• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.273-279
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• 2000

Leukotriene $B_4\;(LTB_4)$ is a pro-inflammatory mediator synthesized in myeloid cells from arachidonic acid. Elevated levels of $LTB_4$ have been found in a number of inflammatory diseases and levels are related to disease activity in some of these. Because $LTB_4$ interacts with cells through specific cell surface receptors, $LTB_4$ receptor blockade is the most specific approach to reduce the pathogenic role of $LTB_4$. In order to find $LTB_4$ receptor antagonist from plants, we screened the $LTB_4$ receptor antagonistic activity of the methanol extract and solvent fractions of herbal drugs. The ability of samples to inhibit specific binding of $[^3H]-LTB_4$ to human peripheral neutrophils was used as assay to evaluate the antagonistic activity of plant materials. Among the tested methanol extracts of herbal drugs, Mori Radicis Cortex, Perillae Semen, Armeniacae Semen and Sophorae subprostratae Radix showed potent inhibitory activity above 70% at the concentration of $100\;{mu}g/ml$. The inhibitory activities of $LTB_4$ binding to human neutrophils were evaluated for several solvent fractions at three different concentrations. Especially, hexane soluble fractions of Anemarrhenae Rhizoma and Embeliae Radix, and ethyl acetate soluble fractions of Aristolochiae Fructus, Magnoliae Cortex and Zingiberis Rhizoma crudus showed moderate activity at $25\;{mu}g/ml$. These fractions were promising candidates for the study of the activity-guided chromatographic purification of active compounds. Silica gel column chromatography of hexane soluble fractions of Anemarrhenae Rhizoma and Embeliae Radix gave very active sub-fractions, AA-4 and ES-4, and their inhibition activities of $LTB_4$ binding to human neutrophil at $30\;{mu}g/ml$ were 78% and 62%, respectively. From these results we could anticipate new $LTB_4$ receptor antagonist from herbal drugs, and the block of $LTB_4$ effects may provide beneficial in neutrophil mediated diseases such as inflammation and bronchial asthma.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.244-254
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• 2020

Gom-chwi (Ligularia fischeri) is severely infected with Phytophthora drechsleri, the causal organism of Phytophthora root rot, an economically important crop disease that needs management throughout the cultivation period. In the present study, Phytophthora root rot was controlled by using bacterial isolates from rhizosphere soils collected from various plants and screened for antagonistic activity against P. drechsleri. A total of 172 bacterial strains were isolated, of which, 49 strains showed antagonistic activities by dual culture assay. In the seedling assay, six out of the 49 strains showed a predominant effect on suppressing P. drechsleri. Among the six strains, the ObRS-5 strain showed remarkable against P. drechsleri when treated with seed dipping or soil drenching. The ObRS-5 strain was identified as Enterobacter asburiae based on 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequences analysis. The bacterial cells of E. asburiae ObRS-5 significantly suppressed sporangium formation and zoospore germination in P. drechsleri by 87.4% and 66.7%, respectively. In addition, culture filtrate of E. asburiae ObRS-5 also significantly inhibited sporangium formation and zoospore germination by 97.0% and 67.6%, respectively. Soil drenched bacterial cells, filtrate, and culture solution of E. asburiae ObRS-5 effectively suppressed Phytophthora root rot by 63.2%, 57.9%, and 81.1%, respectively. Thus, E. asburiae ObRS-5 could be used as a potential agent for the biological control of Phytophthora root rot infecting gom-chwi.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.215-231
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• 2021

Brown leaf spot disease caused by Nigrospora guilinensis on Phellodendron chinense occurs in a large area in Dayi County, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, China each year. This outbreak has severely reduced the production of Chinese medicinal plants P. chinense and caused substantial economic losses. The bacterial isolate JKB05 was isolated from the healthy leaves of P. chinense, exhibited antagonistic effects against N. guilinensis and was identified as Bacillus megaterium. The following fermentation medium and conditions improved the inhibitory effect of B. megaterium JKB05 on N. guilinensis: 2% glucose, 0.1% soybean powder, 0.1% KCl, and 0.05% MgSO₄; initial concentration 6 × 10⁶ cfu/ml, and a 42-h optimal fermentation time. A composite of 0.1% nano-SiO₂ JKB05 improved the thermal stability, acid-base stability and ultraviolet resistance by 16%, 12%, and 38.9%, respectively, and nano-SiO₂ was added to the fermentation process. The best formula for the wettable powder was 35% kaolin, 4% polyethylene glycol, 8% Tween, and 2% humic acid. The following quality test results for the wettable powder were obtained: wetting time 87.0 s, suspension rate 80.33%, frequency of microbial contamination 0.08%, pH 7.2, fineness 95.8%, drying loss 1.47%, and storage stability ≥83.5%. A pot experiment revealed that the ability of JKB05 to prevent fungal infections on P. chinense increased considerably and achieved levels of control as high as 94%. The use of nanomaterials significantly improved the ability of biocontrol bacteria to control this disease.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.430-448
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• 2023

