• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.165-176
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• 2010

Soybean seeds contain many biologically active secondary metabolites, such as proteins, saponins, isoflavones, phytic acids, trypsin inhibitors and phytosterols. Among them, saponins in soybeans have attracted considerable interest because of their health benefits. Soyasaponin A and B are the most abundant types of saponins found in soybeans along with soyasapogenol (aglycone), which is a precursor of soyasaponin. The main purpose of this experiment was to determine the concentration of soyasapogenol in soybean seeds and sprouts as a function of seed size, usage, seed coat color and seed cotyledon color. The 79 Korean soybean varieties were cultivated at Yesan of Chungnam in 2006 for the analysis of soyasapogenol using HPLC with Evaporative Light Scattering Detection (ELSD). The total average concentration of soyasapogenol was $1313.52{\mu}g\;g^{-1}$ in soybean seeds and $1377.22{\mu}g\;g^{-1}$ in soybean sprouts. Soybean sprouts were about 5% higher than soybean seeds in average total soyasapogenol concentration. In the process of sprouting, the average soyasapogenol A content decreased by approximately 1.6%, but soyasapogenol B and total soyasapogenol increased by 8.31% and 4.88%, based on the content of soybean seeds. When classified according to the size of seeds, the total soyasapogenol concentration of soybean seeds were not significantly different (p<0.05) On average, small soybean seeds were increased by as much as $103.14{\mu}g\;g^{-1}$ in sprouting process. As a function of the use of the seeds, The total soyasapogenol in soybean seeds were significantly different (p<0.05). While, the soybean sprouts were not significant different (p<0.05). Altogether, sprout soybean seeds show the greatest change in content during the germination process. When seeds with different coat colors were compared, the total soyasapogenol concentration of soybean with yellow seed coats ($1357.30\mu g\;g^{1}$) was slightly higher than that of soybean with black ($1260.30{\mu}g\;g^{-1}$) or brown ($1263.62{\mu}g\;g^{-1}$) seed coats. For the color of the cotyledon, the total soyasapogenol concentration was significantly increased in green cotyledon during the germination and seedling process. The results of this study suggest the functional characteristics of soybeans through quantitative analysis of soyasapogenol. In addition, the concentration of soyasapogenol exhibited a change during the germination process, which was evaluated by the nutritional value of the soybean sprouts.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.103-111
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• 2014

A1E is an extract from traditional Asian medicinal plants that has therapeutic activities against cancers, metabolic disease, and other intractable conditions. However, its mechanism of action on cervical cancer has not been studied. In order to ascertain if A1E would have pronounced anti-cervical cancer effect, cervical cancer cells were incubated with A1E and apoptosis was detected by nuclear morphological changes, annexin V-FITC/PI staining, cell cycle analysis, western blotting, Reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction, and measurement of mitochondrial membrane potential. Expression of human papiloma virus E6 and E7 oncogenes was down-regulated in A1E-treated cervical cancer cells, while p53 and retinoblastoma protein levels were enhanced. A1E also perturbed cell cycle progression at sub-G1 and altered cell cycle regulatory factors in SiHa cervical cancer cells. A1E activated apoptotic intrinsic pathway markers such as caspase-9, caspase-3 and poly ADP-ribose polymerase, and down-regulated expression of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xl. A1E induced mitochondrial membrane potential collapse and cytochrome c release, and inhibited phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt, key factors involved in cell survival signaling. Taken all these results, A1E induced apoptosis via activation of the intrinsic pathway and inhibition of the PI3K/Akt survival-signaling pathway in SiHa cervical cancer cells. In conclusion, A1E exerts anti-proliferative action growth inhibition on cervical cancer cells through apoptosis which demonstrates its anti-cervical cancer properties.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.431-439
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• 2009

Rice Oryza sativa accelerated cell death and resistance 1 (OsACDR1) encodes a putative Raf-like mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase (MAPKKK). We had previously reported upregulation of the OsACDR1 transcript by a range of environmental stimuli involved in eliciting defense-related pathways. Here we apply biochemical, gain and loss-of-function approaches to characterize OsACDR1 function in rice. The OsACDR1 protein showed autophosphorylation and possessed kinase activity. Rice plants overexpressing OsACDR1 exhibited spontaneous hypersensitive response (HR)-like lesions on leaves, upregulation of defense-related marker genes and accumulation of phenolic compounds and secondary metabolites (phytoalexins). These transgenic plants also acquired enhanced resistance to a fungal pathogen (Magnaporthe grisea) and showed inhibition of appressorial penetration on the leaf surface. In contrast, loss-of-function and RNA silenced OsACDR1 rice mutant plants showed downregulation of defense-related marker genes expressions and susceptibility to M. grisea. Furthermore, transient expression of an OsACDR1:GFP fusion protein in rice protoplast and onion epidermal cells revealed its localization to the nucleus. These results indicate that OsACDR1 plays an important role in the positive regulation of disease resistance in rice.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.64 no.3
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• pp.245-251
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• 2021

