• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.159-163
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• 2005

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of simulated acid rain (SAR) on growth and antioxidant system in french marigold (Tagetes patula L.). Plants were subjected to four levels of SAR (pH 5.6, 4.0, 3.0, 2.0) in the growth chambers for 2 weeks. SAR decreased both plant height and plant dry weight of french marigold. As the pH levels decreased from 5.6 to 2.0, the content of MDA highly increased linearly. The ratios of dehydroascorbate/ascorbate and oxidized glutathione/reduced glutathione were significantly increased with decreasing pH levels. The enzyme (superoxide dismutase, ascorbate peroxidase etc.) activities of the plant affected by SAR were increased as the pH decreased. Based on the results, SAR caused oxidative stress in french marigold and resulted in significant reduction in plant growth. Biochemical protection responses might be activated to prevent the plant from damaging effects of oxidative stress generated in SAR.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.130-136
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• 2000

Differences in physiological and biochemical responses between sensitive and tolerant rice cultivars to ozone were investigated to develop reliable indications of early ozone damage. Three Korean local rice cultivars -sen-sitive cultivar Dongjin (DJ), moderately tolerant cultivar Hwayeong (HY) and tolerant cultivar Ilmee (IM) were exposed to ozone at the concentrations of 100 nl $\textrm{l}^{-1}$ or 200 nl $\textrm{l}^{-1}$ , 8 h per day for 10 days in a controlled-environment fumigation chamber. The rice cultivars seemed to be endurable to ozone stress at the concentration of 100 nl $\textrm{l}^{-1}$ which is frequently monitored during the growing season in summer. However, severe damage was induced and differential sensitivity was clearly noted among the rice cultivars at the higher ozone concentration. Activation of the glutathion (GR) -ascorbate peroxidase (APX) cycle was likely to be responsible for protection of rice plants against ozone exposure, relating difference in sensitivity of rice cultivars to ozone. Photosynthetic activity appeared to be one of sensitive responses, for which chlorophyll fluorescence and leaf greenness can together provide a very reliable index, a degree of photosynthetic damages by ozone. Formation of malondialdehyde (MDA) was also considered as an indication that can differentiate cultivars sensitivity to ozone. However, the changes in polyamines and total phenolics were not consistent with exposed ozone concentrations and/or ozone sensitivity of the cultivars. The behavior of polyamines and phenolics in the damaged plants at high ozone levels could be interpreted as an indication of ozone injury rather than activation of additional protection mechanisms scavenging active oxygen species formed by ozone. Several responses triggered by ozone could explain the differential sensitivity of the rice cultivars and be used as reliable indications of relative ozone damage to rice plant.

• Plant Biotechnology Reports
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.85-94
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• 2010

In vitro shoot regeneration of gladiolus in three different culture systems, viz., semi-solid agar (AS), membrane raft (MR), and duroplast foam liquid (DF) cultures was evaluated following the kinetics of shoot multiplication and hyperhydricity at optimized growth regulator combinations. Compared to the AS system, matrixsupported liquid cultures enhanced shoot multiplication. The peak of shoot multiplication rate was attained at 18 days of incubation in the MR and DF systems, whereas the maximum rate in the AS system was attained at 21 days. An early decline in acceleration trend was observed in liquid cultures than the AS culture. The hyperhydric status of the regenerated shoots in the different culture systems was assessed in terms of stomatal attributes and antioxidative status. Stomatal behavior appeared to be normal in the AS and MR systems. However, structural anomaly of stomata such as large, round shaped guard cells with damage in bordering regions of stomatal pores was pronounced in the DF system along with a relatively higher $K^+$ ion concentration than in the AS and MR systems. Antioxidative status of regenerated shoots was comparable in the AS and MR systems, while a higher incidence of oxidative damages of lipid membrane as evidenced from malondialdehyde and ascorbate content was observed in the DF system. Higher oxidative stress in the DF system was also apparent by elevated activities of superoxide dismutase, ascorbate peroxidase, and catalase. Among the three culture systems, liquid culture with MR resulted in maximum shoot multiplication with little or no symptoms of hyperhydricity. Shoots in the DF system were more prone to hyperhydricity than those in the AS and MR systems. The use of matrix support such as membrane raft as an interface between liquid medium and propagating tissue could be an effective means for rapid and efficient mass propagation with little or no symptoms of hyperhydricity.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.102 no.4
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• pp.601-607
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• 2013