Recently, strategies for controlling Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici (Fol), the causal agent of Fusarium wilt of tomato, focus on using effective biocontrol agents. In this study, an analysis of the biocontrol and plant growth promoting (PGP) attributes of 11 isolates of loamy soil Bacillus spp. has been conducted. Among them, the isolates B.PNR1 and B.PNR2 inhibited the mycelial growth of Fol by inducing abnormal fungal cell wall structures and cell wall collapse. Moreover, broad-spectrum activity against four other plant pathogenic fungi, F. oxysporum f. sp. cubense race 1 (Foc), Sclerotium rolfsii, Colletotrichum musae, and C. gloeosporioides were noted for these isolates. These two Bacillus isolates produced indole acetic acid, phosphate solubilization enzymes, and amylolytic and cellulolytic enzymes. In the pot experiment, the culture filtrate from B.PNR1 showed greater inhibition of the fungal pathogens and significantly promoted the growth of tomato plants more than those of the other treatments. Isolate B.PNR1, the best biocontrol and PGP, was identified as Bacillus stercoris by its 16S rRNA gene sequence and whole genome sequencing analysis (WGS). The WGS, through genome mining, confirmed that the B.PNR1 genome contained genes/gene cluster of a nonribosomal peptide synthetase/polyketide synthase, such as fengycin, surfactin, bacillaene, subtilosin A, bacilysin, and bacillibactin, which are involved in antagonistic and PGP activities. Therefore, our finding demonstrates the effectiveness of B. stercoris strain B.PNR1 as an antagonist and for plant growth promotion, highlighting the use of this microorganism as a biocontrol agent against the Fusarium wilt pathogen and PGP abilities in tomatoes.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.607-620
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• 2023

The biocontrol approach using beneficial microorganisms to control crop diseases is becoming an essential alternative to chemical fungicides. Therefore, new and efficient biocontrol agents (BCA) are needed. In this study, a rhizospheric actinomycete isolate showed unique and promising antagonistic activity against three of the most common phytopathogenic fungi, Fusarium oxysporum MH105, Rhizoctonia solani To18, and Alternaria brassicicola CBS107. Identification of the antagonistic strain, which was performed according to spore morphology and cell wall chemotype, suggested that it belongs to the Nocardiopsaceae. Furthermore, cultural, physiological, and biochemical characteristics, together with phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene (OP869859.1), indicated the identity of this strain to Nocardiopsis alba. The cell-free filtrate (CFF) of the strain was evaluated for its antifungal potency, and the resultant inhibition zone diameters ranged from 17.0 ± 0.92 to 19.5 ± 0.28 mm for the tested fungal species. Additionally, the CFF was evaluated in vitro to control Fusarium wilt disease in Vicia faba using the spraying method under greenhouse conditions, and the results showed marked differences in virulence between the control and treatment plants, indicating the biocontrol efficacy of this actinomycete. A promising plant-growth promoting (PGP) ability in seed germination and seedling growth of V. faba was also recorded in vitro for the CFF, which displayed PGP traits of phosphate solubilization (48 mg/100 ml) as well as production of indole acetic acid (34 ㎍/ml) and ammonia (20 ㎍/ml). This study provided scientific validation that the new rhizobacterium Nocardiopsis alba strain BH35 could be further utilized in bioformulation and possesses biocontrol and plant growth-promoting capabilities.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.22 no.2 s.55
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• pp.147-159
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• 1983

In general, herbicides have been classified according to selectivity, mobility. time of application, methods of application, mode of action and chemical property and structure. However, there was no generally accepted classification system for practical use in the field. The primary processes affected by the majority of herbicides are the growth process through cell elongation and/or cell division, the photosynthetic process specifically the light reaction, the oxidative phosphorylation and the integrity of the membrane systems. The usual approach in the study of the mechanism by which herbicides kill or inhibit the growth of plants is to initially determine the morphological phototoxicity systems, The mechanism by which a herbicide kills a plant or suppresses its development is actually the resultant effect of primary and secondary(or side) effects. In most instances, the death of the plant is due to the secondary effects. To induce the desired response, a herbicide must be able to gain entry into the plants and once inside, to be transported within the plant to its site(s) of activity in concentrations great enough. Obstacles to the entry and movement of herbicides in plants are generally classified by leaf and soil obstacles, translocation obstacles and biochemical obstacles, and these obstacles are also strongly influenced by plant species and by environmental factors such as light, temperature, rainfall and relative humidity. And hence, in most instances, results obtained from laboratory or greenhous vary from those of field experiment. Author attempted to classify herbicides from the field experiment using the two-dimensional ordination analysis to obtain practical information for selecting effective herbicides or to choose effective herbicide combinations for increasing herbicidal efficacy or reducing the chemical cost. Based on this two-dimensional diagram, desired herbicides or combinations were selected and further investigated for the interaction effects whether these combinations are synergistic, additive or antagonistic. From the results, it was concluded that these new approach could possibly be give more comprehensive informations about effective use of herbicide than any other systems.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.162-166
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• 2005

