• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.300-306
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• 2022

The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling cascade is essential for a wide range of cellular responses in plants, including defense responses, responses to abiotic stress, hormone signaling, and developmental processes. Recent investigations have shown that the stress, ethylene, and MAPK signaling pathways negatively affect the formation of nitrogen-fixing nodules by directly modulating the symbiotic signaling components. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the defense responses mediated by MAPK signaling in the organogenesis of nitrogen-fixing nodules remain unclear. In the present study, I demonstrate that the Medicago truncatula mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 5 (MtMKK5)-Medicago truncatula mitogen-activated protein kinase 3/6 (MtMPK3/6) signaling module, expressed specifically in the symbiotic nodules, promotes defense signaling, but not ethylene signaling pathways, thereby inhibiting nodule development in M. truncatula. U0126 treatment resulted in increased cell division in the nodule meristem zone due to the inhibition of MAPK signaling. The phosphorylated TEY motif in the activation domain of MtMPK3/6 was the target domain associated with specific interactions with MtMKK5. I have confirmed the physical interactions between M. truncatula nodule inception (MtNIN) and MtMPK3/6. In the presence of high expression levels of the defense-related genes FRK1 and WRKY29, MtMKK5a overexpression significantly enhanced the defense responses of Arabidopsis against Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 (Pst DC3000). Overall, my data show that the negative regulation of symbiotic nitrogen-fixing nodule organogenesis by defense signaling pathways is mediated by the MtMKK5-MtMPK3/6 module.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.115-120
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• 2010

Although still poorly understood, accumulating evidence clearly supports that plants also have a good immune system which have been developed and acquired during the evolution. The lack of specific mobile immune cells like a B or T cell in plants additionally suggests that most plant cells have capacity for defending themselves against numerous pathogens. Rapidly growing advances in understanding plant defense responses implicate that plant and animal immune responses are evolutionarily convergent although their origins are thought to be different. On the basis of recent findings, here current understanding of plant defense responses will be discussed.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.41-45
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• 2004

Plants have the ability to defend themselves against pathogens by activating a series of defense responses. SA is known to be a signal molecule in plant defense responses. Nevertheles, SA is not the only one signal mediating defense responses. In addition to SA, ethylene and jasmonic acid have also been known to mediate plant defense responses against pathogens. The activation of a series of plant defense responses is known to be through varieties of transcription factors. Specially AP2/EREBP transcription factors are involved in ethylene mediated defense signaling. In this review, recent progress on AP2/EREBP transcription factors in arabidopsis, tomato and tobacco and a few of AP2/ EREBP transcription factors in rice related to biotic stresses will be discussed.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.107-112
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• 2008

Invasion mechanisms of pathogens and counteracting defense mechanisms of plants are highly diverse and perpetually evolving. While most classical studies of plant defense have focused only on defense-specific factor-mediated responses, recent work is beginning to shed light on the involvement of non-stress signal components, especially growth and developmental processes. This shift in focus links plant resistance more closely with growth and development. In this review, we summarize our current understanding of how pathogens manipulate host developmental processes and, conversely, of how plants deploy their developmental processes for self-protection. We conclude by introducing our recent work on UNI, a novel R protein in Arabidopsis which mediates cross-talk between developmental processes and defense responses.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.213-219
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• 2003

The response of plants to pathogens and wounding is dependent upon very sensitive perception mechanisms. Although genetic approaches have revealed a variety of resistance genes that activate common defense responses, defense-related proteins are not well characterized in plants. Therefore, we used a proteomic approach to determine which defense-related proteins are induced by salicylic acid (SA) and wounding in Chinese cabbage. We found that SA and wounding induce pathogenesis-related protein 1a (PR1a) at both protein and mRNA levels using proteomics and Northern blot analysis, respectively. This indicates that our proteomic approach is useful for identifying defense-related proteins. We also identified several other proteins that are induced by SA or wounding. Among the seven SA-induced proteins identified, four may be defense-related, including defense-related protein, phospholipase D (PLD), resistance protein RPS2 homolog, and L-ascorbate peroxidase. Out of the six wounding-induced proteins identified, three may be defense-related: heat shock cognate protein 70 (HSC70), polygalacturonase, and peroxidase P7. The precise functions of these proteins in plant defense responses await further study. However, identification of the defense-related proteins described in this study should allow us to better understand the mechanisms and signal transduction pathways involved in defense responses in Chinese cabbage.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Plant Pathology Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.13-13
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• 2003

