• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.81-90
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• 2014

This study examined the main factors affecting the distribution of Phytolacca americana, an exotic plant species in Korea, in coastal sand dunes. The areas examined from June 2004 to February 2006 were in Sindusagu where was located on Sindu-ri, Wonbuk-myen, Taean-gun, Chungcheongnam-do. The vegetation, sediment properties, sizes and ages of Robinia pseudoacacia, P. americana and Pinus thnunbergii and spatial distribution of P. americana were assessed. Firstly, correlation coefficients (CC) between P. americana's root biomass and sediment properties were not significant. Secondly, of the four community types, P. americana was not in the mixed herbaceous community and its density was the highest in the P. thunbergii-R. pseudoacacia and R. pseudoacacia community The Poisson distribution analysis revealed the distribution of P. americana to be severely clumped. The root biomass of P. americana and the basal area of R. pseudoacacia were significantly correlated, but the CCs between P. thunbergii and other two species were not significant. The ages of P. americana and R. pseudoacacia in a quadrat were significantly correlated. Thirdly, P. americana's ages in a quadrat were mostly similar to each other. Therefore, the spatial distribution of P. americana was largely influenced by R. pseudoacacia but not by the sediment properties, and plants in a narrow area were concurrently germinated.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.60 no.3
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• pp.366-373
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• 2015

This study was conducted to clarify the antimicrobial effect, antioxidant and tyrosinase inhibitory activities of the biological composition having the Phytolacca americana, and to enhance the natural materials utilization of foods and cosmetics. The antimicrobial activities of the different parts of P. americana were evaluated using the agar diffusion test. The antimicrobial activity of P. americana was relatively high in Malassezia furfur known as a skin fungi and Vibrio parahaemolyticus compared to Escherichia coli and Staphy-lococcus epidermidis. However, the antimicrobial activity in Vibrio parahaemolyticus did not show at all parts of P. americana. Both the DPPH radical scavenging activity and ABTS radical scavenging activity have been increased with the higher concentration of methanol extract. In particular, leaf extract of P. americana exhibited the highest activity both ABTS radical scavenging activity and DPPH radical scavenging activity. The nitrite scavenging activity was decreased when the pH was changed from pH 1.2 to pH 6.0. The highest nitrite scavenging activity was exhibited from the methanol extract of fruit, followed by root, stem, and leaf at pH 1.2. However, the nitrite scavenging activity at pH of 6.0 was not almost detected. All plant parts of P. americana showed tyrosinase inhibitory activity. The highest activity was found in the stem, and followed by root, leaf, and fruit in order. These tyrosinase inhibitory activity was progressively increased in a concentration-dependent manner. In this experiment on the methanol extracts of different organ from P. americana, we confirmed that the extract of P. americana showed potent tyrosinase inhibitory activity. Taken together, we conjectured that the P. americana had the potent biological activities, therefore this plant having various functional components could be a good material for development into source of natural food additives and cosmetics.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.187-192
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• 2000

After Cassia mimosoides var. nomame was treated with Phytolacca americana extracts during the germination process, its effect on the activities of AsPOX and GuPOX were examined. As the concentration of P. americana extract increased. the activity of AsPOX decreased while that of GuPOX increased. During the germination process, the activity of AsPOX was lower than the control, while the activity of GuPOX was over 2 times higher than the control. Activity of total peroxidase by IEF was extremely high at pI 6.4 and pI 6.6 when treatment was made with a 30% concentration of P. americana extract. The treatment with phenolic compounds, caffeic acid and benzoic acid did not show much difference from the control although a slight increase was observed at pI 6.6. Activity of GuPOX in C. mimosoides was over 4 times higher in roots than in shoots. Namely, because GuPOX activity of C. mimosoides was increased by extracts of P. americana, defense enzyme, GuPOX. was generated against external stress, and we could certified the activity increase at pI 6.4, especially in root.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.195-204
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• 2010

In the study, the effects of elevated $CO_2$ and temperature on the photosynthetic characteristics, chlorophyll content, nitrogen content, carbon content, and C/N ratio of Phytolacca insularis and Phytolacca americana were examined under control (ambient $CO_2+$ ambient temperature) and treatment (elevated $CO_2+$ elevated temperature) for 2 years (2008 and 2009). The photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate and water use efficiency of two plant species were higher under the treatment than the under the control. The stomatal conductance of P. insularis was higher under the control, but that of P. americana was not significantly affected by $CO_2$ and temperature under the treatment. The chlorophyll contents of two species were decreased about 72.5% and 20%, respectively, by elevated $CO_2$ and temperature. The nitrogen contents of two species were not significantly altered by increase in $CO_2$ and temperature. The carbon contents of the two species were higher under the treatment than under the control. The C/N ratio of P. insularis was higher under the treatment but that of P. americana was not significantly affected by $CO_2$ and temperature. These results demonstrated that the physiological responses of P. insularis native plants might be more sensitively influenced by a $CO_2$-mediated global warming situation than those of the P. americana invasive plants.

