• Molecules and Cells
• /
• 제19권1호
• /
• pp.81-87
• /
• 2005

Phytochelatins play an important role in heavy metal detoxification in plants as well as in other organisms. The Arabidopsis thaliana mutant cad1-3 does not produce detectable levels of phytochelatins in response to cadmium stress. The hypersensitivity of cad1-3 to cadmium stress is attributed to a mutation in the phytochelatin synthase 1 (AtPCS1) gene. However, A. thaliana also contains a functional phytochelatin synthase 2 (AtPCS2). In this study, we investigated why the cad1-3 mutant is hypersensitive to cadmium stress despite the presence of AtPCS2. Northern and Western blot analyses showed that expression of AtPCS2 is weak compared to AtPCS1 in both roots and shoots of transgenic Arabidopsis. The lower level of AtPCS2 expression was confirmed by RT-PCR analysis of wild type Arabidopsis. Moreover, no tissue-specific expression of AtPCS2 was observed. Even when AtPCS2 was under the control of the AtPCS1 promoter or of the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter (CaMV 35S) it was not capable of fully complementing the cad1-3 mutant for cadmium resistance.

• 한국환경농학회지
• /
• 제28권4호
• /
• pp.409-411
• /
• 2009

Phytochelatins (PCs) are small-sized peptides synthesized by PC synthase (PCS) using glutathione (GSH) as a substrate, and they play an important role in the detoxification of toxic heavy metals in plants, fission yeast, and other living organisms. Recently, it has been suggested that PCS is also involved in degradation of some xenobiotics including monobromobimane. PCS cleaves the Gly residue from GSH-xenobiotics conjugates resulting in ${\gamma}$-Glu-Cys-xenobiotics, and this is to degraded further. Therefore, our research is focus on whether PCS is also involved in degradation of tolclofos-methyl, an important pesticide which has been used in ginseng cultivated areas. Heterologous expression of Arabidopsis PCS confers tolerance to tolclofos-methyl in yeast. Furthermore, PCS-deficient Cad1-3 Arabidopsis mutant showed high sensitivity to tolclofos-methyl compared with wild-type plants. These results imply that PCS is involved in degradation of tolclofos-methyl as other xenobiotics.

• 한국산학기술학회논문지
• /
• 제14권6호
• /
• pp.3114-3119
• /
• 2013

망그로브 생태계는 수생태계로 유입되는 중금속을 받아들이는 기능을 가지고 있다. 중금속에 오염된 퇴적물에 노출됨에도 불구하고 망그로브는 중금속에 내성을 가지고 있다. 이 연구에서 우리는 망그로브로부터 중금속 저항성 관련 유전자를 클로닝하고, 중금속 노출에 유전자 발현 변화를 분석하였다. 미크로네시아 축라군의 웨노섬에서 채취한 Rhizophora stylosa의 잎과 뿌리조직으로부터 CTAB 방법을 이용하여 RNA를 분리하였고, gene specific primers를 이용하여 phytochelatin synthase 1(PCS1) 유전자를 클로닝하였다. R. stylosa 태생종자를 100 ppb의 Cd과 10 ppb의 Cu에 노출하였을 때 각각 1.91배 및 2.72배 발현이 증가하였다. 이러한 결과는 PCS1 유전자의 발현분석이 망그로브 생태계의 건강성을 평가하기 위한 좋은 도구가 될 수 있음을 나타낸다.