The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of ozone pollution on the one woody species and two indoor plants in controlled environment. Pinus densiflora, Spathiphyllum patinii and Epipremnum aureum seedlings were exposed in both control and ozone chambers to investigate photosynthetic rate, water use efficiency, antioxidative enzyme activities such as GR(Glutathione reductase) and APX(Ascorbate peroxidase) activity and leaf anatomical response. Ozone was fumigated 8 hours for a day with 30 ppb concentration for 50 days. Pinus densiflora seedlings showed no significant difference on photosynthetic rate, water use efficiency, antioxidant enzyme activity during ozone exposure. Ozone concentration (30 ppb in this study) is not high enough to generate ozone damage on Pinus densiflora species. In contrast, ozone generally altered photosynthetic rate, antioxidant enzyme (especially GR) activity and leaf anatomy in two indoor species (Spathiphyllum patinii and Epipremnum aureum) exposed in ozone chamber were significantly differ from those of control in every measurement. These data suggest that two indoor species(Spathiphyllum patinii and Epipremnum aureum) are more sensitive to ozone than Pinus densiflora.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.309-313
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• 2000

To investigate the effects of different UV-B levels on growth and biochemical defense response in plants, cucumber plants were subjected to three levels of biologically effective ultraviolet-B $(UV-B_{BE})$ radiation [daily dose: 0.03 (No), 6.40 (Low) and $11.30\;(High)\;kJ{\cdot}m^{-2}$, $UV-B_{BE}$] in the growth chambers for 3 weeks during the early growth period. Enhanced UV-B radiation drastically decreased both dry weight and leaf area of cucumber. With increasing UV-B intensity, chlorophyll content was decreased, however the level of malondialdehyde was highly increased linearly. Total contents of ascorbic acid and glutathione were tended to increase by UV-B, while the ratios of dehydroascorbate/ascorbate and oxidized glutathione/reduced glutathione were significantly increased with increasing UV-B intensity in cucumber. All the enzyme activities investigated (superoxide dismutase, ascorbate peroxidase, dehydroascorbate reductase, guaiacol peroxidase etc.) in cucumber were increased by the UV-B enhancement. These results suggested that enhanced UV-B irradiation caused photooxidative stress in cucumber plant and resulted in significant reduction in plant growth. Biochemical protection responses might be activated to prevent the leaves from damaging effects of oxidative stress generated by UV-B irradiation.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.251-256
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• 2005

Cytokinins are essential plant hormones that play crucial roles in various aspects of plant growth and development. To better understand the molecular mechanisms of cytokinin action, we identified cytokinin related proteins by a proteomic approach. Proteins extracted from control and trans-zeatin treated Arabidopsis seedlings were separated and analyzed by two dimensional gel analysis. Differentially expressed protein spots were identified with peptide mass fingerprinting based on matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry and database searching, We obtained ten up-regulated and one down-regulated proteins upon t-zeatin treatment. The expression of the following proteins was induced; pollen allergen like protein, L-ascorbate peroxidase, tetrapyrrole methylase family protein, SGT1 protein homolog, disease resistance related protein, maternal embryogenesis control protein, paxneb related protein, gluthathione S-transferase and IAA amino acid hydrolase homolog.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.151-159
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• 2005

Injury caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS), known as oxidative stress, is one of the major damaging factors in plants exposed to environmental stress. Chloroplasts are specially sensitive to damage by ROS because electrons that escape from the photosynthetic electron transfer system are able to react with relatively high concentration of $O_2$ in chloroplasts. To cope with oxidative stress, plants have evolved an efficient ROS-scavenging enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and low molecular weight antioxidants including ascorbate, glutathione and phenolic compounds. To maintain the productivity of plants under the stress condition, it is possible to fortify the antioxidative mechanisms in the chloroplasts by manipulating the antioxidation genes. A powerful gene expression system with an appropriate promoter is key requisite for excellent stress-tolerant plants. We developed a strong oxidative stress-inducible peroxidase (SWPA2) promoter from cultured cells of sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas) as an industrial platform technology to develop transgenic plants with enhanced tolerance to environmental stress. Recently, in order to develop transgenic sweetpotato (tv. Yulmi) and potato (Solanum tuberosum L. cv. Atlantic and Superior) plants with enhanced tolerance to multiple stress, the genes of both CuZnSOD and APX were expressed in chloroplasts under the control of an SWPA2 promoter (referred to SSA plants). As expected, SSA sweetpotato and potato plants showed enhanced tolerance to methyl viologen-mediated oxidative stress. In addition, SSA plants showed enhanced tolerance to multiple stresses such as temperature stress, drought and sulphur dioxide. Our results strongly suggested that the rational manipulation of antioxidative mechanism in chloroplasts will be applicable to the development of all plant species with enhanced tolerance to multiple environmental stresses to contribute in solving the global food and environmental problems in the 21st century.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.702-709
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• 2014

