• Journal of Life Science
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.14-21
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• 2001

To investigate the changes of carbohydrate metabolism in the senescing leaves of Zea mays during dark-induced senescence, the changes in the contents of reducing sugar, sucrose and starch as well as the activities of sucrose synthase, three isozymes of invertase, and ${\alpha}$-amylase were measured. In the senescing leaves, the content of reducing sugars temporarily increased at 4 d and rapidly decreased thereafter, whereas sucrose contents gradually decreased thereafter, whereas sucrose contents gradually decreased until 3 d of senscence and significantly decreased thereafter. The activities of intracellular invertases such as soluble acid and alkaline formed gradually enhanced until 4 d of leaf senescence and significantly declined thereafter. The extracellular invertase activity showed no significant changes during leaf senescence. The deactivation of sucrose synthase was observed within 3 d of leaf senscence. On the other hand, the starch contents gradually declined during 2 d of leaf senescence, and showed a temporary increase at 3 d, which is similar to the pattern of sucrose synthase activity., These results imply that sucrose in the senescing leaves. The major enzymes which correlated to the breakdown of sucrose during dark-induced senescence were soluble acid and alkaline invertases, not sucrose and ABA accelerated leaf senescence by inducing the accumulation of reducing sugar. These result, therefore, that leaf senescence may be mediated by the temporary quantitative changes of reducing sugar induced by the activation of intracellualr inveertases.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.180-186
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• 1986

Photosynthesis and respiration of leaf and root of field grown Panax ginseng were investigated according to aerial part sensecence. No apparent photosynthesis activity was detected in senescenced leaf(less than 0.7mg total chlorophyll/g FW) and leaf dark respiration was consistent relation with senescence. Leaf respiratory Q$_{10}$ consistently increased with senscence. Root respiration and Q$_{10}$ tended to decrease with aerial part senescence only in the range of optimum temperature of leaf growth. Apparent photosynthesis or respiration of leaf was negatively or positively correlated, respectively with the increase of air temperature. Root respiration with temperature was well accordance with Arrhenius plot which was not consistent with aerial part senescence. Accelerated senescence may be recommendable for better root yield unless any reserve in stem or leaves contributes to root through translocation.

• Journal of Photoscience
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.61-66
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• 2001

Using maize green- and white-leaf tissue, we have examined the effect of various chemicals on cytoplasmic leakage with respect to the light requirement or chloroplast targeting for their activities. Oxyfluorfen, oxadiazon, diuron, and paraquat, which are known as representative herbicides acting on plant chloroplasts, caused the electrolyte leakage only in the green tissues, whereas 2, 4-dinitrophenol, rose bengal (singlet oxygen producing chemical) and methyl-jasmoante (senscence-stimulating chemical) play a role both in green- and white-tissue. Benzoyl(a) pyrene, generating superoxide radical upon light illumination, functions only in white tissues. Tralkoxydim, metsulfuron-methyl and norflurazon showed no effect in two tested plant samples. In terms of light requirement in electrolyte leakage activity, diuron, oxyfluorfen, oxadiazon, rose bengal, and benzoyl(a) pyrene absolutely require the light for their functions, but other chemicals did not. based on these results, we could classify into four different response types according to whether chemicals require light or chlroplasts for their action. This classification is likely to be applied to simply and rapidly identify the requirement of light and chlroplasts for the actions of chemicals, thereby it makes easy to characterize many new herbicides that their action mechanisms are unclear, and to elucidate the mode of action of them.

• Environmental Sciences Bulletin of The Korean Environmental Sciences Society
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.177-188
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• 1999

The effect of ABA on the chloroplast disassembly of Zea mays was investigated by measuring the changes in the relative distribution of chlorophyll(Chl) between the Chl-protein complexes in ABA treated and untreated sensecting leaves. The reaction center(RC)-light harvesting complex(LHC) regions were rapidly disassembled in the late stage of dark-induced senescence. Plus, during dark-induced senescence, the disassembly of a reaction center of P700 apoproteins containing mainly Chl a was faster than that of a reaction center of LHCI apoproteins containing both Chl a and Chl b. The increase in the relative distribution of Chl-protein complexes in the RC-Core2 in the late stage of senescence was due to the accumulation of core complexes such as CP47/43 and reaction centers including D1/D2 apoproteins disassembled from the RC-Corel containing the dimer of D1/D2 apoproteins. The LHCII region was more stable than the other Chl-protein complexes throughout leaf senscence. Accordingly, it is suggested that the preferential breakdown of Chl a gives rise to the disassembly of Chl a-binding proteins, particularly reaction centers and core complexes during dark-induced senescence, plus the primary target of the photosynthetic apparatus in sensecing leaves would seem to be Chl a along with the proteins associated with Chl a. The application of ABA promoted the disassembly of the P700 apoproteins in the PSI reaction center and the dimer of D1/D2 apoproteins, and the conversion of the trimeric LHCII apoprotein to the monometirc LHCII apoprotein during the middle stage of leaf senescence, thereby suggesting that ABA accelerates the disassembly of both Chl a-binding and Chl a+b-binding proteins, particularly Chl a-binding proteins during the middle stage of leaf senescence.

• Journal of Plant Biology
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.79-86
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• 1995

Visible injury symptoms such as necrosis, chlorosis and premature senscence in the leaves of Ginkgo bloba and Pinus thunbergii treated with acid rain of pH 3.2 or below were observed. The epicuticular wax erosions were observed by SEM after exposure to acid rain of pH 2.4 and 3.2 in G. biloba and pH 4.0 below in P. thunbergii. The adaxial epidennal cells and sponge parenchyma cells were compressed, and those were distorted in the leaves of G. biloba treated with simulated acid rain of pH 3.2 or below. However, vascular tissue was intact. With increase of acidity, mesophyll cells were smaller than those of control while intercellular space in mesophyU was increased. In P. thunbergii, sponge parenchyma cells and vascular tissue except epidennis were distorted after exposure to acid rain of pH 2.4. The size change of stomata in foliar injury was not observed, but the stomatal index and size of stomatal aperture in leaves treated with acid rain increased. The stomata of injured leaf were opened in both species examined.amined.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.297-308
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• 1997

Role of plant hormones on the leaf senescence of Phaseolus vulgaris were investigated by measuring the disassembly of chlorophyll-protein complexes in detached leaves treated with NAA, GA$_{3}$ , or BA. The loss of chlorophyll that was characteristic of leaf senescence induced disassembly of chlorophyll-protein complexed. During dark-induced senescence, PSI complex was rapidly degraded after the early stage, whereas RC-Core3 was slightly increased until the middle stage and slowly decreased thereafter. And gradual degradation of trimeric LCHII progressed after the late stage of senescence. Exogenous application of NAA and GA$_{3}$ had little or no effect in protecting disassembly of chlorophyll-protein complexes during leaf senescence compared to control. However exogenous BA application strongly leaves. In the simultaneous treatment of plant hormones and light, BA application under illumination of light was most effective in the stability of chlorophyll-protein complexes, particularly PSI, LHCII, RC-Core2, RC-Core3 and SC-1. these results suggest, therefore, that simultaneous application of BA and light induced synergistic effect on the stability off chlorophyll-protein complexes during leaf senescence.