• 한국지하수토양환경학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 한국지하수토양환경학회 2004년도 임시총회 및 추계학술발표회
• /
• pp.290-292
• /
• 2004

Heavy metal contamination has been increased in aqueous environments near many industrial facilities, such as metal plating facilities, mining operations, and tanneries. The soils in the vicinity of many military bases are also reported to be contaminated and pose a risk of groundwater and surface water contamination with heavy metals. The biological removal of metals through bioaccumulation has distinct advantages over conventional methods; the process rarely produces undesirable or deleterious chemical byproducts, it is highly efficient, easy to operate and cost-effective in the treatment of large volumes of wastewater containing toxic heavy metals. In addition, a recent development of molecular biology shed light on the enhancing the microorganism's natural remediation capability as well as improving the current biological treatment. In this study, characteristics of the cell growth and heavy metal accumulation by Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains expressing phytochelatin syntahse (PCS) gene were studied in batch cultures. The AtCRFI gene was demonstrated to confer substantial increases in metal tolerance in yeast. PCS-expressing cells tolerated more Cd$^{2＋}$ than controls.

• 한국식물학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 한국식물학회 2002년도 춘계학술발표대회:발표눈문요지록
• /
• pp.62-72
• /
• 2002

This study has investigated the biosynthesis and function of the heavy metal binding peptides, the phytochelatins, in plants. PCs are synthesised enzymatically from glutathione by the enzyme PC synthase in the presence of heavy metal ions. Using Arabidopsis thaliana as a model organism cadmium-sensitive, phytochelatin-deficient mutants have been isolated and characterised in previous studies. The cadl mutants have wildtype levels of glutathione, are PC deficient and lack PC synthase activity. Thus, the CADl gene has been proposed to encode PC synthase. The CADl gene was isolated by a positional cloning strategy The gene was mapped and a candidate identified. Each of four cadl mutants had a single base pair change in the candidate gene and the cadmium-sensitive, cadl phenotype was complemented by the candidate gene. This demonstrated the CADl gene had been cloned. A homologous gene in the fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe was identified through database searches. A targeted-deletion mutation of this gene was constructed and the mutant, like cadl mutants of Arabidopsis, was cadmium-sensitive and PC-deficient. A comparison of the redicted amino acid sequences reveals a highly conserved N-terminal region Presumed to be the catalytic domain and a variable C-terminal region containing multiple Cys residues proposed to be involved in activation of the enzyme by metal ions. Similar genes were also identified in animal species. The Arabidopsis CADl/AtPCSl and S. pombe SpbPCS genes were expressed in E. coli and were shown to be sufficient for glutathione-dependent, heavy metal activate PC synthesis in vitro, thus demonstrating these genes encode PC synthase enzymes. Using RT-PCR, AtPCSl expression appeared to be independent of Cd exposure. However, at higher levels of Cd exposure a AtPCSl-CUS reporter gene construct appeared to be more highly expressed. Using the reporter gene construct, AtPCSl was expressed most tissues. Expression appeared to be greater in younger tissues and same higher levels of expression was observed in some regions, including carpels and the base of siliques. AtPCS2 was a functional gene encoding an active PC synthase. However, its Pattern of expression and the phenotype of a mutant (or antisense line) have not been determined. Assuming the gene is functional then it has clearly been maintained through evolution and must provide some selective advantage. This implies that, at least in some cells or tissue, it is likely to be the dominant PC synthase expressed. This remains to be determined

• 생명과학회지
• /
• 제19권12호
• /
• pp.1685-1689
• /
• 2009

파이토킬레이트(PC)는 PCS에 의해 생성되는 작은 폴리펩타이드로서 여러 생물에서 발견되고 있다. PC의 역할은 카드뮴과 같은 중금속을 세포질에서 결합하며 이는 액포막에 존재하는 HMT에 의해서 액포 안으로 이동된다. HMT1은 분열효모에서 처음으로 알려졌으며 이후 선충, 초파리 등에서도 발견되었으며 세포 내 역할은 카드뮴 같은 중금속 해독에 관여를 하고 있다. 하지만 액포가 존재하지 않고 PC를 생성하지 않는 초파리에서의 HMT1의 발견은 그 동안 알려진 HMT1의 역할을 재 조명하게 된다. 따라서 PC를 생성하지 못하는 출아효모에 PC를 생성하는 분열효모 유래 SpHMT1을 발현시켜 카드뮴에 대한 저항성을 분석하였다. SpHMT1을 발현하는 출아효모는 카드뮴에 대한 저항성이 현저하게 증가되었고 이는 SpHMT1이 PC가 존재하지 않는 조건에서도 카드뮴에 대한 해독작용을 하는 것을 암시한다. 또한 SpHMT1을 발현하는 출아효모는 GSH에 대한 저항성을 보였고 카드뮴에 대한 저항성도 GHS에 의해서 더 증가되는 결과를 보였다. 이러한 결과는 HMT1이 PC와 결합된 카드뮴을 액포안으로 이동시키는 가능성보다 GSH와 결합된 카드뮴을 액포 안으로 이동시켜 카드뮴에 대한 해독작용을 한다는 것을 암시한다.