Luffa cylindrica Roem (sponge gourd) belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family and has been cultivated as an ornamental plant in Korea. Recently, its cultivation area has been increased with an increase in demand for it as an ingredient in cosmetics, herbal medicines, and health supplements. We analyzed inorganic components of sap collected from land race sponge gourds. We also measured antioxidant enzyme activities and antimicrobial activities of the plant, seed, and sap to examine functional properties of sponge gourd. The sap of the sponge gourd contained high levels of K, Ca, P, and Mg, with the most abundant mineral in the sap being K ($470mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$). The amounts of Ca and Mg were 2 and 1.7 times more than those found in cucumber (Cucumis sativus), respectively. Ascorbate peroxidase was more active than catalase and superoxide dismutase in various plant parts of sponge gourd. Antioxidant activities were much lower in stems than in other plant parts such as leaves, roots, flowers, fruits, seeds, and sap. In addition, sap showed a very low level of antimicrobial activity against two food-borne pathogens, Vibrio parahaemdyticus and Propionibacterium acne, and none against the other eight tested food-borne pathogens. Antimicrobial activities against Candida albicans and Malassezia furfur, which causes dermatitis, appeared to be higher in sap than in other parts of sponge gourd plants. Overall, the antimicrobial activity against Malassezia furfur appeared to be higher than against Candida albicans.

• Journal of Photoscience
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.115-120
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• 2004

For the expression study of antioxidant isoenzyme genes in rice (Oryza sativa L.) plants, extensive searches for genes of superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and catalase (CAT) isoforms were performed through the GenBank database. The genes for two cytosolic and one plastidic CuZn-SOD, one Fe-SOD, two Mn-SOD, two cytosolic and two chloroplastic (stromal and thylakoid) APX, and three CAT isoforms were available in japonica-type rice. These isoforms were named as cCuZn-SOD1, cCuZn-SOD2, pCuZn-SOD, Fe-SOD, Mn-SOD1, Mn-SOD2, cAPXa, cAPXb, Chl_sAPX, Chl_tAPX, CATa, CATb, and CATc, respectively. Since they shared a high degree of homology in the nucleotide and amino acid sequences, the gene-specific primers for the genes were designed directly from their full-length cDNAs found in the database except for the CATa gene. These primers were used in the RT-PCR analysis to investigate the differential expression of antioxidant isoenzyme genes in rice plants from the seeds irradiated with low doses (2, 4, 8, and 16 Gy) of gamma-radiation. The gammairradiation slightly increased the transcripts of pCuZn-SOD, while those of Fe-SOD, cAPXb, and CATb decreased. However, no substantial differences were observed in the expression of all the isoenzyme genes between the control and irradiated groups. In this study, gene specific primers for thirteen SOD, APX and CAT isoenzymes were constructed from the full-length cDNAs. The results of RT-PCR analysis obtained by using these primers suggests that the expression levels of SOD, APX, and CAT isoenzyme genes in rice seedlings were hardly affected by gamma-irradiation at the seed stage.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.343-352
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• 2010

In order to understand the plant responses to salt stress (0, 50, and 100 mM NaCl), Chinese cabbage seedlings grown up to two leaf stages by hydroponic culture were used. Fresh and dry weight, chlorophyll (Chl), antioxidant materials, polyamine content, antioxidant enzyme activities, and inorganic ion level were evaluated. Fresh and dry weights of Chinese cabbage increased with the increase in salinity while the optimal growth occurred at 50 mM NaCl. The Chl a, total Chl, carotenoid content, and Chl a/b ratio increased by the 6 days after treatment with 100 mM NaCI; however, the Chl b content decreased. Glutathione increased in the root of Chinese cabbage for 6 days. Dehydroascorbate increased remarkably by day 6 caused by the salt stress in both leaf and the root. While ascorbate peroxidase increased, the activity of catalase and glutathione reductase decreased gradually in the first leaf for 6 days. The $Na^+$ content increased by 12.5-fold in the 3 days after treatment with 100 mM NaCI in the shoot, whereas the $Ca^{2+}$, $K^+$, and $Mg^{2+}$ content measured in the same treatment decreased by 43 to 57%. Spermidine content decreased as salinity increased, but spermine content increased. The growth promotion, glutathione and ascorbic acid content in Chinese cabbage were increased by low salt stress, and shortening of the cultivation period for growth increase of Chinese cabbage is expected.