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2025 Vol.70, Issue 4 Preview Page

Original Research Article

Agrobacterium-mediated Gene Expression Efficiency in Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) ‘Cheungsam’ via Direct Organogenesis

대마 ‘청삼’의 직접 기관 발생 기반 아그로박테리움 매개 유전자 발현 효율

Sung-eun Lee1
,
Hyoseon Choi2
,
Ji-Su Kim2
,
Beom-Gi Kim3
,
Saet Buyl Lee4*
이 성은1
,
최 효선2
,
김 지수2
,
김 범기3
,
이 샛별4*
1Postdoctoral Researcher, Plant Biomaterials and Biotechnology Division, Department of Agricultural Biology, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Rural Development Administration, Jeonju 54874, Republic of Korea
2Research Assistant, Plant Biomaterials and Biotechnology Division, Department of Agricultural Biology, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Rural Development Administration, Jeonju 54874, Republic of Korea
3Senior Researcher, Plant Biomaterials and Biotechnology Division, Department of Agricultural Biology, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Rural Development Administration, Jeonju 54874, Republic of Korea
4Associate Researcher, Plant Biomaterials and Biotechnology Division, Department of Agricultural Biology, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Rural Development Administration, Jeonju 54874, Republic of Korea
1농촌진흥청 국립농업과학원 농업생물부 식물소재바이오공학과 전문연구원
2농촌진흥청 국립농업과학원 농업생물부 식물소재바이오공학과 공무직
3농촌진흥청 국립농업과학원 농업생물부 식물소재바이오공학과 농업연구관
4농촌진흥청 국립농업과학원 농업생물부 식물소재바이오공학과 농업연구사
*Corresponding Author
1 December 2025. pp. 365-375
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Abstract

Cannabis sativa L. is a multipurpose crop valued for its fiber, seed, and medicinal compounds. In addition to cannabinoids, C. sativa produces distinctive prenylated flavonoids known as cannflavins, which exhibit potent anti-inflammatory activity but accumulate at very low levels, limiting their utilization. This study characterized cannflavin traits and developed tissue culture and transformation protocols for the Korean non-drug type hemp cultivar ‘Cheungsam’. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis detected cannflavin A (CFL-A) and CFL-B predominantly in immature female inflorescences, at concentrations of 105.2 µg/g and 26.2 µg/g dry weight, respectively, with lower levels present in leaves. To address regeneration bottlenecks, we optimized a direct organogenesis system using hypocotyl explants of ‘Cheungsam’, which enabled efficient shoot and root formation without callus induction. Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation using the RUBY reporter gene achieved transient expression efficiencies of up to 54.2% with strain AGL1. In addition, kanamycin-based selection confirmed the feasibility of producing transgenic lines, although the overall transformation frequency remained modest (6.9%) and betalain accumulation was not uniform or localized as red dots. Collectively, these findings provide the first report of cannflavin profile in ‘Cheungsam’ and establish a regeneration and transformation platform for this hemp cultivar. This work lays the groundwork for future metabolic engineering to enhance cannflavin production and improve the genetic and industrial value of non-drug type hemp in Korea.

Keywords
Agrobacterium
bioactive compounds
Cannabis sativa
cannflavins
cheungsam
direct organogenesis
transient gene expression
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Information
  • Publisher :The Korean Society of Crop Science
  • Publisher(Ko) :한국작물학회
  • Journal Title :The Korean Journal of Crop Science
  • Journal Title(Ko) :한국작물학회지
  • Volume : 70
  • No :4
  • Pages :365-375
  • Received Date : 2025-09-03
  • Revised Date : 2025-10-11
  • Accepted Date : 2025-10-20
  • DOI :https://doi.org/10.7740/kjcs.2025.70.4.365
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