Disease progress of gray blight of tea (Camellia sinensis O. Kuntze) cv. Yabukita was investigated during the growing season of 2004 at Boseong Tea Experiment Station, Jeonnam Agriculture Research and Extension Service, Boseong, Jeonnam. The disease began to occur from late June and peaked in late July. Antagonistic bacteria against Pestalotiopsis longiseta, the causal pathogen of causing gray blight of tea plants were isolated from phylloplanes of tea plants. An isolate BD0310 which showed the strongest antifungal activity against the pathogen but nonpathogenic to tea plants was selected as a biocontrol agent for the gray blight. The isolate was identified as Bacillus subtilis based on its cultural, morphological, and biochemical characterization and 16S rDNA sequence analysis.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.288-298
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• 2014

We examined the efficacy of a bacterium for biocontrol of the root-knot nematode (RKN) Meloidogyne hapla in carrot (Daucus carota subsp. sativus) and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). Among 542 bacterial isolates from various soils and plants, the highest nematode mortality was observed for treatments with isolate C1-7, which was identified as Bacillus cereus based on cultural and morphological characteristics, the Biolog program, and 16S rRNA sequencing analyses. The population density and the nematicidal activity of B. cereus C1-7 remained high until the end of culture in brain heart infusion broth, suggesting that it may have sustainable biocontrol potential. In pot experiments, the biocontrol efficacy of B. cereus C1-7 was high, showing complete inhibition of root gall or egg mass formation by RKN in carrot and tomato plants, and subsequently reducing RKN damage and suppressing nematode population growth, respectively. Light microscopy of RKN-infected carrot root tissues treated with C1-7 showed reduced formation of gall cells and fully developed giant cells, while extensive gall cells and fully mature giant cells with prominent cell wall ingrowths formed in the untreated control plants infected with RKNs. These histopathological characteristics may be the result of residual or systemic biocontrol activity of the bacterium, which may coincide with the biocontrol efficacies of nematodes in pots. These results suggest that B. cereus C1-7 can be used as a biocontrol agent for M. hapla.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.37 no.11
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• pp.795-803
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• 2014

To withstand ever-changing environmental stresses, plants are equipped with phytohormone-mediated stress resistance mechanisms. Salt stress triggers abscisic acid (ABA) signaling, which enhances stress tolerance at the expense of growth. ABA is thought to inhibit the action of growth-promoting hormones, including brassinosteroids (BRs). However, the regulatory mechanisms that coordinate ABA and BR activity remain to be discovered. We noticed that ABA-treated seedlings exhibited small, round leaves and short roots, a phenotype that is characteristic of the BR signaling mutant, brassinosteroid insensitive1-9 (bri1-9). To identify genes that are antagonistically regulated by ABA and BRs, we examined published Arabidopsis microarray data sets. Of the list of genes identified, those upregulated by ABA but downregulated by BRs were enriched with a BRRE motif in their promoter sequences. After validating the microarray data using quantitative RT-PCR, we focused on RD26, which is induced by salt stress. Histochemical analysis of transgenic Arabidopsis plants expressing RD26pro:GUS revealed that the induction of GUS expression after NaCl treatment was suppressed by co-treatment with BRs, but enhanced by co-treatment with propiconazole, a BR biosynthetic inhibitor. Similarly, treatment with bikinin, an inhibitor of BIN2 kinase, not only inhibited RD26 expression, but also reduced the survival rate of the plant following exposure to salt stress. Our results suggest that ABA and BRs act antagonistically on their target genes at or after the BIN2 step in BR signaling pathways, and suggest a mechanism by which plants fine-tune their growth, particularly when stress responses and growth compete for resources.

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.575-588
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• 2021

The purpose of this study is to select actinomycetes with antifungal activity against Botrytis cinerea and Colletotrichum orbiculare, which are airborne pathogens in cucumber plants. In 2020, 560 species of actinomycetes were isolated from rhizome soils of various vegetables in Korea; 7 strains showing simultaneous antifungal activity against two pathogens were selected. Finally, strain S20-465 was selected through dual culture and plant assay. This strain was identified as Streptomyces sp. based on 16S rRNA analysis. The culture filtrate of strain S20-465 inhibited mycelial growth of both pathogens by more than 60%. In addition, when cucumber plants were treated with 20-fold and 40-fold diluted culture filtrates of S20-465, lesions caused by B. cinerea and C. orbiculare on cucumber leaves were significantly reduced compared to the control. This results suggest that strain S20-465 produces specific secondary metabolites with antifungal activity against both pathogens.