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ABSTRACT: Hair loss or alopecia has been portrayed as a modern malady which is aggravated by stressful conditions. Major cases of alopecia were found among individuals of 40s-50s, nowadays, even among the 20s-30s. This study characterized taurine's potential against alopecia caused by chemical stress agents based on the comparison with other commercially available anti-alopecia agents using Caenorhabditis elegans. The criteria used are their effects on the expression of stress markers and measurements of vital signs: lifespan comparison, progeny number, and mobility. C. elegans showed the typical stress symptoms under treatment with tunicamycin, endoplasmic reticulum stress agent. Hsp-70 protein expression increased, while worm's lifespan and per capita progeny number significantly decreased along with an unusually retarded movement. A positive response was shown when worms were treated with taurine along with astressin-B and finasteride. Between the treatments, finasteride showed better outcomes in terms of stress-reducing effects. Taurine helped worms recover more effectively from adverse influence of stress. In conclusion, there is strong evidence that taurine has a great potential as anti-alopecia effect especially against the one caused by the chemical stress. The present study implies that taurine might strongly work against hair loss when used in combination with other commercially available -anti-alopecia agents.
Advances in experimental medicine and biology 01/2013; 776:267-76. · 1.09 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Cold acclimation enables plants to withstand low but non-freezing temperatures. Biochemical and physiological changes include
a reduction in tissue water content and altered composition of membrane lipids. These responses are correlated with fluctuations
in the expression of cold-induced genes such as LTI (low-temperature-induced), KIN (cold-inducible), RD (responsive to desiccation), and ERD (early dehydration-inducible). We performed time-course experiments with specialized cDNA microarrays comprising 712 cDNAs
selected by SAGE and SSH methods. Expression dynamics were monitored in the leaves of Arabidopsis. Profiles of nine samples from plants chilled for various time periods revealed 264 cold-inducible genes and 33 repressed
genes, for which expression was altered (up or down) by at least twofold. These included not only several previously reported
cold-regulated genes, e.g., rd, lea, and CBF3, but also candidate genes such as those for alcohol dehydrogenase and transport inhibitor response 1. All genes
were grouped according to their expression patterns; most tended to shift their expression at 3 ∼ 8h after cold treatment.
Two cold-associated transcriptional activators, CBF2 and CBF3, did not have parallel patterns of expression, although both
were induced within 15min. Our results suggest different roles for CBF2 and CBF3 in the signal-transduction pathway for cold
acclimation. We believe that, compared with standard differential screening, our microarray analysis is a more useful technique
for the selection of new candidate genes responsible for cold acclimation.
KeywordsSpecialized cDNA microarrays-
Arabidopsis
-Gene expression-Cold stress
Journal of Plant Biology 04/2012; 53(3):240-250. · 1.07 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: ER stress is a strong indicator of whether or not a cell is undergoing physiological stress. C. elegans is a practical system of characterizing the effect of ER stress at the in vivo or organismal level.
This study characterized taurine's anti-ER stress potential employing western blotting on ER stress markers and assays of motility, lifespan comparison, and fecundity measurement.
When treated with tunicamycin, C. elegans showed the typical ER stress symptoms. It showed a higher expression of hsp-70 and skn-1 than the non-treated control. Survivorship significantly decreased under tunicamycin treatment, and the offspring number also decreased. During the synchronized culture under ER stress conditions, the C. elegans showed early signs of aging especially between L3 and L4 within their life span, along with lowered motility. The worms, however, showed a positive response to the taurine treatment under ER stress conditions.
When C. elegans were treated with taurine before or after the tunicamycin treatment, they showed a less severe level of ER stress, including an enhanced survivorship, increased motility, and augmented fecundity. Taken together, these results strongly indicate that taurine works positively to cope with ER stress from the organismal perspective.
