• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.805-814
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• 2008

Liming of acidic soils can prevent aluminum toxicity and improve crop production. Some maize lines show aluminum (Al) tolerance, and exudation of organic acids by roots has been considered to represent an important mechanism involved in the tolerance. However, there is no information about the impact of liming on the structures of bacterial and fungal communities in Cerrado soil, nor if there are differences between the microbial communities from the rhizospheres of Al-tolerant and Al-sensitive maize lines. This study evaluated the effects of liming on the structure of bacterial and fungal communities in bulk soil and rhizospheres of Al-sensitive and Al-tolerant maize (Zea mays L.) lines cultivated in Cerrado soil by PCR-DGGE, 30 and 90 days after sowing. Bacterial fingerprints revealed that the bacterial communities from rhizospheres were more affected by aluminum stress in soil than by the maize line (Al-sensitive or Al-tolerant). Differences in bacterial communities were also observed over time (30 and 90 days after sowing), and these occurred mainly in the Actinobacteria. Conversely, fungal communities from the rhizosphere were weakly affected either by liming or by the rhizosphere, as observed from the DGGE profiles. Furthermore, only a few differences were observed in the DGGE profiles of the fungal populations during plant development when compared with bacterial communities. Cloning and sequencing of 16S rRNA gene fragments obtained from dominant DGGE bands detected in the bacterial profiles of the Cerrado bulk soil revealed that Actinomycetales and Rhizobiales were among the dominant ribotypes.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Crop Science Conference
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• 2017.06a
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• pp.341-341
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• 2017

Abiotic stress adversely affects crop growth worldwide. Drought of the major abiotic stresses have the most significant impact on all of the crop. The main objective of this study was to assess the effects of drought stress on photochemical performance and vitality of maize (Zea mays L.). The photochemical characteristics were analyzed in the context of period of drought stress during the maize growth. Drought experiment was carried out for four weeks, thereafter, the drought treated maize was re-watered. The polyphasic OJIP fluorescence transient was used to evaluate the behavior of photosystem II (PSII) and photosystem I (PSI) during the entire experiment period. In drought stress, the performance Index (PI) level was reached earlier when compared to the controls. For the screening of drought stress tolerance the drought factor index (DFI) of each variety was calculated as follow DFI= log(A) + 2log(B). All the fourteen cultivars show DFI ranged from -0.69 to 0.30, meaning less useful in selection of drought tolerant cultivars. PI and electron transport flux values of fourteen cultivars were to indicate reduction of photosynthetic performance during the early vegetative stage under drought stress. In conclusion, DFI and energy flux parameters can be used as photochemical and physiological index.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.828-833
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• 2006

Maize (Zea mays L.) pistil cell death and stamen cell arrest are pivotal process on the sex determination, which diverges from bisexual state of floral meristem to unisexual state in staminate or pistillate floret. We investigated the temporal and spatial distribution of cell cycle gene expression during maize sex determination. The positive regulatory genes of cell cycle, cyclin A, cyclin B, cyclin dependent kinase (CDK) and Mad2 were highly expressed in the developing pistil and stamen but the expression was disappeared in the dying pistil and arresting stamens. In contrast, the negative regulatory genes of cell cycle, Wee1 and CDK inhibitor (CKI) were expressed in the arresting stamens in the wild-type ear and tasselseed2 mutant tassel, however, these genes were not detected in dying pistil although the cyclin B gene expression was disappeared. These results suggest that both the pistil cell death and stamen cell arrest process in maize sex determination are involved in cell cycle regulation, but the different expression patterns of negative regulatory cell cycle genes in the arresting stamens and aborting pistils suggest that the two processes may have distinctive modes of action.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.67 no.3
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• pp.164-171
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• 2022

We studied the influence of Hanwoo (Korean native cattle) manure compost soil application on the growth and yield of maize (Zea mays L.). We compared the soil application of chemical fertilizer (CF), commercial manure (CM), Hanwoo manure (HM), and the mixed Hanwoo manure and chemical fertilizer (HM + CF). CF application showed faster tasseling and silking dates compared to the other treatments. During the early plant growth stage of maize, CF application resulted in taller plant height, However, during later growth stages (55 days after transplanting). HM (226.0 cm) and HM + CF (230.0 cm) treatment resulted in taller plant height compared to CF (216.2 cm). Post-harvest measurement results showed that, the ear length was longer in HM (22.13 cm) and HM + CF (22.70 cm) compared to others, while ear diameter, ear weight, and 100-grains weight showed no significant difference among CF, HM, and HM + CF groups. The use of HM resulted in delayed growth during the early stages of plant development compared to CF. However, crop productivity markers of ear weight and ear diameter showed no significant difference compared to CF. Thus, HM treatment was comparable to CF treatment in maize cultivation.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.493-502
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• 2019

Maize (Zea mays L.) is a C4-plant and one of the three major crops grown worldwide. Because of its high productivity, maize is considered as one of the most important food and feed stocks in the world. Recently, bioethanol from maize was predominantly generated in the USA and Brazil. Infection of maize by several diseases resulted in a huge disaster and prevented maize production. Downy mildew, caused by Peronosclerospora sorghi, is one of the most serious diseases of maize. Despite efforts to develop downy mildew-resistant cultivars or seed treatment with metalaxyl, downy mildew persists as a serious pathogen and is still prevalent in specific geographical locations. Analysis of soils infected with downy mildew and investigation of candidates associated with downy mildew resistance is an attractive method to overcome downy mildew damage in maize. In a previous study, we reported that maize chromosome 6 carries a possible candidate gene for downy mildew resistance. Using bioinformatics tools and RT-PCR analysis, five novel genes including bZIP, OFP transcription factor, and Ppr were identified as candidate genes associated with downy mildew resistance.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.41 no.spc1
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• pp.46-68
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• 1996

