• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• 제27권2호
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• pp.170-182
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• 2011

Plants possess multiple resistance mechanisms that protect themselves against pathogen attack. To identify unknown components of the defense machinery in Arabidopsis, gene-expression changes were monitored in Arabidopsis thaliana under 18 different biotic or abiotic conditions using a DNA microarray representing approximately 25% of all Arabidopsis thaliana genes (www.genevestigator.com). Seventeen genes which are early responsive to salicylic acid (SA) treatment as well as pathogen infection were selected and their T-DNA insertion mutants were obtained from SALK institute. To elucidate the role of each gene in defense response, bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (Pst) DC3000 was inoculated onto individual T-DNA insertion mutants. Four mutants exhibited decreased resistance and five mutants displayed significantly enhanced resistance against Pst DC3000-infection as measured by change in symptom development as compared to wild-type plants. Among them, member of uridin diphosphate (UDP)-glycosyltransferase (UGT) was of particular interest, since a UGT mutant (At1g05680) showed enhanced resistance to Pst-infection in Arabidopsis. In systemic acquired resistance (SAR) assay, this mutant showed enhanced activation of SAR. Also, the enhanced SAR correlated with increased expression of defense-related gene, AtPR1. These results emphasize that the glycosylation of UGT74E2 is a part of the SA-mediated disease-resistance mechanism.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제12권5호
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• pp.729-734
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• 2002

Radiorespirometric analysis revealed that Pseudomonas sp. strain KKI isolated from a soil contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons was able to catabolize polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons such as phenanthrene and naphthalene. The rate and extent of phenanthrene mineralization was markedly enhanced when the cells were pregrown on either naphthalene or phenanthrene, compared to the cells grown on universal carbon sources (i.e., TSA medium). Deduced amino acid sequence of the Rieske-type iron-sulfur center of a putative phenanthrene dioxygenase (PhnAl) obtained from the strain KKI shared significant homology with DxnAl (dioxin dioxygenase) from Spingomonas sp. RW1, BphA1b (biphenyl dioxygenase) from Spingomonas aromaticivorans F199, and PhnAc (phenanthrene diokygenase) from Burkholderia sp. RP007 or Alcaligenes faecalis AFK2. Northern hybridization using the dioxygenase gene fragment cloned from KKI showed that the expression of the putative phn dioxygenase gene reached the highest level in cells grown in the minimal medium containing phenanthrene and $KNO_3$, and the expression of the phn gene was repressed in cells grown with glucose. In addition to the metabolic change, phospholipid ester-linked fatty acids (PLFA) analysis revealed that the total cellular fatty acid composition of KKI was significantly changed in response to phenanthrene. Fatty acids such as 14:0, 16:0 3OH, 17:0 cyclo, 18:1$\omega$7c, 19:0 cyclo increased in phenanthrene-exposed cells, while fatty acids such as 10:0 3OH, 12:0, 12:0 2OH, 12:0 3OH, 16:1$\omega$7c, 15:0 iso 2OH, 16:0, 18:1$\omega$6c, 18:0 decreased.

• BMB Reports
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• 제32권4호
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• pp.399-404
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• 1999

2,3-Dihydroxybiphenyl 1,2-dioxygenase (2,3-DHBD), which catalyzes the ring meta-cleavage of 2,3-dihydroxybiphenyl, is encoded by the phnQ gene of biphenyl- and phenanthrene-degrading Pseudomonas sp. strain DJ77. We determined the nucleotide sequence of a DNA fragment of 1497 base pairs which included the phnQ gene. The fragment lncluded an open reading frame of 903 base pairs to accommodate the enzyme. The predicted amino acid sequence of the enzyme subunit consisted of 300 residues. In front of the gene, a sequence resembling an E. coli promoter was identified, which led to constitutive expression of the cloned gene in E. coli. The deduced amino acid sequence of the PhnQ enzyme exhibited 85.6% identity with that of the corresponding enzyme in Sphingomonas yanoikuyae Q1 (formerly S. paucimobilis Q1) and 22.1% identity with that of catechol 1,2,3-dioxygenase from the same DJ77 strain. PhnQ showed broader substrate preference than previously-cloned PhnE, catechol 2,3-dioxygenase. Ten amino acid residues, considered to be important for the role of extradiol dioxygenases, were conserved.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제16권9호
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• pp.1422-1428
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• 2006

An ABC transporter apparatus of the Gram-negative bacterial type I secretion pathway can be used as a secretory protein expression system in Escherichia coli. Four types of coexpression systems for the Pseudomonas fluorescens lipase gene, tliA, and its cognate ABC transporter gene cluster, tliDEF, were constructed. When the relative expression levels were changed by adding different concentrations of IPTG, the secretion (16.9 U/ml of culture) of TliA in E. coli [pTliDEFA-223+pACYC184] was significantly higher than E. coli [pKK223-3+pTliDEFA-184] secreting the lowest level of TliA (5.2 U/ml of culture). Maximal accumulation of the lipase secreted occurred in the mid-exponential phase, implying that the efficient protein secretion via an ABC transporter was restricted only to actively growing cells. Finally, the secretion level of TliA in E. coli [pTliDEFA-223+pACYC184] was increased to 26.4 U/ml by inducing gene expression at the culture initiation time. These results indicate that a significant increase in the ABC transporter-dependent protein secretion can be achieved by simply controlling the relative expression levels between the ABC transporter and its passenger protein, even in the recombinant E. coli cells.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• 제26권4호
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• pp.402-408
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• 2010