Journal of Biomedical Science 01/2010; 17 Suppl 1:S26. · 2.01 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Taurine plays an important role in reducing physiological stress. Recent studies indicated that taurine may serve as an anti-obesity agent at the cellular level. This study characterizes taurine's potential anti-obesity function in C. elegans, which have become a popular in vivo model for understanding the regulatory basis of lipid biosynthesis and deposition.
Two strains of C. elegans were raised on a normal or high-fat diet: N2 (normal) and RB1600, a mutant in tub-1 that serves as a tubby homologue and functions parallel to the 3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase gene (kat-1) in regulating lipid accumulation. Taurine's effect on lipid deposition was characterized according to assays of Sudan black B staining, triglyceride content measurement, food consumption, and mobility comparison.
When N2 was treated with taurine after the culture in the high-fat media, the worms showed lower lipid accumulation in the assays of the Sudan black B staining and the triglyceride quantification. The anti-obesity effect was less evident in the experiment for RB1600. When the amount of taurine was increased for the high-fat-diet-treated N2 strain, fat deposition decreased and mobility increased in a dose-dependent manner. In the food consumption assays, taurine did not cause a significant change in food intake.
Taken together, these results strongly imply that taurine plays an important role in reducing fat deposition by modulating cellular pathways for lipid accumulation and stimulating mobility, but not the pathways for lipid biosynthesis and food intake.
Journal of Biomedical Science 01/2010; 17 Suppl 1:S33. · 2.01 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The initial events involved in signal transduction generated by cold exposure are poorly known in plants. We were interested in the characterization of early response to cold stress in Arabidopsis leaves. So we examined plants exposed to 0 degrees C for 1 h. Using LongSAGE at the level of transcription, a total of 27,612 tags, including 11,089 unique tags were sequenced and analyzed. By adopting LongSAGE methods, the ambiguity of tag identification was reduced by about 10%. Only 46% of identified tags in the 1-h cold-stressed plants matched existing Arabidopsis UniGene entries. A comparison of the tags derived from the cold-treated leaves with those identified in the non-treated leaves revealed 315 differentially expressed genes (P < 0.01). Functional classification of expressed genes during the early cold response indicated that genes were involved in light harvesting, the Calvin cycle, and photorespiration were expressed at relatively low levels compared to their presence in non-cold-stressed plants. On other hand, genes involved in mitochondrial electron transport and ATP synthesis showed an increased expression. Some orphan LongSAGE tags uniquely matched pri-miRNA, suggesting the existence of miRNA in our SAGE library. These findings suggest that diverse protection strategies appear in the early response of leaves exposed to cold stress. First of all, several genes included in signal transduction through calcium mediated signal sensing, and cascades of several kinases, and transcription factors, were distinguished in the early cold response. Furthermore, genes affecting the synthesis of salicylic acid, nitrate assimilation, ammonia assimilation, the gluconeogenesis pathway, and glucosinolate biosynthesis were newly detected in relationship with cold stress. Finally, our results in the present work provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms involved in transcriptional regulation in response to cold exposure in plants.
Planta 02/2009; 229(6):1181-200. · 3.00 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Cells undergo apoptosis when they are subjected to prolonged ER stress (ERS). Excessive lipid deposition causes ERS in adipocytes; however, it rarely serves as a stress factor that triggers apoptosis. This strongly implies that an anti-ERS mechanism may exist in differentiating adipocytes. We used 3T3L1 (adipocytes) and C2C12 (myocytes) to probe for a potential anti-ERS mechanism. After cells were induced to adipogenesis or myogenesis, they were treated with the ERS inducer, tunicamycin. After tunicamycin-mediated ERS, the expression of the key molecular chaperone, Bip, increased in both cell lines. The chaperone, GRP94, responded differently to extended tunicamycin treatment, with protein levels remaining largely unchanged in 3T3L1 cells but falling in C2C12 cells. In terms of CHOP expression, C2C12 cells contained higher levels than 3T3-L1 cells. When GRP94 expression was reduced by siRNAs, CHOP expression increased. Considering the high levels of GRP94 in 3T3L1 cells under ERS, the small rate of apoptosis in 3T3L1 cells might result from the downregulation of CHOP mediated by GRP94. When C2C12 cells were pretreated with taurine, GRP94 levels appeared to increase and CHOP expression decreased. These results strongly imply that taurine may play an important role in promoting GRP94 expression and blocking the progression to apoptosis under ERS through the inhibition of CHOP upregulation.
