sesamum indicum L.), were used to assess genetic diversity, phylogenetic relationships, and population structure among 150 sesame accessions collected from 22 countries. A total of 121 alleles were detected among the sesame accessions. The number of detected alleles varied from 2 to 18, with an average of 7.6 alleles per locus. Polymorphism information content values ranged from 0.03 to 0.79, with an average of 0.42. These values indicated an excess of heterozygous individuals at 16 loci and an excess of homozygous individuals at three loci. Of these, 32 genotype-specific alleles were identified at 11 of 16 polymorphic SSR markers. Cluster analyses were performed by accession and population, revealing a complex accession distribution pattern with mean genetic similarity coefficient of 0.45 by accession and 0.52 by population. The wide variation in genetic similarity among the accessions revealed by SSRs reflected a high level of polymorphism at the DNA level. Model-based structure analysis revealed the presence of three groups that were basically consistent with the clustering results based on genetic distance. These findings may be used to augment the sesame germplasm and to increase the effectiveness of sesame breeding.