Our mission in the Plant Functional Genomics (PFG) lab is to improve plant productivity and plant immunity. Rice (Oryza sativa) is our model plant species. To achieve our goal, we are trying to elucidate the mechanisms of primary carbon metabolism and broad-spectrum resistance to pathogens using techniques of plant biochemistry, molecular biology, genetics, and genomics.

The rice carbon metabolism team studies the mechanisms involving photo-assimilate production, partitioning, mobilization, and storage in both source and sink organs. Currently, we are analyzing many key enzymes which regulate the important carbon flow in rice plants.
The rice disease resistance team extends our knowledge on the rice innate immunity system. This will help not only to develop broad-spectrum resistance, but also to solve environmental problems caused by excessive use of agricultural chemicals.

-Development of a‘super rice’ plant with enhanced productivity.
-Development of a novel rice variety with enhanced nutritional value.
-Development of broad-spectrum resistance to rice pathogens.
-Signaling network in rice innate immunity.

1. Lee SK, Song MY, Seo YS, Kim HK, Ko S, Cao PJ, Suh, JP, Yi G, Roh JH, Lee S, An G, Hahn TR, Wang GL, Ronald P, and Jeon JS. (2009) Rice Pi5-Mediated Resistance to Magnaporthe oryzae Requires the Presence of Two CC-NB-LRR Genes. Genetics, 181: 1627-1638

2. Cho JI, Ryoo N, Eom JS, Lee DW, Kim HB, Jeong SW, Lee YH, Kwon YK, Cho MH, Bhoo SH, Hahn TR, Park YI, Hwang ID, Sheen J, and Jeon JS. (2009) Role of the Rice Hexokinases OsHXK5 and OsHXK6 as Glucose Sensors. Plant Physiol., 149, 745-759

3. Lee SK, Jeon JS, Bornke F, Voll L, Cho JI, Goh CH, Jeong SW, Park YI, Kim SJ, Choi SB, Miyao A, Hirochika H, An G, Cho MH, Bhoo SH, Sonnewald W, and Hahn TR. (2008) Loss of cytosolic fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase limits photosynthetic sucrose synthesis and causes severe growth retardations in rice (Oryza sativa). Plant Cell Environment, 31, 1851-1863

4. Phee BK, Kim JI, Shin DH, Yoo J, Park KJ, Han YJ, Kwon YK, Cho MH, Jeon JS, Bhoo SH, and Hahn TR. (2008) A novel protein phosphatase indirectly regulates phytochrome interacting factor 3 via phytochrome. Biochem J., 415, 247-255

5. Park DS, Song MY, Park SK, Lee SK, Lee JH, Song SY, Eun MY, Hahn TR, Sohn JK, Yi G, Nam MH, and Jeon JS. (2008) Molecular tagging of the Bph1 locus for resistance to brown planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens Stal) through representational difference analysis. Mol. Genet. Genomics, 280, 163-172

6. Seo YS, Cho JI, Lee SK, Ryu HS, Han M, Hahn TR, Sonnewald U、 Jeon JS. (2007) Current insights into the primary carbon metabolic flux that occurs in plants undergoing a defense response. Plant Stress 1, 42-49.

7. Lee SK, Hwang SK, Han M, Eom JS, Kang HG, Han Y, Choi SB, Cho MH, Bhoo SH, An G, Hahn TR, Okita TW、Jeon JS. (2007) Identification of the ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase isoforms essential for starch synthesis in the leaf and seed endosperm of rice (Oryza sativa L.). Plant Mol. Biol. 65, 531-546

8. Seo YS, Jeon JS, Rojas MR, Gilbertson RL. (2007) Characterization of a novel Toll/interleukin-1 receptor (TIR)-TIR gene differentially expressed in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris cv. Othello) undergoing a defence response to the geminivirus. Mol. Plant Pathol. 8, 151-162.

9. Ryoo N, Yu C, Park CS, Baik MY, Park IM, Cho MH, Bhoo SH, An G, Hahn TR, Jeon JS. (2007) Knockout of a starch synthase gene OsSSIIIa/Flo5 causes white-core floury endosperm in rice (Oryza sativa L.). Plant Cell Rep. 7, 1083-1095.

10. Park DS, Lee SK, Lee JH, Song MY, Song SY, Kwak DY, Yeo US, Jwa NS, Park SK, Yi G, Song YC, Nam MH, Ku YC, Jeon,JS (2007) The identification of candidate rice genes that confer resistance to the brown planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens) through representational difference analysis. Theor Appl Genetics 115:537-547

11. Park SY, Yu JW, Park JS, Li J, Yoo SC, Lee NY, Lee SK, Jeong SW, Seo HS, Koh HJ, Jeon JS, Park YI、 Paek NC. (2007) The senescence-induced staygreen protein regulates chlorophyll degradation. Plant Cell 19, 1649-1664.

12. Lim HM, Cho JI, Lee D, Cho MH, Bhoo SH, An G, Hahn TR, Jeon JS. (2006) Identification of a 20-bp regulatory element of the Arabidopsis pyrophosphate:fructose-6-phosphate 1-phosphotransferase α2 gene that is essential for expression. Plant Cell Reports. 26, 638-692

13. Seo YS, Rojas MR, Lee JY, Lee SW, Jeon JS, Ronald PC, Lucas WJ, and Gilbertson RL. (2006) A viral resistance gene from common bean functions across plant families and is upregulated in a non-virus-specific manner. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 103: 11856-11861

14. Ryu HS, Han M, Lee SK, Cho JI, Ryoo N, Heu S, Lee YH, Bhoo SH, Wang GL, Hahn TR, Jeon JS. (2006) A comprehensive expression analysis of the WRKY gene superfamily in rice plants during defense response Plant Cell Reports. 25: 836-847

15. Cho JI, Ryoo N, Ko S, Lee SK, Lee J, Jung KH, Lee YH, Bhoo SH, Winderickx J, An G, Hahn TR, Jeon JS. (2006) Structure, expression, and functional analysis of the hexokinase gene family in rice (Oryza sativa L.) Planta. 224: 598-611

16. Lim JD, Cho JI, Park YI, Hahn TR, Choi SB, Jeon JS. (2006) Sucrose transport from source to sink seeds in rice Physiologia Plantarum, 126: 572-584

17. Phee BK, Shin DH, Cho JH, Kim SH, Kim JI, Lee YH, Jeon JS, Bhoo SH, Hahn TR. (2006) "Identification of phytochrome-interacting protein candidates in Arabidopsis thaliana by co-immunoprecipitation coupled with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry " Proteomics. 6: 3671-3680

18. Cho JI, Lee SK, Ko S, Kim HK, Jun SH, Lee YH, Bhoo SH, Lee KW, An G, Hahn TR, Jeon JS. (2005) Molecular cloning and expression analysis of the cell-wall invertase gene family in rice (Oryza sativa L.) Plant Cell Reports. 24: 225-236

19. Yi G, Lee SK, Hong YK, Cho YC, Nam MH, Kim SC, Han SS, Wang GL, Hahn TR, Ronald PC, Jeon JS. (2004) Use of Pi5(t) markers in marker-assisted selection to screen for cultivars with resistance to Magnaporthe grisea. Theor Appl Genetics. 109: 978-985

20. Jeon JS, Chen D, Yi GH. Wang GL, Ronald PC. (2003) Genetic and physical mapping of Pi5(t), a locus associated with broad-spectrum resistance to rice blast. Mol Genet Genomics. 269: 280-289