The Rice Annotation Project Database (RAP-DB) was created to provide the genome sequence assembly of the International Rice Genome Sequencing Project (IRGSP), manually curated annotation of the sequence, and other genomics information that could be useful for comprehensive understanding of the rice biology. Since the last publication of the RAP-DB, the IRGSP genome has been revised and reassembled. In addition, a large number of rice-expressed sequence tags have been released, and functional genomics resources have been produced worldwide. Thus, we have thoroughly updated our genome annotation by manual curation of all the functional descriptions of rice genes. The latest version of the RAP-DB contains a variety of annotation data as follows: clone positions, structures and functions of 31 439 genes validated by cDNAs, RNA genes detected by massively parallel signature sequencing (MPSS) technology and sequence similarity, flanking sequences of mutant lines, transposable elements, etc. Other annotation data such as Gnomon can be displayed along with those of RAP for comparison. We have also developed a new keyword search system to allow the user to access useful information. The RAP-DB is available at: http://rapdb.dna.affrc.go.jp/ and http://rapdb.lab.nig.ac.jp/.

Although photoprotective properties of skin melanin have been well documented, a few studies on the effect of melanin on reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by ultraviolet (UV) irradiation have been reported. To study the interaction of melanin with ROS, scavenging or quenching effect of melanin on O2•− and 1O2 was examined by electron spin resonance (ESR)-spin trapping methods and a spectrophotometric method, respectively. Melanin potently interacted with O2•− generated in a hypoxanthine (HPX)-xanthine oxidase (XOD) reaction, and with 1O2 generated from a peroxidase, H2O2, and halide system. In the HPX-XOD reaction, it was proved that melanin doses not interfere with the enzyme reaction. It is confirmed that one of the mechanisms by which melanin protects UV-induced skin damage is likely scavenging or quenching activity against ROS such as O2•− and 1O2.

Parkinson disease (PD) is characterized by progressive degeneration of dopaminergic neurons of the nigrostriatal system and dopamine (DA) depletion in the striatum. While the pathogenesis of PD is not clear, damage of dopaminergic neurons by oxygen derived free radicals is considered to be an important contributing mechanism.

The cDNA clone of NtSAR1, a gene encoding the small GTPase Sar1p which is essential for vesicle formation from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane in yeast, has been isolated from Nicotiana tabacum BY-2 cells. NtSAR1 as well as AtSAR1 cDNA isolated from Arabidopsis thaliana [d'Enfert et al. (1992) EMBO J. 11: 4205] could complement the lethality of the disruption of SAR1 in yeast cells in a temperature-sensitive fashion. They also suppressed yeast sec12 and sec16 temperature-sensitive mutations as yeast SAR1 does. Using this complementation system, we analyzed the phenotypes of several mutations in plant SAR1 cDNAs in yeast cells. The expression of NtSAR1 H74L and AtSAR1 N129I showed dominant negative effect in growth over the wild-type SAR1, which was accompanied by the arrest of ER-to-Golgi transport. Such dominant mutations will be useful to analyze the role of membrane trafficking in plant cells, if their expression can be regulated conditionally.