• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.373-385
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• 1994

Resistance to paraquat (1,1'-dimethyl-4,4'-bipyridilium ion) has developed in 12 species of 8 genera to which paraquat has been applied 6 to 10 times per year for 5 or more years. In recent years, tolerance to paraquat has been found in Rehmannia glutinosa (Gaertn.) Liboch. ex Fisch. & Mey. which has never been applied with any herbicides involving paraquat. In this review, we differentiate the terms, resistance and tolerance, on the basis of the paraquat-exposure history. Five hypotheses have been evaluated in several species as potential mechanisms of paraquat resistance and/or tolerance. In a species, the mode of action may be due to 1) reduced quantities of paraquat absorbed through the leaf surface, 2) detoxification of paraquat caused by the enhanced paraquat-metabolic activity, 3) rapid sequestration reducing level of paraquat at the site of action in chloroplast, 4) alteration of site of action in photosystem I resulting in interruption of electron transport to paraquat, and 5) rapid enzymatic detoxification of superoxide and other toxic forms of oxygen.

• Korean Journal of Weed Science
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.191-200
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• 1986

The study was conducted to screen paraquat-tolerant plant species among crops and weeds, using the response of plant like leaf disc discoloration, visual injury and dry weight in the presence of paraquat. Mechanism of paraquat-tolerance was investigated in strains of soybean through evaluating activities of superoxide dismutase and peroxidase and the multiplication of callus derived from soybean cotyledon. In crops, Kwanggyo has been selected as a paraquat-tolerant variety among soybean cultivars tested, and Hood as a susceptible one. In weeds, Polygonum aviculare, Chenopodium album and Pinellia ternata were evaluated as the paraquat resistant species, providing the possibility for the donor plant species for paraquat resistance. Activity of superoxide dismutase known to detoxify paraquat was markedly greater in Kwanggyo, a paraquat-tolerant cultivar than in Hood, a susceptible one. In addition, the similar response like superoxide dismutase was observed in peroxidese activity. The greater inhibition of callus multiplication was determined in Hood, a susceptible one than a tolerant one, Kwnggyo. Based on all the informations, it is strongly proposed that paraquat tolerance in soybean is due to destruction of $O_2^-$ by elevated concentration of superoxide dismutase in the tolerant cultivar.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.264-273
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• 2007

In order to examine the cross-tolerance of two chilling-tolerant cultivars (Donganbyeo and Heukhyangbyeo) and two chilling-susceptible cultivars (Hyangmibyeo and Taekbaekbyeo) to salt, paraquat, and drought, changes of physiological response and antioxidant enzymes were investigated. The seedlings were grown in a growth chamber until the 4-leaf stage. The seedlings were exposed to chilling at $5^{\circ}C$ for 3 days. For drought treatment, the seedlings were subjected to drought by withholding water from plants for 5 days. For paraquat study, plants were sprayed with $300{\mu}M$ paraquat. For the salt stress, the seedlings were transferred to the Hoagland's nutrient solution containing 0.6% (w/v) NaCl for 4 days. Chilling-tolerant cultivars showed cross-tolerant to other stresses, salt, paraquat, and drought in physiological parameters, such as leaf injury, chlorophyll a fluorescence, and lipid peroxidation. The baseline levels of antioxidative enzyme activities, catalase (CAT) and peroxidase (POX) activities in chilling-tolerant cultivars were higher than in the chilling-susceptible cultivars. However, there were no differences in ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and glutathione reductase (GR) activities between chilling-tolerant and -susceptible cultivars in untreated control. CAT activity in chilling-tolerant cultivars was higher than that in chilling-susceptible cultivars during chilling, salt, and drought treatments, but not during paraquat treatment. However, other antioxidative enzymes, APX, POX, and GR activities showed no significant differences between chilling-tolerant and -susceptible cultivars during chilling, salt, paraquat, and drought treatments. Thus, it was assumed that CAT contribute to cross-tolerance mechanism of chilling, salt, and drought in rice plants.

