• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.8
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• pp.3731-3736
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• 2014

Phytic acid (PA) has been reported to have positive nutritional benefits and prevent cancer formation. This study investigated the anticancer activity of rice bran PA against hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cells. Cytotoxicty of PA (0.5 to 4mM) was examined by MTT and LDH assays after 24 and 48h treatment. Apoptotic activity was evaluated by expression analysis of apoptosis-regulatory genes [i.e. p53, Bcl-2, Bax, Caspase-3 and -9] by reverse transcriptase-PCR and DNA fragmentation assay. The results showed antioxidant activity of PA in Fe3+ reducing power assay ($p{\leq}0.03$). PA inhibited the growth of HepG2 cells in a concentration dependent manner ($p{\leq}0.04$). After 48h treatment, cell viability was recorded 84.7, 74.4, 65.6, 49.6, 36.0 and 23.8% in MTT assay and 92.6, 77.0%, 66.8%, 51.2, 40.3 and 32.3% in LDH assay at concentrations of 1, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, and 3.5mM, respectively. Hence, treatment of PA for 24h, recorded viability of cells 93.5, 88.6, 55.5, 34.6 and 24.4% in MTT assay and 94.2, 86.1%, 59.7%, 42.3 and 31.6%, in LDH assay at concentrations of 1, 2.2, 3.0, 3.6 and 4.0mM, respectively. PA treated HepG2 cells showed up-regulation of p53, Bax, Caspase-3 and -9, and down-regulation of Bcl-2 gene ($p{\leq}0.01$). At the $IC_{50}$ (2.49mM) of PA, the p53, Bax, Caspase-3 and-9 genes were up-regulated by 6.03, 7.37, 19.7 and 14.5 fold respectively. Also, the fragmented genomic DNA in PA treated cells provided evidence of apoptosis. Our study confirmed the biological activity of PA and demonstrated growth inhibition and induction of apoptosis in HepG2 cells with modulation of the expression of apoptosis-regulatory genes.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.135-142
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• 2000

The activity of promoter sequences was evaluated in garlic cells using the $\beta$-glucuronidase (GUS) gene as a reporter. Histochemical GUS assay indicated transient GUS activity in leaf, callus and root cells 48 hours after particle bombardment transformation. Quantitative fluorometric assays in extracts of transformed leaves demonstrated that the CsVMV promoter induced the highest level of gene expression, which was, on average, ten fold the level induced by CaMV35S and by the Arabidopsis Act2 promoters and two fold the level expression observed with a construct containing a double CaMV35S plus the untranslated leader sequence from AMV. No activity or very low levels were observed when cells were transformed with plasmids rontaining the typical monocot promoters, Actl, from rice or the Ubi-1, from maize. The green fluorescent protein (GFP) was also tested as a marker gene for garlic transformation. Intense fluorescence was observed in leaf, callus and root cells transformed with a construct containing the gfp gene under control of the CaMV35 Promoter. No fluorescence was detected when the gfp was under control of the Ubi-1 promoter.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.163-168
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• 2003

A routine system based on particle bombardment of embryogenic callus for recovery of fertile transgenic rice (Oryza sativa L.) plants was developed. Embryogenic callus was established within 2-3 months from calli derived from mature seeds of Korean rice cultivar, Nagdongbyeo. The callus was bombarded with the plasmid pRQ6 containing the $\beta$-glucuronidase gene (gusA) and hygromycin phosphotransferase gene (hph, conferring resistance to hygromycin B), both driven by CaMV 35S promoter. Placement of cells on an osmoticum-containing medium (0.2 M sorbitol and 0.2 M mannitol) 4 hrs prior to and 16 hrs after bombardment resulted in a statistically significant increase with 3.2-fold in transient expression frequency gusA. In five independent experiments, the average frequency of transformation showing GUS activities was $8.86\%$. A large number of morphologically normal, fertile transgenic rice plants were obtained. Integration of foreign gene into the genome of $R_0$ transgenic plants was confirmed by Southern blot analysis. GUS and HPT were detected in $R_1$ progeny and Mendelian segregation of these genes was observed in $R_1$ progeny.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.311-319
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• 2018