When plants are infected by plant pathogens, rapid cell responses are initiated for further inhibition from fast invasion of pathogens. Hypersensitive response (HR) of plant is well known defense response stopping pathogenesis process through rapid cell death. However, informations on the signaling pathway from reception of pathogen by host plants to appropriate resistant responses are very limited to date. Efficient perception of infection by pathogens and well-programmed signalling mechanism for appropriate responses are important for survival of plants. Plant have developed a sophisticated network(s) of defense/stress responses, among which one of the earliest signalling pathways after perception (of stimuli) is the evolutionary conserved Rop GTPase and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade.(중략)

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.349-353
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• 2012

Activated T cells express inhibitory receptors such as CTLA-4 that can downregulate immune responses. Blockade of or genetic deficiency in CTLA-4 can result in autoimmunity. Therefore, strategies to increase the inhibitory function of CTLA-4 may be attractive in settings of undesirable T cell responses such as autoimmunity or transplant rejection. We have tested the hypothesis that transgenic constitutive expression of CTLA-4 can further attenuate immune responses when compared with normal inducible expression. Our results indicate that transgenic expression of CTLA-4 in mouse T cells (CTLA-4-Tg T cells) results in reduced cell cycle progression and increased apoptosis of TCR-stimulated T cells. CTLA-4-Tg T cells display reduced T cell proliferation in an in vivo model of graft versus host disease (GVHD). These results further our understanding of how CTLA-4 can be manipulated to inhibit immune responses and may help development of new therapeutic strategies for clinical settings of autoimmunity and transplantation.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.415-427
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• 2021

A plethora of compounds stimulate protective mechanisms in plants against microbial pathogens and abiotic stresses. Some defense activators are synthetic compounds and trigger responses only in certain protective pathways, such as activation of defenses under regulation by the plant regulator, salicylic acid (SA). This review discusses the potential of naturally occurring plant metabolites as primers for defense responses in the plant. The production of the metabolites, hexanoic acid and melatonin, in plants means they are consumed when plants are eaten as foods. Both metabolites prime stronger and more rapid activation of plant defense upon subsequent stress. Because these metabolites trigger protective measures in the plant they can be considered as "vaccines" to promote plant vigor. Hexanoic acid and melatonin instigate systemic changes in plant metabolism associated with both of the major defense pathways, those regulated by SA- and jasmonic acid (JA). These two pathways are well studied because of their induction by different microbial triggers: necrosis-causing microbial pathogens induce the SA pathway whereas colonization by beneficial microbes stimulates the JA pathway. The plant's responses to the two metabolites, however, are not identical with a major difference being a characterized growth response with melatonin but not hexanoic acid. As primers for plant defense, hexanoic acid and melatonin have the potential to be successfully integrated into vaccination-like strategies to protect plants against diseases and abiotic stresses that do not involve man-made chemicals.

• BMB Reports
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• v.42 no.12
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• pp.776-787
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• 2009

T helper (Th) 17 cells have recently been described as a third subset of T helper cells, and have provided new insights into the mechanisms that are important in the development of autoimmune diseases and the immune responses that are essential for effective antimicrobial host defense. Both protective and harmful effects of Th17 responses during infection have been described. In general, Th17 responses are critical for mucosal and epithelial host defense against extracellular bacteria and fungi. However, recent studies have reported that Th17 responses can also contribute to viral persistence and chronic inflammation associated with parasitic infection. It has become evident that the type of microorganisms and the setting in which they trigger the Th17 response determines the outcome of the delicate balancethat exists between Th17 induced protection and immunopathogenesis.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.113-120
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• 2018

Chlorella, one single-cell green algae organism that lives autotrophically by photosynthesis, can directly suppress some plant diseases. The objective of this study was to determine whether pre-spraying with Chlorella fusca suspension could induce systemic acquired resistance (SAR) in cucumber plants against anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum orbiculare. In order to illustrate SAR induced by algae, infection structures in host cells were observed under a transmission electron microscope (TEM). Cytological changes as defense responses of host mesophyll cells such as accumulation of vesicles, formation of sheath around penetration hyphae, and thickness of cell wells adjoining with intracellular hyphae were demonstrated in cucumber leaves. Similar defense responses were also found in the plant pre-treated with DL-3-aminobutyric acid, another SAR priming agent. Images showed that defense response of host cells was scarcely observed in untreated leaf tissues. These cytological observations suggest that C. fusca could induce SAR against anthracnose in cucumber plants by activating defense responses of host cells.