The objective of this report is to review the up to present papers including 79 references about functional ingredients in maize and their variations. Maize is a good source of such antioxidants as ${\alpha}-,\;{\gamma}-tocopherols,\;{\alpha}-,\;{\beta}-carotene,\;{\beta}-cryptoxanthin$, zeaxanthin, quercetin and chlorogenic acid. Unsaponifiable standard extracts of Zea mays L. (ZML) have a beneficial effect on various dental diseases. Flavonoids, flavonoid biosynthetic pathway and their controling genes were also reviewed in this report. Flavonoids are required for successful fertilization in maize pollen, and maysin has a potent antibiotic activities to earworm and fall armyworm in maize silks. Maize silks have been used in traditional medicine for diuretic, vascular diseases and diabetes, etc. and boiling water extracts of maize silk have hemodynamic effects, but their ingredients still remain obscure.

• Plant Biotechnology Reports
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.117-123
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• 2010

We used a flow cytometer to investigate the variations in endopolyploidy (the frequencies of nuclei with DNA contents equivalent to 4C through 16C) during the short period of the early growing stage in vigorously growing young tissues of maize seedlings. We examined different portions of the root and leaves that had been growing for 7 (day 7) and 13 (day 13) days after germination. Endoreplication showed two opposing phenomena without aging. In one case, the endopolyploidy of the first leaf was higher on day 13 than on day 7. In the latter case, endopolyploidy decreased, as clearly revealed by a comparison of the endopolyploidy of the second leaves and the 160-170 mm portion of the seminal root on days 7 and 13. Endopolyploidy was also lower in the top of the leaf. In roots, endopolyploidy was increased by the exogenous application of abscisic acid for only 1 day. The levels of endopolyploidy increased without an increase in cell size in the roots. These results showed that endoreplication occurs in actively growing and young tissue and that the variation can be induced in the short period examined.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.70-83
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• 2018

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the capacity of single and combined applications of the bark of the stems and roots of Magnolia officinalis Rehd. et Wils. (Magnoliae Cortex) and Zea mays L. (maize) to modulate inflammation in RAW 264.7 cells stimulated with Porphyromonas gingivalis. Methods: RAW 264.7 cells were stimulated with P. gingivalis, and Magnoliae Cortex and/or maize was added. Cytotoxicity and the capacity to modulate inflammation were determined with a methylthiazol tetrazolium (MTT) assay, nitrite production, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and western blotting. Results: Treatment with Magnoliae Cortex and/or maize inhibited nuclear transcription factor ${\kappa}B$ ($NF-{\kappa}B$) pathway activation and nuclear p44/42 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) protein expression in P. gingivalis-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. Moreover, the treatments suppressed cytokines (prostaglandin $E_2$ [$PGE_2$], interleukin $[IL]-1{\beta}$, and IL-6) and nitrite production. Conclusions: Both Magnoliae Cortex and maize exerted an anti-inflammatory effect on P. gingivalis-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells, and this effect was more pronounced when the extracts were combined. These findings show that these extracts may be beneficial for slowing the progression of periodontal disease.

• Journal of Plant Biology
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.203-210
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• 1993

In order to investigate the effects of plant hormones on the quantitative changes in mRNA of maize (Zea mays L.) rbcL, we used GA3, IAA, ABA and BAP. GA3 at the concentration of 10-4M resulted in decrease in rbcL gene transcript to 62%. IAA decreased the amount of rbcL transcript to about 70% at all the hormone concentrations tested. ABA did not cause a noticeable change in the amount of rbcL transcript, but BAP increased the amount of rbcL transcript to 153% at 10-8M and 123% at 10-5M, respectively. Thus, it appears that BAP is related to the increase in the amount of rbcL transcript by light.

• Journal of Plant Biology
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.279-286
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• 1996

To know the changes of rbcL mRNA level by illumination, Northern hybridization analysis was performed with maize (Zea mays L.cv. Golden X Bantam). The average level of rbcL. mRNA in the light-grown shoots was 3.1 times higher than that of the dark-grown shoots after 6 to 10 growth days. The maximum difference of rbcL mRNA level between the dark-grown and the light-grown shoots was 5.1 folds. These results indicate that accumulation of rbcL mRNAin maize shoots is induced by light. Since the transcriptional DNA binding proteins and their cognate promoter elements, we carried out gel-retardation assays to elucidate the specific binding proteins on the rbcL promoter. It was found that plastid proteins of light-grown shoots bound to the R2 DNA fragment (-33 to -229) and R3 DNA fragment (-230 to -418 from ATG) of the rbcL promoter. From the results of competitive binding assays and heat or protease treatments, it was demonstrated that the bindings were sequence-specific DNA-protein interactions. Therefore, it could be concluded that the rbcL promoter region has at least two specific recognition sites for plastid proteins.