The gaseous hormone ethylene influences many aspects of plant growth, development, and responses to a variety of stresses. The biosynthesis of ethylene is tightly regulated by various internal and external stimuli, and the primary target of the regulation is the enzyme 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) synthase (ACS), which catalyzes the rate-limiting step of ethylene biosynthesis. We have previously demonstrated that the regulation of ethylene biosynthesis is a common feature of most of the phytohormones in etiolated Arabidopsis seedlings via the modulation of the protein stability of ACS. Here, we show that various phytohormones also regulate ethylene biosynthesis from etiolated rice seedlings in a similar manner to those in Arabidopsis. Cytokinin, brassinosteroids, and gibberellic acid increase ethylene biosynthesis without changing the transcript levels of neither OsACS nor ACC oxidases (OsACO), a family of enzymes catalyzing the final step of the ethylene biosynthetic pathway. Likewise, salicylic acid and abscisic acid do not alter the gene expression of OsACS, but both hormones downregulate the transcript levels of a subset of ACO genes, resulting in a decrease in ethylene biosynthesis. In addition, we show that the treatment of the phytohormones results in distinct etiolated seedling phenotypes, some of which resemble ethylene-responsive phenotypes, while others display ethylene-independent morphologies, indicating a complicated hormone crosstalk in rice. Together, our study brings a new insight into crosstalk between ethylene biosynthesis and other phytohormones, and provides evidence that rice ethylene biosynthesis could be regulated by the post-transcriptional regulation of ACS proteins.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.466-470
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• 2010

We investigated the effects of organic mulches on the tree and fruit qualities of "Niitaka" (Pyrus pyriforia) pear trees. Trees grown with rice straw mulch had significantly greater potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), and calcium (Ca) concentrations in leaves compared with control trees and those mulched using bark or polyethylene, but the concentrations were below the recommended levels for these nutrients in pear leaves. Bark mulch increased fruit firmness and soluble solid (SS) levels, compared with rice straw mulch. The fruit of trees grown with bark mulch had a higher ratio of SS to total acidity in fresh fruit, and the fruit was dark red in color. The K and Ca concentrations were highest in fruit grown on trees mulched with rice straw and bark, respectively, and competition between the levels of these cations was evident in fresh fruit. Bark and rice straw mulches increased overall fruit quality, and reduced fruit stone size, whereas a polyethylene mulch, devoid of organic material, resulted in a fruit stone size similar to that of the control.

• BMB Reports
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.379-384
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• 1997

The effects of several ions on the specific activity and isozyme patterns of cellular and secretory isoperoxidases were studied in suspension-cultured cells of rice (Oryza sativa L.). Peroxidase release into the culture medium occurred in the absence of added calcium. The addition of calcium ion greatly stimulated the secretion of cationic isoperoxidases such as C2 and C3 into the medium: a maximum 11 fold increase of secretions occurred in the presence of 5 mM $CaCl_2$, and the secretion was accomplished within 1 hour after the addition of $CaCl_2$. About a 10 fold increase of the peroxidase secretion into the medium did occur with 0. 5% NaCl, whereas cellular isoperoxidase levels were reduced notably. About a 6 fold increase of the specific activity of cellular isoperoxidase was found in 5 mM $NiCl_2$-treated cell, while $NiCl_2$ had no effect on the secretion of peroxidase into the medium. Various concentrations of KCl did not change peroxidase secretion, but 5 mM $ZnCl_2$ reduced peroxidase secretion greatly. The major secretory isoperoxidases stimulated by $CaCl_2$, NaCl and cellulase were composed of cationic isoperoxidases C2 and C3, which were found to be localized in the cell wall of rice by examination of the enzyme in the protoplast. Furthermore, the secretion rates of secretory isoperoxidases were increased rapidly when cellulase was treated in the absence of the osmotic stabilizer of 0.4 M mannitol. These results suggest that the stimulations of secretory isoperoxidase levels seem to be due to the stimulation of secretion into the culture medium of rice.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.229-235
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• 2016