Advances in experimental medicine and biology 02/2009; 643:253-61. · 1.09 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The present study was undertaken to evaluate effects of dietary taurine supplementation on the homeostasis of trace elements, including Se, Cu, Mn and Cr, in rats chronically consuming alcohol. Male SD rats were fed for 8 wk a liquid form of a control diet (CD), an ethanol diet (ED), or a taurine-supplemented ethanol diet (TED). Plasma Se and Mn concentrations were significantly lower in the ED rats than in the CD rats; dietary taurine supplementation corrected alcohol-induced decreases in plasma Se and Mn levels. Chronic alcohol consumption significantly increased urinary excretion of Se (a 53% increase, p < 0.05), Cr (a 62% increase, p < 0.05), Mn (a 45% increase, p < 0.05) and Cu (a 30% increase, p < 0.05) in rats. Urinary losses of these trace elements induced by chronic alcohol consumption in rats were abolished by taurine supplementation. These results suggest that taurine supplementation in rats may protect against Se, Cr and Mn insufficiency caused by chronic alcohol-mediated loss of the trace elements in the urine.
Advances in experimental medicine and biology 02/2009; 643:407-14. · 1.09 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: We measured the optical constants of aqueous biomaterial mixtures with various electrolyte concentrations using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy. The mixtures were divided into water and other electrolyte parts in mass fractions for analysis. The optical constants of the electrolyte, excluding water, were obtained by applying the ideal mixture equation, and the power absorption of the electrolyte was observed to be larger than that of water above 1 THz. Data from the measurement were fitted with the modified double Debye model, and the reorientation and hydrogen-bond formation decomposition times were found to decrease as the electrolyte concentration increased.
Journal of Applied Physics 10/2007; 102(7):074702-074702-5. · 2.17 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: A disease resistance related gene, MbR7, was identified in the wild apple species, Malus baccata. The MbR7 gene has a single open reading frame (ORF) of 3,288 nucleotides potentially encoding a 1,095-amino acid protein. Its deduced amino acid sequence resembles the N protein of tobacco and the NL27 gene of potato and has several motifs characteristic of a TIR-NBS-LRR R gene subclass. Ectopic expression of MbR7 in Arabidopsis enhanced the resistance against a virulent pathogen, Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000. Microarray analysis confirmed the induction of defense-related gene expression in 35S::MbR7 heterologous Arabidopsis plants, indicating that the MbR7 gene likely activates a downstream resistance pathway without interaction with pathogens. Our results suggest that MbR7 can be a potential target gene in developing a new disease-resistant apple variety.
Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology 02/2007; 17(1):130-7. · 1.38 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Array-based hybridization and the serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) are the most common approaches for high-throughput
transcript analysis. Each has advantages and disadvantages. The cDNA array allows rapid screening of a large number of samples
but cannot detect unknown genes. In contrast, SAGE can detect those unknown genes or transcripts but is restricted to fewer
samples. Combining these two methods could provide better high-throughput analysis that allows rapid screening of both previously
known and unknown genes. For this, we have generated two cDNA microarrays (from human and plant systems) based on SAGE data.
The results from both of these were analyzed for their correlation and accuracy. One specialized cDNA microarray, putatively
named Gastricchip, was constructed with 1744 probes, including 858 cDNA fragments based on SAGE data from gastric-cancer tissues.