• Korean Journal of Weed Science
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.211-221
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• 2012

The fourth leaves (younger leaves) amongst extended 4-upper leaves in 18 squash cultivar were the highest tolerance to the paraquat application, followed by third, the second, and the first leaves (older leaves). The forth leaves in Joongangaehobak showed more than three times higher tolerance to the paraquat application than did the first leaves. When the combining of water extract from the fourth leaves with paraquat were applied to the leaves and stems of maize, the paraquat phytotoxicity in maize was reduced compared to the paraquat application alone. Therefore, this study continued to investigate if the phytotoxicity inhibitor exist in the fourth leaves. The water extract in the fourth leaves were isolated by silica gel column chromatography, Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography, TLC, and HPLC, and the substance in the extract was speculated as a malic acid by identifying through NMR. The mixture malic acid and paraquat were applied to the maize to verify the application effect of malic acid on paraquat toxicity. The 100 ${\mu}M$ of paraquat application alone showed 62% of paraquat toxicity to the corn leaves, while the combined application of 100 ${\mu}M$ paraquat with malic acid at 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, and 1.0% did not show the symptom.

• Journal of Crop Science and Biotechnology
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.8-12
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• 2007

All accessions of Rehmannia glutinosa show the unique characteristic of intrinsic tolerance to paraquat. The higher level of endogenous superoxide dismutase(SOD) activity and its increase upon paraquat treatment indicated the involvement of SOD in the tolerance mechanism to paraquat in R. glutinosa. In this study, we examined the isoform-specific response of SOD to oxidative stresses and hormones. Six SOD isoforms were found in the leaf, and they were identified as two MnSODs(named MnSOD I and MnSOD II, in order of increasing mobility), one FeSOD and three Cu/ZnSODs(named Cu/ZnSOD I, Cu/ZnSOD II, and Cu/ZnSOD III, in order of increasing mobility). MnSOD I, MnSOD II, FeSOD, Cu/ZnSOD I, Cu/ZnSOD II, and Cu/ZnSOD III, contributed to 4, 11, 7, 15, 30, and 32% of the total SOD activity, respectively. Total SOD activity levels in the leaf were increased by 4, 24, and 21% by paraquat, salicylic acid(SA), and yeast extract(YE), respectively, but little by ethephon. Six SOD isoforms responded differentially to these stresses and hormones. The activities of all the isoforms were increased by YE and SA except that of MnSOD I which was decreased by SA. The activities of MnSOD I, FeSOD, and CuZnSOD I were increased by paraquat. These results suggest that amelioration of oxidative stresses by SOD is fine-tuned by the differential expression of isoforms in R. glutinosa.

• Korean Journal of Weed Science
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 1995

These researches have been conducted to obtain the basic information of the effects of paraquat on plant species and to screen the plant species showing specific responses to paraquat. Paraquat resistance related to ecotype and overwintering capacity. Perennial and biennial species showed higher resistance than annual species. In a family, most species showed higher resistance were overwintering species. Lamiaceae, Brassicaceae, and Caryophyllaceae were tolerant to paraquat, whereas Poaceae and Asteraceae were sensitive. Especially Mosla dianthera of Lamiaceae, Hemistepta lyrata and Aster pilosus of Asteraceae, and Paspalum thunbergii of Poaceae showed higher tolerance than others. The response patterns of plant species on germination stage were different to those on vegetative stage. Germination of Amarathus lividus, Arabis glabra, and Bidens frondosa was not inhibited by paraquat. But their seedling growth were highly inhibited.

• BMB Reports
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.618-624
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• 2004

All members of R. glutinosa show the unique characteristic of intrinsic tolerance to paraquat (PQ). Antioxidant enzymes have been proposed to be the primary mechanism of PQ resistance in several plant species. Therefore, the antioxidant enzyme systems of R. glutinosa were evaluated by comparatively analyzing cellular antioxidant enzyme levels, and their responses of oxidative stresses and hormones. The levels of ascorbate peroxidase (APX), glutathione reductase (GR), non-specific peroxidase (POX), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were 7.3-, 4.9-, 2.7- and 1.6-fold higher in PQ-tolerant R. glutinosa than in PQ-susceptible soybeans. However, the activity of catalase (CAT) was about 12-fold higher in the soybeans. The activities of antioxidant enzymes reduced after PQ treatment in the two species, with the exception of POX and SOD in R. glutinosa, which increased by about 40%. Interestingly, the activities of APX, SOD and POX in R. glutinosa, relative to those in soybeans, were further increased by 49, 67 and 93% after PQ treatment. The considerably higher intrinsic levels, and increases in the relative activities of antioxidant enzymes in R. glutinosa under oxidative stress support the possible role of these enzymes in the PQ tolerance of R. glutinosa. However, the relatively lower levels of SOD versus PQ tolerance, and the mixed responses of antioxidant enzymes to stresses and hormones, suggest a possible alternative mechanism(s) for PQ tolerance in R. glutinosa.

