• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.37-43
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• 1997

Tolerance mechanism to simazine (6-chloro-N,N'-diethyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine) in Coix lacryma-jobi was investigated with respect to herbicide detoxification via glutathione conjugation. Simazine was initially absorbed by seedlings of C. lacryma-jobi and corn, but after 12 hours of treatment, no significant difference in simazine absorption was found in both species. Simazine absorbed was rapidly metabolized to glutathione-simazine conjugate. One to six hours after treatment, metabolism was approximately 2-fold faster in C. lacryma-jobi than in corn. Glutathione content was found 1.5- and 2.3-fold higher in coleoptile and root of C. lacryma-jobi, respectively, compared with corn. In both species, the highest concentration of glutathione was found in coleoptile tissue. Glutathione S-transferase that exhibits activity with 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene was not significantly different between two species. However, glutathione S-transferase activity with simazine was approximately 2-fold greater in C. lacryma-jobi than in corn. The glutathione S-transferase activity was 20 to 30% greater in shoot of either species than in root. Fast protein liquid chromatography-anion exchange column was used to separate glutathione S-transferase isozymes in coleoptiles of C. lacryma-jobi and corn. A peak of glutathione S-transferase activity with 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene and two peaks of glutathione S-transferase activity with simazine from C. lacryma-jobi were coeluted with those from corn, but showed greater activity than in the case of corn. Another glutathione S-transferase isozyme that exhibits activity with simazine was detected in the elution of C. lacryma-jobi extract, but not in corn. Electron transport in chloroplast thylakoids isolated from leaves of both species was equally sensitive to simazine applied at 1 to 100 nM. These results indicate that the simazine tolerance in C. lacryma-jobi is due to its capacity to detoxify the herbicide via glutathione conjugation, which is positively correlated with the level of glutathione content and glutathione S-transferase activity.