Codonopsis lanceolata (Deoduk) was grown in East Asia, including Korea, China, Japan, and Russia, and the roots of C. lanceolata have been used as functional foods and traditional medicine to treat symptoms of cough, bronchitis, asthma, tuberculosis, and dyspepsia. The phytochemicals of C. lanceolata have been reported such as phenylpropanoids, polyacetylenes, saponins, and flavonoids that are involved in pharmacological effects such as anti-obesity, anti-inflammation, anti-tumor, anti-oxidant, and anti-microbial activities. Selecting marker substances of the main producing area by MS-based metabolomics analysis is important to ensure the beneficial effect of C. lanceolata without side-effects because differences in cultivated areas of plants were related not only to the safety of medicinal plants but also to changes in chemical composition and biological efficacy. In our present study, ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry combined with multivariate statistical analysis was applied to recognize the main producing area of C. lanceolata in South Korea. As a result of Principal Component Analysis and loading plot analysis of three groups, Inje (Kangwon-do), Hoengseong (Kangwon-do), and Muju (Jeonlabuk-do), several secondary metabolites of C. lanceolata including tangshenoside I, lancemaside A, and lancemaside G, were suggested as potential marker substances to distinguish the place of main producing area of C. lanceolata.

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.65-76
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• 2019

Bacillus genus are found abundantly in various sites and their secondary metabolites were used as potential agents in agriculture, notably plant growth promoting and bio-control. The objective of this study was to develop the culture conditions of GH1-13 strain including higher cell growth, stable endospore-forming and enhancement of potential agents which are related with plant growth promoting and phytopathogen suppression. The optimal carbon and nitrogen sources were determined by glucose and soy bean flour, respectively, then resulted in $7.5{\times}10^9cells/mL$, $6.8{\times}10^9\;endospore\;cells/mL$ and sporulation yield of 90% after 30 h cultivation in 500 L submerged fermenter at $37^{\circ}C$, pH 7.0. Cells and cell-free supernatant of GH1-13 strains showed the potent antifungal activity against phytopathogenic fungi of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. It was also confirmed that indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) production of GH1-13 strain was greatly increased by addition of 0.3% tryptophan.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.64 no.1
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• pp.18-24
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• 2019

Isoflavones, a group of secondary metabolites present in plants and especially abundant in soybeans, are garnering increasing interest because of their medicinal properties. Numerous environmental factors influence isoflavone accumulation in plants. Successful attempts to increase isoflavone contents in soybean seeds have not been widely reported. In this report, we examined an effective method for producing a high amount of isoflavones during soybean seed germination, by treating the seed with 4 abiotic factors. Soybean seeds were exposed to ultrasound (50 Hz) and heat ($40^{\circ}C$) for 30minutes, then germinated for 5 days in darkness. Another sample was subjected to water deficit during germination in darkness, and the other sample was subjected to light conditions during the germination period. The results showed that the ultrasound treatment increased isoflavone content during soybean germination. Three days after germination, the ultrasound-treated seeds presented the highest isoflavone content (6,042.1 ug/g dry weight) compared to the other treatments, which was also 1.3-fold increases over the content of the raw seed's before germination. With respect to each type of isoflavone group, aglycone (partially genistein) content was markedly higher, whereas glucoside was lower than that of the untreated samples. In other experiment, total isoflavone content after heat, water deficit, and light treatments was 5,600.0, 4,740.1, and 5,631.4 ug/g, respectively. These present work suggests that ultrasound treatment is a novel approach for improving the production of isoflavones in soybean seeds during germination.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.8
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• pp.871-878
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• 2019

The aim of this study was to determine the anticancer activities of an 80% methanol extract and various fractions of Rhododendron brachycarpum (RB). The n-hexane fraction of RB showed the highest inhibitory activity (Inhibit concentration $50%=20.2{\pm}1.2{\mu}g/ml$) in HT-29 cells. Colony- and sphereforming abilities were significantly correlated with a decrease in the cell count and size. A TOP/FOP flash reporter assay revealed that the inhibitory activity of the n-hexane fraction of RB ($0.22{\pm}0.02$ fold change) was lower than that of the 80% methanol extract and that of other fractions. The n-hexane and ethyl acetate fractions of RB were predominantly dependent on the expression levels of intracellular ${\beta}-catenin$. Western blotting using $p-GSK3{\beta}$ with only the n-hexane fraction of RB was conducted to examine whether these secondary metabolites reduced ${\beta}-catenin$ degradation. Intracellular ${\beta}-catenin$ regulation resulted in quantitative changes in the nucleus. In summary, these results demonstrate the potential of the n-hexane fraction of RB as a natural anticancer agent.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.448-452
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• 2018