• Korean Journal Plant Pathology
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.203-208
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• 1998

We isolated and characterized an antifungal peptide from the seeds of Phytolacca americana. Growth inhibition assay with Botrytis cinerea was used to screen inhibitory proteins from 60 different plant species. A 4 kDa antifungal peptide (Pa-AFP) inhibitory to hyphal growth of B. cinerea was found in the seeds of P. americana. The peptide Pa-AFP was purified to homogeneity by chromatographies of Sephadex G-50, DEAE-Sepharose, Sephacryl S-300, and C18 reverse-phase HPLC. Western blot analysis showed that a polyclonal antibody raised against the purified peptide cross-reacted with a 4 kDa protein in seeds but not in root and leaf tissues of P. americana. Pa-AFP inhibited the hyphal growth of Botrytis cinerea, Rihzoctonia solani, Fusarium oxysporum, and Magnaporthe grisea. Pa-AFP exhibited growth inhibition of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain BWG7a, which was sensitive to osmotin.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.385-390
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• 2003

An antimicrobial peptide was purified from the roots of Phytolacca americana L. and was designated as PAMP-r. Purification was carried out by DEAE-cellulose anion exchange, sephadex G-75 gel filtration, Mono S cation exchange, and Resource RPC reverse phage chromatography. The molecular weight of PAMP-r was estimated to be about 4,900 Da by 15% SDS-PAGE under reducing condition. PAMP-r exhibited a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity. PAMP-r was stable against heat and pH treatment; its activity was not diminished by the heat treatment up to $80^{\circ}C$ for 30 min, and it showed a pH stability in the range between pH 3.0 to pH 8.0.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.163-170
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• 2009

Several species of the genus Pseudo-nitzschia produce the neurotoxin domoic acid (DA) known to be responsible for amnesic shellfish poisoning. In spite of the potentially toxic effects on marine ecosystem, even the representative Pseudo-nitzschia species occurring in Korean coastal waters have not been clearly reported. Plankton samples from several outer coastal sites of Tongyeong were collected fortnightly from May to November 2008 and the presence of diatoms of the genus Pseudo-nitzschia was examined using light and scanning electron microscopy. Thirteen species were observed, including P. americana, P. brasiliana, P. caciantha, P. calliantha, P. cuspidata, P. delicatissima, P. micropora, P. multiseries, P. multistriata, P. pseudodelicatissima, P. pungens, P. subfraudulenta, and P. subpacifica. The number of Pseudo-nitzschia species observed were only four in May, which was minimum during this survey, and then gradually increased attaining maximum, twelve, in September. After September it began to decrease again and got to five in November. Of these, P. americana, P. brasiliana, P. caciantha, P. calliantha, P. micropora, and P, pseudodelicatissima are new records for the Korean coastal waters and P. calliantha, P. cuspidata, P. delicatissima, P multiseries, P. multistriata, and P. pungens have been reported as DA producers around the world, but the potential toxicity of these species was not ascertained in Tongyeong area.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.135-142
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• 2015

The American cockroaches, Periplaneta americana L. was the most important worldwide pest species. It has been an public health problems. We were determinated life cycle and extraction of crude extracts by chemical reagents from cockraches (P. americana L.). The extracted crude solution has been antibacterial activity to gram negative bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, $6.44{\pm}1.03mm$), gram positive bacteria (Bacillus subtilis, $1.88{\pm}0.40mm$), and fungus (Candida albicans, $5.61{\pm}0.57mm$) using radial diffusion assay. We were analysed of up-regulation of Glutathione-S-transferases (GSTs) stimulation, indicating that antioxidantial protein from various classes are simultaneously expressed in a single insect upon infection or injury. The gene from Periplaneta americana L. were cloned, analysed sequence, and measured protein expression by Real Time PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction).

• Korean Journal of Plant Tissue Culture
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.47-53
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• 1994

The effects of light on the production of anthocyanin and betacyanin in cell suspension cultures of Vitis vinifera and Phytolacca americana were investigated. The cell growth of V.vinifera was little affected by exposure to light, but that of P.americana was markedly increased by light than in the dark In suspension cultures of V vinifera maximum accumulation of anthocyanin was observed during the stationary phase in continuous light By contrast, in suspension cultures of R americana, accumulation of betacyanin occured in parallel with cell division which showed two peaks after 4 days and 8 days of culture in continuous light whereas in continuous dark accumulation of anthocyanin and betacyanin did not occured However treatment of light interrupting for l, 12, and 24 h after 4 days in cell suspension. cultures of remarkably showed a slight anthocyanin accumulation, but after 8 days of culture remarkably accumulated by light interrupting for more than 12 h. In cultures of P. americana, the light treatment was more effective at 4th day than at 7th day after culture, but betacyanin accumulation was decreased again in the dark after light treatment These result indicate that the difference of light responses exist between the V.vinifera and the betacyanin of P. americana though cell suspension culture systems.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.58 no.5
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• pp.537-542
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• 2020

Cockroaches inhabit various habitats, which will influence their microbiome. Although the microbiome can be influenced by the diet and environmental factors, it can also differ between species. Therefore, we conducted 16S rDNA-targeted high-throughput sequencing to evaluate the overall bacterial composition of the microbiomes of 3 cockroach species, Periplaneta americana, P. japonica, and P. fuliginosa, raised in laboratory for several generations under the same conditions. The experiments were conducted using male adult cockroaches. The number of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) was not significantly different among the 3 species. With regard to the Shannon and Pielou indexes, higher microbiome values were noted in P. americana than in P. japonica and P. fuliginosa. Microbiome composition was also evaluated, with endosymbionts accounting for over half of all OTUs in P. japonica and P. fuliginosa. Beta diversity analysis further showed that P. japonica and P. fuliginosa had similar microbiome composition, which differed from that of P. americana. However, we also identified that P. japonica and P. fuliginosa host distinct OTUs. Thus, although microbiome compositions may vary based on multiple conditions, it is possible to identify distinct microbiome compositions among different Periplaneta cockroach species, even when the individuals are reared under the same conditions.