The other microarray, putatively named Coldstresschip, was constructed with 1482 probes, including 1209 cDNA fragments based
on SAGE data from cold-stressed Atahidopsis. The hybridizations for these microarrays with relatively small sized and mostly
low-level expressed gene probes were evaluated by four different labeling methods. Using primarily for these customized microarrays,
the Genisphere 3DNA SubmicroEX protocol, an indirect labeling technique, produced the lowest background but the highest signal
recovery, with a 1.4 S/B cut-off and high reproducibility (R=0.89-0.95). These cDNA microarray data were closely correlated
with the SAGE data (R=0.47-0.56), especially for genes with higher expression levels (R=0.66-0.70), demonstrating that results
from SAGE and a cDNA microarray are comparable and that combinatorial approach provides more efficient and accurate gene-expression
patterns. In particular, identity of the genes on both sets of data is assured and hybridization for cDNA microarray is efficient.
Journal of Plant Biology 11/2006; 49(6):498-506. · 1.07 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Cordyceps militaris is a traditional herbal ingredient frequently used for tonic and medicinal purposes in eastern Asia. The hot water extract of its cultivated fruiting bodies demonstrated a potent cytotoxic effect against the proliferation of the human premyelocytic leukemia cell HL-60, with an IC50 of 0.8 mg/ml for a 12-h treatment. It induced the characteristic apoptotic symptoms in the HL-60 cells, including DNA fragmentation and chromatin condensation, occurring within 12-16 h of treatment at a dose of 1 mg/ml. The activation of caspase-3 and the specific proteolytic cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase were detected during the course of apoptosis induction. These results indicate that the hot water extract of Cordyceps militaris fruiting bodies inhibited cancer cell proliferation by inducing cell apoptosis through the activation of caspase-3, and that the Cordyceps militaris extract may therefore have therapeutic potential against human leukemia.
Biological & Pharmaceutical Bulletin 05/2006; 29(4):670-4. · 1.66 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Paecilomyces tenuipes is a famous Chinese medicinal entomopathogenic fungus that grows within the larvae of silkworms. 4beta-acetoxyscirpendiol (4-MAS), a cytotoxic compound belonging to the scirpenol subfamily of trichothecene mycotoxin, was isolated from Paecilomyces tenuipes. To further elucidate the cytotoxic mechanism of 4-MAS, evidences of its induction of apoptosis, together with the structurally related acetoxyscirpenol moiety mycotoxins (ASMs) such as, 15-acetoxyscirpenol (15-MAS), 4,15-diacetoxyscirpenol (4,15-DAS), and 3alpha-acetyldiacetoxyscirpenol (TAS), in the human Jurkat T cell line were reported herein. In the MTT reduction and time-course cytotoxicity assays for monitoring cell viability, all the four ASMs that were tested exhibited cytotoxicity; single acetoxylation at C-4 of the scirpenol family resulted in relatively weak cytotoxicity, while acetoxylation at C-15 resulted in strong cytotoxicity regardless of the other acetoxylations at the C-3 and/or C-4 positions. Phosphatidylserine externalization was induced by all the ASMs that were treated at an early phase in a time-dependent manner, showing a typical apoptotic phenomenon, not a necrotic one. The ASMs also reduced the mitochondria's inner-membrane potential (deltaPsim) through flow cytometry analysis after staining these with DiOC6, a mitochondria-specific and voltage-dependent dye. Acetoxylation of ASM at C-15 increased deltaPsim disruption, but that at C-3 reduced the deltaPsim. The ASMs that were tested also cleaved 113 kDa PARP to an 89-kDa fragment through Western blot assay, suggesting the activation of caspase-3 and/or caspase-7 in the Jurkat T cell. DNA fragmentation was also observed to have been increased in a time-dependent manner by the ASMs that were tested in Jurkat T cells, resulting in the DNA fragmentation intensity order of 4,15-DAS>15-MAS>TAS>4-MAS. These data indicate that the Jurkat T cells that were treated with ASMs underwent typical cascades of apoptotic cell death.
