Hyun-sook Lee

Summary A pollen‐expressed gene of Petunia inflata that encodes a receptor‐like kinase named PRK1 was previously identified. The extracellular domain of PRK1 contains leucine‐rich repeats which have been implicated in protein—protein interactions, and the cytoplasmic domain was found to autophosphorylate on serine and possibly tyrosine. To investigate the function of PRK1 in pollen development, P. inflata plants were transformed with a construct containing the promoter of a pollen‐expressed gene

Mesocotyl elongation is an important trait for seedling emergence in direct-seeding cultivation in rice. In this study, a backcross inbred line (BIL) population from a cross between Kasalath and Nipponbare was employed to map quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for mesocotyl elongation. A total of 5 QTLs for mesocotyl length were identified on chromosomes 1, 3, 7, 9, and 12 in 2 independent experiments. At all QTL, the Kasalath alleles contributed to an increase in mesocotyl length. Two QTLs (qMel-1

We present enhanced hydrogen storage properties of the eutectic LiBH 4 –Ca(BH 4 ) 2 composite confined inside a mesoporous carbon scaffold via melt infiltration. The eutectic composition was examined by analyzing the enthalpy of fusion as a function of the LiBH 4 -to-Ca(BH 4 ) 2 ratio. Elemental analysis by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and phase analysis by X-ray diffraction patterns provided both direct and indirect evidence for the infiltration of the LiBH 4 –Ca(BH 4 ) 2 composite into

To develop the low-carbon society, in addition to the efforts by industrial and commercial sectors, promotion of people’s pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs) has become one of the key issues. Some PEBs have been investigated in previous studies, however, the targets were limited to particular behaviors (i.e., recycling, water saving, electricity saving). The holistic view of understanding the characteristics of PEBs has remained insufficient. In this study, we selected 58 daily PEBs from various

Inactivating mutations in the breast cancer susceptibility gene BRCA2 cause gross chromosomal rearrangements. Chromosome structural instability in the absence of BRCA2 is thought to result from defective homology-directed DNA repair. Here, we show that BRCA2 links the fidelity of telomere maintenance with genetic integrity. Absence of BRCA2 resulted in signs of dysfunctional telomeres, such as telomere shortening, erosions, and end fusions in proliferating mouse fibroblasts. BRCA2 localized to t

The crystal structure of Escherichia coli dihydrofolate reductase (ecDHFR, EC 1.5.1.3) as a binary complex with folinic acid (5-formyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrofolate; also called leucovorin or citrovorum factor) has been solved in two space groups, P6(1) and P6(5), with, respectively, two molecules and one molecule per asymmetric unit. The crystal structures have been refined to an R-factor of 14.2% at resolutions of 2.0 and 1.9 A. The P6(1) structure is isomorphous with several previously reported ec

Employing the glutathione S-transferase column retention method and far Western analysis, we found a physical association between tumor suppressor p53 and the hepatitis B virus X-gene product, which led us to study the function of observed interaction in relation to viral propagation. In the cell culture-based in vitro replication system, expression of p53 resulted in dramatic inhibition of viral replication, and this inhibition was relieved by the coexpression of the X-gene product in a dose-de