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.

Cultivation and Nutritional Value of Prominent Pleurotus spp.: An Overview.

Abstract: Pleurotus species are commercially essential mushrooms and widely cultivated throughout the world. The production of Pleurotus mushrooms alone accounts for around 25% of that total cultivated mushrooms globally. In America and Europe, Pleurotus species are considered specialty mushrooms, whereas, in Korea, their cultivation is economically profitable, and it is one of the highly consumed species. Pleurotus species are predominantly found in tropical forests and often grow on fallen branches, dead and decaying tree stumps, and wet logs. Biographical studies have shown that the Pleurotus genus is among the more conspicuous fungi that induce wood decay in terrestrial ecosystems worldwide due to its formidable lignin- modifying enzymes, including laccase and versatile peroxidases. Pleurotus species can be grown easily due to their fast colonization nature on diversified agro-substrates and their biological efficiency 100%. Pleurotus mushrooms are rich in proteins, dietary fiber, essential amino acids, carbohydrates, water-soluble vitamins, and minerals. These mushrooms are abundant in functional bioactive molecules, though to influence health. Pleurotus mushrooms are finding unique applications as flavoring, aroma, and excellent preservation quality. Apart from its unique applications, Pleurotus mushrooms have a unique status delicacy with high nutritional and medicinal values. The present review provides an insight into the cultivation of Pleurotus spp. using different agro-waste as growth substances paying attention to their effects on the growth and chemical composition.

Chloroplast-targeted expression of synthetic cry1Ac in transgenic rice as an alternative strategy for increased pest protection.

Abstract: To increase insect resistance in transgenic rice plants, a synthetic truncated cry1Ac gene was linked to the rice rbcS promoter and its transit peptide sequence (tp) for chloroplast-targeted expression. Several transgenic lines were generated by the Agrobacterium-mediated transformation method and the expression levels of the transgene were compared with untargeted expression. Use of the rbcS-tp sequence increased the cry1Ac transcript and protein levels by 25- and 100-fold, respectively, with the accumulated protein in chloroplasts comprising up to 2% of the total soluble proteins. The high level of cry1Ac expression resulted in high levels of plant resistance to three common rice pests, rice leaf folder, rice green caterpillar, and rice skipper, as evidenced by insect feeding assays. Transgenic plants were also evaluated for resistance to natural infestations by rice leaf folder under field conditions. Throughout the entire period of plant growth, the transgenic plants showed no symptoms of damage, whereas nontransgenic control plants were severely damaged by rice leaf folders. Our results demonstrate that the targeting of cry1Ac protein to the chloroplast using the rbcS:tp system confers a high level of plant protection to insects, thus providing an alternative strategy for crop insect management.

Metabolomics analysis and biosynthesis of rosmarinic acid in Agastache rugosa Kuntze treated with methyl jasmonate.

Abstract: This study investigated the effect of methyl jasmonate (MeJA) on metabolic profiles and rosmarinic acid (RA) biosynthesis in cell cultures of Agastache rugosa Kuntze. Transcript levels of phenylpropanoid biosynthetic genes, i.e., ArPAL, Ar4CL, and ArC4H, maximally increased 4.5-fold, 3.4-fold, and 3.5-fold, respectively, compared with the untreated controls, and the culture contained relatively high amounts of RA after exposure of cells to 50 µM MeJA. RA levels were 2.1-, 4.7-, and 3.9-fold higher after exposure to 10, 50, and 100 µM MeJA, respectively, than those in untreated controls. In addition, the transcript levels of genes attained maximum levels at different time points after the initial exposure. The transcript levels of ArC4H and Ar4CL were transiently induced by MeJA, and reached a maximum of up to 8-fold at 3 hr and 6 hr, respectively. The relationships between primary metabolites and phenolic acids in cell cultures of A. rugosa treated with MeJA were analyzed by gas chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry. In total, 45 metabolites, including 41 primary metabolites and 4 phenolic acids, were identified from A. rugosa. Metabolite profiles were subjected to partial least square-discriminate analysis to evaluate the effects of MeJA. The results indicate that both phenolic acids and precursors for the phenylpropanoid biosynthetic pathway, such as aromatic amino acids and shikimate, were induced as a response to MeJA treatment. Therefore, MeJA appears to have an important impact on RA accumulation, and the increased RA accumulation in the treated cells might be due to activation of the phenylpropanoid genes ArPAL, ArC4H, and Ar4CL.