• Journal of Plant Biology
• /
• v.34 no.4
• /
• pp.311-316
• /
• 1991

The origin of cambial initials from procambium was studied in the seedling root of Acer saccharinum. In transverse view, the first periclinal divisions of procambial cells occurred just outside of each early metaxylem and resulted in meristematic strips. As root development progressed, the division activities appeared subsequently outside of each late metaxylem and then in pericycle cells opposite the four protoxylem poles. Eventually, such meristematic strips were connected completely each other. Thus, a nearly rectangular shaped meristematic layer in outline was formed outside the xylem in a whole root transectioned. In tangential section, early procambium showed a homogeneous structure consisted of uniform short cells with transverse end walls. However, some of the procambial cells did elongate, whereas others divided transversely. The former become more elongate, tapered, and vacuolated. Finally, they differentiated into fusiform initials. Short cells consisting axial strands divided continuousely in transverse plane and became ray initials, while some short cells elongated and transformed into long cells. The early ontogeny of vascular cambium in Acer saccharinum root was interpreted to be established by a gradual process.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
• /
• v.39 no.4
• /
• pp.376-383
• /
• 2015

Background: Panax ginseng has a wide range of biological activities including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory functions. Wild ginseng cambial meristematic cells (CMCs) were obtained from P. ginseng cambium. This study examined the protective mechanism of wild ginseng CMCs against $\small{D}$-galactosamine (GalN)-induced liver injury. GalN, a well-known hepatotoxicant, causes severe hepatocellular inflammatory damage and clinical features similar to those of human viral hepatitis in experimental animals. Methods: Hepatotoxicity was induced in rats using GalN (700 mg/kg, i.p.). Wild ginseng CMCs was administered orally once a day for 2 wks, and then 2 h prior to and 6 h after GalN injection. Results: Wild ginseng CMCs attenuated the increase in serum aminotransferase activity that occurs 24 h after GalN injection. Wild ginseng CMCs also attenuated the GalN-induced increase in serum tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$, interleukin-6 level, and hepatic cyclooxygenase-2 protein and mRNA expression. Wild ginseng CMCs augmented the increase in serum interleukin -10 and hepatic heme oxygenase-1 protein and mRNA expression that was induced by GalN, inhibited the increase in the nuclear level of nuclear factor-kappa B, and enhanced the increase in NF-E2-related factor 2. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that wild ginseng CMCs protects liver against GalN-induced inflammation by suppressing proinflammatory mediators and enhancing production of anti-inflammatory mediators.

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.49 no.3
• /
• pp.149-158
• /
• 2016

Plants have evolved a vast chemical cornucopia to support their sessile lifestyles. Man has exploited this natural resource since Neolithic times and currently plant-derived chemicals are exploited for a myriad of applications. However, plant sources of most high-value natural products (NPs) are not domesticated and therefore their production cannot be undertaken on an agricultural scale. Further, these plant species are often slow growing, their populations limiting, the concentration of the target molecule highly variable and routinely present at extremely low concentrations. Plant cell and organ culture constitutes a sustainable, controllable and environmentally friendly tool for the industrial production of plant NPs. Further, advances in cell line selection, biotransformation, product secretion, cell permeabilisation, extraction and scale-up, among others, are driving increases in plant NP yields. However, there remain significant obstacles to the commercial synthesis of high-value chemicals from these sources. The relatively recent isolation, culturing and characterisation of cambial meristematic cells (CMCs), provides an emerging platform to circumvent many of these potential difficulties.

• Journal of Plant Biology
• /
• v.36 no.4
• /
• pp.357-362
• /
• 1993

To elucidate the origin of secondary growth in the rhizome of B. ternaturn, the developmental changes of vascular cambium was observed in ultrastructural features. The vascular cambium was gradually differentiated from procambium as in seed plants, but the cambial activity did not persist very long so that the cambial cells became a dormant state like fossil cryptogams. Dense cytoplasm of procambial cells became progressively sparse during the growth, and the tiny vesicles were fused to form numerous small vacuoles and then a few large vacuoles. These gradual changes and the occurrence of storage materials which was associated with the developmental stages might support the progressive differentiation of the cambial cells. In addition, the cessation of cambial activity could be indicated by the facts that late vascular cambial cells accumulate large lipid bodies and show very small peripheral cytoplasm and unlikely thickened cell wall, compared to other meristematic cells. Therefore. the vascular cambium showed the characteristics of both seed plants and fossil cryptogams from the view point of cambial ontogeny and activity.tivity.

• Journal of Plant Biology
• /
• v.32 no.4
• /
• pp.305-312
• /
• 1989

Developmental anatomy was conducted in order to elucidate the differentiating pattern of fascicular cambial initials in the hypocotyl of Ricinus communis. The homogeneous procambium with relatively short cells in early stage is transformed into a heterogeneous structure with long and short cells in late stage in tangential view. Fusiform and ray initials are gradually originated from the long and short cells of the procambium in hypocotyl in later stage respectively. Fusiform initials are not shorter than procambial cells because of the successive elongation of vascular meristematic cells. Therefore, the distinction between procambium and fascicular cambium is not made from comparison with their cell length. The characteristics of the fascicular cambium are gradully acquired at or just after completion of hypocotyl elongation.