Biological & Pharmaceutical Bulletin 04/2006; 29(4):648-54. · 1.66 Impact Factor
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Xun Jin,
Joong-Seob Lee,
Sungwook Kwak,
Soo-Yeon Lee,
Ji-Eun Jung,
Tae-Kyung Kim,
Chenxiong Xu,
Zhongshan Hong,
Zhehu Li,
Sun-Myung Kim,
Xumin Pian, Dong-Hee Lee,
Jong-Taek Yoon,
Seungkwon You,
Yun-Jaie Choi,
Huunggee Kim
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ABSTRACT: We have established three immortal bovine muscular epithelial (BME) cell lines, one spontaneously immortalized (BMES), the second SV40LT-mediated (BMEV) and the third hTERT-mediated (BMET). The morphology of the three immortal cell lines was similar to that of early passage primary BME cells. Each of the immortal cell lines made cytokeratin, a typical epithelial marker. BMET grew faster than the other immortal lines and the BME cells, in 10% FBS-DMEM medium, whereas neither the primary cells nor the three immortal cell lines grew in 0.5% FBS-DMEM. The primary BME cells and the immortal cell lines, with the exception of BMES, made increasing amounts of p53 protein when treated with doxorubicin, a DNA damaging agent. On the other hand, almost half of the cells in populations of the three immortal cell lines may lack p16(INK4a) regulatory function, compared to primary BME cells that were growth arrested by enforced expression of p16(INK4a). In soft-agar assays, the primary cells and immortal cell lines proved to be less transformed in phenotype than HeLa cells. The three immortal epithelial-type cell lines reported here are the first cell lines established from muscle tissue of bovine or other species.
Molecules and Cells 03/2006; 21(1):29-33. · 2.18 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Cordyceps contains many health-promoting constituents. Recent studies revealed that the fruiting body of cordyceps significantly alleviates hyperglycemia which usually accompanies diabetes mellitus. The mechanism of the anti-hyperglycemic effect by cordyceps, however, is not fully understood. In this study, methanolic extracts were prepared from fruiting bodies of Paecilomyces tenuipes, and 4-beta acetoxyscirpendiol (ASD) was eventually purified from the extracts. The Na+/ glucose transporter-1 (SGLT-1) was expressed in Xenopus oocytes, and the effect of ASD on it was analyzed using voltage clamp and 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DOG) uptake studies. Fluorescence microscopy was performed to monitor the effect of ASD on glucose uptake using HEK293 cells expressing recombinant SGLT-1. ASD inhibited SGLT-1 activity, and its two derivatives (2-acetoxyscirpenol and 15-acetoxyscirpendiol), were also effective; 15-acetoxyscirepenol was as inhibitory as ASD while diacetoxyscirpenol had less effect. Thus, the ASD in P. tenuipes may play an important role in lowering blood sugar in the circulatory system along with its derivatives as specific inhibitors of SGLT-1.
Medical Mycology 03/2006; 44(1):79-85. · 2.46 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The most characterized roles of taurine include osmoregulator and membrane-stabilizing activities. However, much remains to be understood about its role in human physiology concerning its anti-hyperglycemic effect. Studies indicate that taurine-supplemented diet helps alleviate hyperglycemia or insulin resistance. This hypoglycemic effect has been postulated as taurine helping to increase the excretion of cholesterol. Alternatively, this study investigated the effect of taurine on glucose transporter using heterologous expression of sodium-glucose transporter-1 (SGLT-1). SGLT-1 was expressed in Xenopus oocytes and the effect of taurine on the expressed SGLT-1 was analyzed utilizing 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DOG) uptake and voltage clamp studies. In the oocytes expressing SGLT-1, taurine was shown to inhibit SGLT-1 activity compared to the non-treated controls in a dose-dependent manner. In the presence of taurine, the glucose uptake was greatly inhibited and the glucose-generated current was significantly inhibited. Synthetic taurine analogs were also shown to be effective in inhibiting SGLT-1 activity in a manner comparable to taurine. These effects might offer a promising opportunity in designing functional foods with anti-hyperglycemic potential by supplementing taurine and its analogs to the diet.