The full genome sequence of Bacillus safensis KCTC 12796BP which had been isolated from the marine sponge in the seawater of Jeju Island, was determined by Pac-Bio next-generation sequencing system. A circular chromosome in the length of 3,935,874 bp was obtained in addition to a circular form of plasmid having 36,690 bp. The G + C content of chromosome was 41.4%, and that of plasmid was 37.3%. The number of deduced CDSs in the chromosome was 3,980, whereas 36 CDS regions were determined in a plasmid. Among the deduced CDSs in chromosome, 81 tRNA genes and 24 rRNA genes in addition to one tmRNA were allocated. More than 30 CDSs for sporulation, 16 CDSs for spore coat, and 20 CDSs for germination were also assigned in the chromosome. Several genes for capsular polysaccharide biosynthesis and for flagella biosynthesis and chemotaxis in addition to genes for osmotic tolerance through glycine-choline betaine pathway were also identified. Above all, the biosynthetic gene cluster for anti-allergic compounds seongsanamides were found among two non-ribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) gene clusters for secondary metabolites.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2019.10a
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• pp.64-64
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• 2019

Screening and identification of genetic resources based on their phytoconstituents and morphological characters potentially provide baseline data for researchers, breeders, and nutraceutical companies who wish to formulate a nutrient-dense diet and health beneficial supplement. Thus, we evaluated the amount of total phenolic content and major phenolic compounds; examined if phenolic compounds could be used as distinguishing factors for perilla genetic resources; and investigated the relation between some quantitative and qualitative morphological characters with the contents of phenolic compounds in 360 accessions obtained from National Agrobiodiversity Center gene bank, Jeonju, Korea. Total phenolic content (TPC) was estimated using Folin-Ciocalteu colorimetric assay. Individual phenolic compounds were determined using an Ultra-High Performance Liquid Chromatography system equipped with Photodiode Array detector. Considerable variations were observed in TPC (7.99 to 117.47 mg GAE/g DE), rosmarinic acid (RA) (ND to 19.19 mg/g DE), caffeic acid (CA) (ND to 0.72 mg/g DE), apigenin-7-O-diglucuronide (ADG) (ND to 1.24 mg luteolin equivalent (LUE)/g DE), scutellarein-7-O-glucuronide (SG) (ND to 4.32 mg LUE/g DE), and apigenin-7-O-glucuronide (AG) (ND to 1.60 mg LUE/g DE). RA was the most dominant phenolic compound in most accessions (95.3%) followed by SG. The adaxial leaf color was light green, green and dark green in 13.8%, 65.0%, and 21.1 % of the accessions, respectively. 78.8% of the accessions had light green color at the abaxial side with the remaining being described as green. Most of the accessions (96.9%) were cordate shape, the remaining being eclipse. Intensities of green pigment at abaxial and adaxial leaf surfaces were correlated with contents of individual phenolic compounds and TPC whereas leaf length and width had no correlation with TPC, CA and RA, and negatively correlated with ADG, AG, and SG. Leaf shape was not related with content of phenolic compounds, color of leaves, or the length or width of leaves. Accessions IT57426, IT157434, IT267710, and IT267712 which contained relatively high contents of TPC and major phenolic compounds (RA and SG) could be used for further research in breeding and bioassay test. Our study result showed the contents of total phenolics and individual phenolic compounds along with the morphological characters could be useful distinguishing factors for perilla genetic resources.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.66 no.4
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• pp.365-374
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• 2021

Soybean isoflavones are essential secondary metabolites synthesized through the phenylpropanoid pathway, and they play vital roles in human health. Isoflavone content is a complex quantitative trait controlled by multiple genes, and the genetic mechanisms underlying isoflavone biosynthesis remain largely unknown. Therefore, the present study analyzed the content of isoflavone and expression of six key genes involved in its biosynthesis (i.e., CHS6, HID, IF7GT, IF7MaT, GmIMaT1, and GmIMaT3) during soybean seed germination. Isoflavone content was quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography, and isoflavone biosynthetic gene expression was analyzed using quantitative real-time PCR. Two cultivars, namely 'Daepung2ho' and 'Pungsannamulkong', which are high- and low-isoflavone cultivars, respectively, were used. Isoflavone accumulation gradually increased with the progression of the germination period. As such, malonyl glucosides accounted for over 80% of the total content, whereas acetyl glucosides were present at trace amounts. Transcriptional analysis of isoflavone biosynthetic genes demonstrated expression patterns parallel to isoflavone content; however, there was no clear correlation between isoflavone content and gene expression. Moreover, most isoflavone biosynthetic genes showed different expression patterns depending on the individual gene or genotypes. Among the tested genes, HID showed consistently higher expression, except at 3 days after germination, and its expression was upregulated in 'Daepung2ho' but downregulated in 'Pungsannamulkong'. In addition, all tested genes exhibited different expression patterns between cotyledons and hypocotyls and responded differently to the germination period. These findings suggest that the expression levels of isoflavone biosynthetic genes are not consistent with the germination period and appear to be genotype-dependent.