• 한국식물병리학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 한국식물병리학회 2003년도 정기총회 및 추계학술발표회
• /
• pp.72.2-73
• /
• 2003

We found a soybean (Glycine max) cultivar 561 that was strongly resistant to a virulent bacterial strain of a Pseudomonas spp. Further identification revealed that the Pseudomonas spp. was a strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Furthermore we identified specific genes involved in the resistance of soybean 561 and analyzed the pattern of gene expression against the Pseudomonas infection using differential-display reverse transcription PCR (DDRT-PCR). More than 126 cDNA fragments representing mRNAs were induced within 48 hours of bacteria inoculation. Among them, 28 cDNA fragments were cloned and sequenced. Twelve differentially displayed clones with open reading frames had unknown functions. Sixteen selected cDNA clones were homologous to known genes in the other organisms. Some of the identified cDNAs were pathogenesis-related genes (PR genes) and PR-like genes. These cDNAs included a putative calmodulin-binding protein, an endo-1,3-1,4-b-D-glucanase, a b-1,3-endoglucanase, a b-1,3-exoglucanase, a phytochelatin synthetase-like gene, a thiol pretense, a cycloartenol synthase, and a putative receptor-like sorineithreonine protein kinase. Among them, we found that four genes were putative pathogenesis-related genes (PR) induced significantly by the p. aeruginosa infection. These included a calmodulin-binding protein gene, a b-1,3-endoglucanase gene, a receptor-like sorine/threonine protein kinase gene, and pS321 (unknown function). These results suggest that the differentially expressed genes may mediate the strong resistance of soybean 561 to Pseudomonas aeruoginosa.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
• /
• 제19권5호
• /
• pp.239-247
• /
• 2003

In Korea, a local soybean (Glycine max) genotype 56l. was found to be strongly resistant to a virulent bacterial strain of a Pseudomonas sp. SN239. Specific genes involved in the resistance of the soybean genotype 561 were identified and the pattern of gene expression against the Pseudomonas infection was analyzed using differential-display reverse transcription PCR (DDRT-PCR). More than 126 cDNA fragments representing mRNAs were induced within 48 hours of bacteria inoculation. Among them, 28 cDNA fragments were cloned and sequenced. Twelve differentially displayed clones with open reading frames had unknown functions. Sixteen selected cDNA clones were homologous to known genes of other organisms. Some of the identified cDNAs were pathogenesis-related (PR) genes and PR-like genes. These cDNAs included a putative calmodulin-binding protein; an endo-l,3-1,4-$\bate$-D-glucanase; a $\bate$-1,3-endoglucanase; a $\bate$-1,3-exoglucanase; a phytochelatin synthetase-like gene; a thiol protease; a cycloartenol synthase; and a putative receptor-like serine/threonine protein kinase. Among them, four genes were found to be putative PR genes induced significantly by the Pseudomonas infection. These included a calmodulin-binding protein gene, a $\bate$-1,3-endoglucanase gene, a receptor-like serine/threonine protein kinase gene, and pS321 (unknown function). These results suggest that the differentially expressed genes may mediate the strong resistance of soybean 561 to the strain SN239 of Pseudomonas sp.