• Korean Journal of Weed Science
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.224-231
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• 1995

Paraquat, the representative bipyridilium herbicide, has high phytotoxic activity through generating toxic oxygen species such as superoxide, hydrogen peroxide and hydroxy radical. The response patterns of plants to paraquat were various. It was assumed that the different response was derived from different antioxidative mechanisms including antioxidative enzymes and antioxidant. Paraquat treatment increased reducing sugar content and malondialdehyde formation at 35 days after treatment in a dose-dependent manner but chlorophyll content decreased. Glutathione content increased by paraquat treatment and tolerant species showed more glutathione content than susceptible species. Superoxide dismutase activity increased with the increase in paraquat concentration and that was higher in tolerant species than susceptible species. Photosynthetic activity(PSII activity) was affected by paraquat, so the susceptible species showed more reduced oxygen evolving capacity than tolerant species. Catalse, NADPH-cytochrome C reductase, and malate dehydrogenase, the enzymes tested in this study, showed that the activities decreased by paraquat treatment. Further studies are necessary to determine whether antioxidative system cause the tolerance to paraquat.

• Plant Biotechnology Reports
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.225-234
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• 2011

Arabidopsis mutants with T-DNA insertion in seven calmodulin genes (CAM) were used to determine the specific role of CAM in the tolerance of plants to oxidative stress induced by paraquat and hydrogen peroxide ($H_2O_2$) treatments. Arabidopsis calmodulin mutants (cam) were screened for seedling growth, seed germination, induced oxidative damage, and levels of ${\gamma}$-aminobutyric acid (GABA) shunt metabolites. Only the cam5-4 and cam6-1 mutants exhibited an increased sensitivity to paraquat and $H_2O_2$ during seed germination and seedling growth. In response to treatments with $3{\mu}M$ paraquat and 1 mM $H_2O_2$, only the cam5-4, cam6-1 mutants showed significant changes in malonaldehyde (MDA) levels in root and shoot tissues, with highly increased levels of MDA. In terms of the GABA shunt metabolites, GABA was significantly elevated in root and shoot tissues in response to the paraquat treatments in comparison to alanine and glutamate, while the levels of all shunt metabolites increased in root tissue but not in the shoot tissue following the $H_2O_2$ treatments. GABA, alanine and glutamate levels were significantly increased in root and shoot of the cam1, cam4, cam5-4, and cam6-1 mutants in response to paraquat (0.5, 1 and $3{\mu}M$), while they were increased only in the root tissue of the cam1, cam4, cam5-4, and cam6-1 mutants in response to $H_2O_2$ (200 and $500{\mu}M$, 1 mM). These data show that the cam5-4 and cam6-1 mutants were sensitive to the induced oxidative stress treatments in terms of seed germination, seedling growth, and oxidative damage. The accumulation of GABA shunt metabolites as a consequence of the induced oxidative stress treatments (paraquat and $H_2O_2$ treatments) suggests that the GABA shunt pathway and the accumulation of GABA metabolites may contribute in antioxidant machinery associated with reactive oxygen species and in the acquisition of tolerance in response to induced oxidative stress in Arabidopsis seedlings.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.614-619
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• 2004

This study was undertaken to investigate the different responses of cultured plant cells to paraquat treatment and nucleus-DNA damage in relation to enzyme activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD). Furthermore, this study was also carried out to understand the antioxidative mechanism of plant cells to environmental stress. We selected two different species of plant cultured cells, Ipomoea batatas as high-SOD species and Lonicera japonica as low-SOD species. The total activity and specific activity of SOD in a chlorophyllous cell of I. batatas were 3,736 unit/gㆍfresh weight and 547 unit/mgㆍprotein, respectively, and those in L. japonica were 23 unit/gㆍfresh weight and 13 unit/mgㆍprotein, respectively SOD activity in chlorophyllous I. batatas cells reached its maximum level at 10 to 15 days after subculture, whereas that in L. japonica remained at a very low SOD level during the whole period of subculture. In comparison to L. japonica, I. batatas, a high-SOD species, showed high tolerance to paraquat 10 and 50 mg/l treatment in terms of cell viability and electrolyte leakage. Based on the result of comet assay, the nucleus-DNA damage of two species by paraquat 50 mg/l treatment was not significantly different. However, I. batatas cells repaired their damaged DNA more effectively than the cells of the low-SOD species, L. japonica.