An interspecific cross between P. citriodora and P. hirtella constitutes ideal material for a linkage map construction in genome project of Perilla. The chromosomes of the species are same with n=10 and progenies of the cross are normal in growth and seed set. The phenotype of F2 population of the cross are normally distributed and this is a proof of high affinity of the chromosomes during their sexual reproduction. Rosmarinic acid, Luteolin and Apigenin contents of F2 plants were distributed in similar range with tetraploid perilla cultivars. Luteolin and Apigenin are positively correlated with correlation coefficient of 0.762. 21 QTLs were detected in agronomic traits and Rosmarinic acid, Luteolin and Apigenin contents. Even though Luteolin and Apigenin are positively correlated, QTLs were located in different position. Purple leaf color related QTL was mapped in Chromosome 3 with LOD of 14.3, PVE of 50.4%. Three anthocyanin biosynthesis transcription factor like sequences, WD40 repeat-like superfamily protein, myb domain protein 43 and basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) DNA-binding superfamily protein, were detected near from the QTL.

The rice recombinant inbred lines derived from Milyang23 and Gihobyeo cross were used in genetic mapping and QTL analysis studies. In this study, we developed a new 101 CAPS markers based on the SNPs in the whole genome region between these varieties. As a result, the total genetic distance and average distances were 1,696.97 cM and 3.64 cM, respectively. In comparison to the distance of the previous genetic map constructed based on 365 DNA markers, the new genetic map was found to have a decreased distance. The map was applied for the detection of QTLs on all seven traits relevant to diameter of stem internode, length of culms, length of panicles and the number of panicles including the correlation analysis between each trait. The QTLs results were similar to the report in previous studies, whereas the distance between the markers was narrowed and accuracy increased with the addition of 101 CAPS markers. A total of 9 new QTLs were detected for stem internode traits. Among them, qI1D-6 had higher LOD of 5.1 and phenotype variation of 50.92%. In this experiment, a molecular map was constructed with CAPS markers using next generation sequencing showing high accuracy for markers and QTLs. In the future, developing more accurate QTL information on stem internode diameters with various agriculturally important traits will be possible for further rice breeding.

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 next generation sequencing (NGS) has been developed rapidly in recent years, paving ways of discovering vast sequence variations among germplasms. Whole-genome sequencing was performed on the genomic DNA of Milyang23 and Gihobyeo using NGS and developed new CAPS (cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence) markers based on the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in coding sequence between these varieties. The NGS sequencing yielded sequences of 60x coverage of the Nipponbare reference genome on average. A molecular genetic map was constructed with the recombinant inbred population derived from Milyang23/Gihobyeo cross (MGRIL) integrating the newly developed 146 CAPS makers and previously reported 219 PCR-based DNA markers. This map was applied to the detection of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for stem internode diameters, culm length and panicle length in rice with MGRIL population. A total of 4 new QTLs were detected for stem diameter traits including the first internode diameter (I1D), second internode diameter (I2D), third internode diameter (I3D), and fourth internode diameter (I4D). Among stem diameter QTLs, qI1D5 had relatively 6.09 LOD (likelihood of odds) score and explained 8.99% of total variation. Only very small portion of SNPs through re-sequencing were used in this study. Much more markers can be developed by using SNP information acquired in this study, which will enable construction of high-density genetic map and more accurate QTL analysis of important agronomical traits with MGRIL population.