• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.151-158
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• 1997

Tomato (lycopersicon esculentum Mill.‘Sunroad’) seedlings grafted onto the four different rootstocks, ‘Anchor-T’, ‘Kagemushia’, ‘Joint’ and ‘Vulcan’, and fed with different amount of nitrogen were investigated for their susceptibility to the root rot Fusarium wilt (Fusarium oxysporum Schl. f. sp. lycopersici Snyder et Hansen, race J$_3$) disease, plant growth, and fruit quality. The flowering of the first flower cluster was promoted in grafted plants (GP) as compared to non-grafted (NG) ones. The plant height was increased by the grafting, and the growth and stem diameter were enhanced with increased nitrogen levels. Grafted plants were little affected by the Fusarium wilt disease except ‘Anchor-T’rootstock (64.7％ infection). The rate of malformed, underdeveloped, and gray-mold infected fruits were reduced in the grafted plants regardless of the rootstocks. Soluble solid content, sugars, ascorbic acids and organic acids did not show any difference between grafted and non grafted plants, but ascorbic acid tends to be reduced in the high nitrogen treatment. Content of N, Ca and Mg in leaves were greatly increased in the GP grown with high nitrogen level (30kg.㏊$^{-1}$ ).

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.348-358
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• 2007

Metallothionein, a cysteine-rich stress response protein that is naturally induced by a variety of immunologic stressors, has been shown to suppress autoimmune disorders through mechanisms not yet fully defined. In the present study, we examined the underlying mechanisms by which metallothionein might mediate such regulation of autoimmunity. $Na\ddot{i}ve\;CD4^+$ T cells from metallothionein-deficient mice differentiated to produce significantly less IL-10, $TGF-{\gamma}$, and repressor of GATA, but more $IFN-{\gamma}$ and T-bet, when compared with those from wild-type mice. The levels of IL-4 and GATA-3 production were not different between the two groups of mice. Conversely, treatment with exogenous metallothionein during the priming phase drove $na\ddot{i}ve$ wild-type $CD4^+\;T$ cells to differentiate into cells producing more IL-10 and $TGF-{\beta}$, but less $IFN-{\gamma}$ than untreated cells. Metallothionein-primed cells were hyporesponsive to restimulation, and suppressive to T cell proliferation in an IL-10-dependent manner. Lymphocytes from metallothionein-deficient mice displayed significantly elevated levels of AP-1 and JNK activities in response to stimulation compared with those from wild-type controls. Importantly, transgenic mice overexpressing metallothionein exhibited significantly reduced susceptibility to collagen-induced arthritis and enhanced IL-10 level in the serum, relative to their nontransgenic littermates. Taken together, these data suggest that metallothionein is able to promote the generation of IL-10-and $TGF-{\beta}$-producing type 1 regulatory T-like cells by downregulating JNK-dependent AP-1 activity. Thus, metallothionein may play an important role in the regulation of Th1-dependent autoimmune arthritis, and may represent both a potential target for therapeutic manipulation and a critical element in the diagnostic assessment of disease potential.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.221-232
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• 2018

Rhizobacteria play important roles in plant growth and health enhancement and render them resistant to not only biotic stresses but also abiotic stresses, such as low/high temperature, drought, and salinity. This study aimed to select plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) with the capability to mitigate biotic and abiotic stress effects on tomato plants. We isolated a novel PGPR strain, Variovorax sp. PMC12 from tomato rhizosphere. An in vitro assay indicated that strain PMC12 produced ammonia, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), siderophore, and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) deaminase, which are well-known traits of PGPR. The aboveground fresh weight was significantly higher in tomato plants treated with strain PMC12 than in non-treated tomato plants under various abiotic stress conditions including salinity, low temperature, and drought. Furthermore, strain PMC12 also enhanced the resistance to bacterial wilt disease caused by Ralstonia solanacearum. Taken together, these results indicated that strain PMC12 is a promising biocontrol agent and a biostimulant to reduce the susceptibility of plants to both abiotic and biotic stresses.