Advances in experimental medicine and biology 02/2006; 583:137-45. · 1.09 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Hypertonic conditions induce osmoregulatory activity. Molecular mechanism, however, remains to be further elucidated concerning the osmosensitive balancing activity. Using a differential display protocol, the genes of taurine transporter (TauT) and cyclin C were identified as candidate responding to the hypertonicity. When a quantitative PCR analysis was performed on the total RNA from KBEF cell treated under hypertonic conditions, the gene expressions of TauT and cyclin C were greatly increased. In terms of protein, the level of TauT expression increased up to 3.2-fold in response to the hypertonic treatment. Similarly to TauT, cyclin C protein also increased 2.4-fold compared to the control treatments. Under taurine-rich extracellular conditions, however, the level of TauT expression increased as little as 1.8-fold by hypertonicity treatment. Cyclin C expression was also lowered compared with low-taurine hypertonic treatment. Cysteine dioxygenase was shown to be highly responsive to the hypertonic treatment. Taken together, these results strongly indicate that the gene expressions of TauT and cyclin C are cooperatively regulated under hypotonic conditions.
Advances in experimental medicine and biology 02/2006; 583:49-57. · 1.09 Impact Factor
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Advances in experimental medicine and biology 02/2006; 583:119-28. · 1.09 Impact Factor
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Advances in experimental medicine and biology 02/2006; 583:69-77. · 1.09 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The most characterized roles of taurine include osmoregulator and membrane-stabilizing activities. However, much remains to
be understood about its role in human physiology concerning its anti-hyperglycemic effect. Studies indicate that taurine-supplemented
diet helps alleviate hyperglycemia or insulin resistance. This hypoglycemic effect has been postulated as taurine helping
to increase the excretion of cholesterol. Alternatively, this study investigated the effect of taurine on glucose transporter
using heterologous expression of sodium-glucose transporter-1 (SGLT-1). SGLT-1 was expressed in Xenopus oocytes and the effect of taurine on the expressed SGLT-1 was analyzed utilizing 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DOG) uptake and voltage
clamp studies. In the oocytes expressing SGLT-1, taurine was shown to inhibit SGLT-1 activity compared to the non-treated
controls in a dose-dependent manner. In the presence of taurine, the glucose uptake was greatly inhibited and the glucose-generated
current was significantly inhibited. Synthetic taurine analogs were also shown to be effective in inhibiting SGLT-1 activity
in a manner comparable to taurine. These effects might offer a promising opportunity in designing functional foods with anti-hyperglycemic
potential by supplementing taurine and its analogs to the diet.
12/2005: pages 137-145;
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ABSTRACT: A single disease resistance gene candidate,MbR4, was isolated from the wild-type apple speciesMalus baccta. This gene was predicted to encode motifs characteristic of the Toll Interleukin 1 Receptor (TIR) — Nucleotide Binding Site
(NBS) of theR gene. Starting with an isolated cDNA clone, genomic clones were obtained via inverse polymerase chain reaction (IPCR). TheMbR4 gene has a single open reading frame (ORF) of 2178 nucleotides, a 41-b untranslated 5’ region, a 21-b untranslated 3’ region,
and a predicted protein of 726 amino acids (82 kDa). Its deduced amino acid sequence resembles the N protein of tobacco and
the NL25 protein of potato. Ectopic expression ofMbR4 induced enhanced resistance in transgenicArabidopsis plants against the virulent pathogen,Pseudomonas syringae pv.tomato DC3000. Microarray analysis confirmed the induction of defense-related gene expression in pathogen-free 35S::MbR4 heterologousArabidopsis plants, thereby indicating that theMbR4 gene likely activates a pathogen-independent resistance pathway, rather than a gene-for-gene pathway. Our results suggest
thatMbR4 plays a role in theR gene, and may be a source of resistance for cultivated apple species.
Journal of Plant Biology 05/2005; 48(2):220-228. · 1.07 Impact Factor