Korea has a long history of brewing traditional rice wine using a authentic starter culture called nuruk, which contains natural microbial flora. Because rice wine is consumed fresh without filtration, its viable cells contribute to the biological activities of the wine. In numerous studies, microbial strains isolated from rice wine have been screened for their functionalities, which were mainly probiotic properties and antimicrobial activities. Indeed, some lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were confirmed to have strong probiotic activities as well as other health-promoting effects. Moreover, some of the isolated probiotic strains produced functional compounds, such as exopolysaccharides and γ-aminobutyric acid. For antimicrobial activities, some LAB and yeast strains were identified to produce bacteriocins and killer toxins, respectively, with significantly broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity. These functional strains originating from traditional rice wine and their metabolites can be used directly for the production of value-added food products.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.24 no.12
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• pp.1707-1718
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• 2014

In this study, the phylogenetic diversities of bacterial and archaeal communities in a plant-microbial fuel cell (P-MFC) were investigated together with the environmental parameters, affecting its performance by using rice as a model plant. The beneficial effect of the plant appeared only during a certain period of the rice-growing season, at which point the maximum power density was approximately 3-fold higher with rice plants. The temperature, electrical conductivity (EC), and pH in the cathodic and anodic compartments changed considerably during the rice-growing season, and a higher temperature, reduced difference in pH between the cathodic and anodic compartments, and higher EC were advantageous to the performance of the P-MFC. A 16S rRNA pyrosequencing analysis showed that the 16S rRNAs of Deltaproteobacteria and those of Gammaproteobacteria were enriched on the anodes and the cathodes, respectively, when the electrical circuit was connected. At the species level, the operational taxonomic units (OTUs) related to Rhizobiales, Geobacter, Myxococcus, Deferrisoma, and Desulfobulbus were enriched on the anodes, while an OTU related to Acidiferrobacter thiooxydans occupied the highest proportion on the cathodes and occurred only when the circuit was connected. Furthermore, the connection of the electrical circuit decreased the abundance of 16S rRNAs of acetotrophic methanogens and increased that of hydrogenotrophic methanogens. The control of these physicochemical and microbiological factors is expected to be able to improve the performance of P-MFCs.

• Korean Journal of Weed Science
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.223-227
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• 1994

Basis for differential response of rice and E. crus-galli to cyhalofop-butyl ester (R-butyl 2-(4-(4-cyano-2-fluoro-phenoxy)phenoxy)propionate) was anatomically compared. Cell division in the growing point of E. crus-galli was severely inhibited by the herbicide, leading to malformation and irregular arrangement of cells. The inhibitory symptom of rice by cyhalofop-butyl ester appeared to be very similiar to that of E. crus-galli although its injury was negligible in rice when applied at the rate of 180ppm.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.215-223
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• 2007

The genes encoding non-specific lipid transfer proteins (nsLTPs), members of a small multigene family, show a complex pattern of expressional regulation, suggesting that some diversification may have resulted from changes in their expression after duplication. In this study, the evolution of nsLTP genes within the Poaceae family was characterized via a survey of the pseudogenes and unigenes encoding the nsLTP in rice pseudomolecules and the NCBI unigene database. nsLTP-rich regions were detected in the distal portions of rice chromosomes 11 and 12; these may have resulted from the most recent large segmental duplication in the rice genome. Two independent tandem duplications were shown to occur within the nsLTP-rich regions of rice. The genomic distribution of the nsLTP genes in the rice genome differs from that in wheat. This may be attributed to gene migration, chromosomal rearrangement, and/or differential gene loss. The genomic distribution pattern of nsLTP genes in the Poaceae family points to the existence of some differences among cereal nsLTP genes, all of which diverged from an ancient gene. The unigenes encoding nsLTPs in each cereal species are clustered into five groups. The somewhat different distribution of nsLTP-encoding EST clones between the groups across cereal species imply that independent duplication(s) followed by subfunctionalization (and/or neofunctionalization) of the nsLTP gene family in each species occurred during speciation.