Plant matrix metalloproteases (MMPs) are a family of apoplastic metalloproteases closely related to human matrilysins. Up-regulation of Nicotiana benthamiana matrix metalloprotease 1 (NMMP1) expression by treatment with pathogens, ethephon and aging indicates that the gene is related to plant defense and the aging process through ethylene signaling. NMMP1 expression was higher than in normal growth leaves following infection with an incompatible pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato T1 or a compatible pathogen P. syringae pv. tabaci and in aged leaves. Transient overexpression of NMMP1 in N. benthamiana leaves lowered the growth of P. syringae pv. tabaci. However, NMMP1-silenced leaves showed increased growth of P. syringae pv. tabaci. These data strongly suggest that NMMP1 in N. benthamiana is a defense related gene, which is positively regulated by ethylene.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• 제3권1호
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• pp.11-14
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• 1998

A toluene-oxidizing strain of Pseudomanas mendocina KR1 containing toluene-4-mono-oxygenase (TMO) completely degrades TCE with the addition of toluene as a co-substrate in aerobic condition. In order to construct in situ bioremediation system for TCE degradation without any growth-stimulating nutrients or toxic inducer such as toluene, we used the carbon-starvation promoter of Pseudomonas putida MK1 (Kim, Y. et al., J. bacteriol., 1995). Upon entry into the stationary phase due to the deprivation of nutrients, this promoter is strongly induced without further cell growth. The TMO gene cluster (4.5 kb) was spliced downstream of the carbon starvation promoter of Pseudomonas putida MK1, already cloned in pUC19. TMO under the carbon starvation promoter was not expressed in E. coli cells either in stationary phase or exponential phase. For TMO expression in Pseudomonas strains, tmo and carbon starvation promoter region were recloned into a modified broad-host range vector pMMB67HES which was made from pMMB67HE(8.9 kb) by deletion of tac promoter and lacIq (about 1.5 kb). Indigo was produced by TMO under the carbon starvation promoter in a Pseudomonas strain of post-exponential phase on M9 (0.2% glucose and 1mM indole) or LB. 18% of TCE was degraded in 14 hours after entering the stationary phase at the initial concentration of 6.6 ${\mu}$M in liquid phase.

• Mycobiology
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• 제46권2호
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• pp.147-153
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• 2018

Certain beneficial microorganisms isolated from rhizosphere soil promote plant growth and induce resistance to a wide variety of plant pathogens. We obtained 49 fungal isolates from the rhizosphere soil of paprika plants, and selected 18 of these isolates that did not inhibit tomato seed germination for further investigation. Based on a seed germination assay, we selected four isolates for further plant tests. Treatment of seeds with isolate JF27 promoted plant growth in pot tests, and suppressed bacterial speck disease caused by Pseudomonas syringae pathovar (pv.) tomato DC3000. Furthermore, expression of the pathogenesis-related 1 (PR1) gene was higher in the leaves of tomato plants grown from seeds treated with JF27; expression remained at a consistently higher level than in the control plants for 12 h after pathogen infection. The phylogenetic analysis of a partial internal transcribed spacer sequence and the b-tubulin gene identified isolate JF27 as Aspergillus terreus. Taken together, these results suggest that A. terreus JF27 has potential as a growth promoter and could be used to control bacterial speck disease by inducing resistance in tomato plants.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제16권12호
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• pp.1995-1999
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• 2006

Pseudomonas sp. K82 cultured in p-hydroxybenzoate induces protocatechuate 4,5-dioxygenase (PCD 4,5) for p-hydroxybenzoate degradation. In this study, a 6.0-kbp EcoR1 fragment containing p-hydroxybenzoate degradation genes was cloned from the genome of Pseudomonas sp. K82. Sequence analysis identified four genes, namely, pcaD, pcaA, pcaB, and pcaC genes known to be involved in p-hydroxybenzoate degradation. Two putative 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenases and one putative oxidoreductase were closely located by the p-hydroxybenzoate degradation genes. The gene arrangement and sequences of these p-hydroxybenzoate degradation genes were similar to those of Comamonas testosteroni and Pseudomonas ochraceae. PcaAB (PCD4,5) was overexpressed in the expression vector pGEX-4T-3, purified using a GST column, and confirmed to have protocatechuate 4,5-dioxygenase activity. The N-terminal amino acid sequences of overexpressed PCD4,5 were identical with those of purified PCD4,5 from Pseudomonas sp. K82.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• 제24권1호
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• pp.37-40
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• 2012

The apidaecins are highly active against Gram-negative bacteria. Here, we show the expression and antibacterial activity of the bumblebee, Bombus ignitus, apidaecin. We PCR-amplified 51 bp of the active domain sequence of the B. ignitus apidaecin gene and expressed the recombinant B. ignitus apidaecin active domain in baculovirus-infected insect cells. The recombinant B. ignitus apidaecin active domain shows bactericidal activity against Gram-negative bacteria, including Pseudomonas tolaasii, a serious pathogen in cultivated mushrooms, but not Gram-positive bacteria. This result suggests that the active domain of the B. ignitus apidaecin is a potential antibacterial agent for the control of bacterial brown blotch diseases.

• Animal cells and systems
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• 제9권4호
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• pp.239-244
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• 2005

A cDNA clone for a wound- and pathogen-induced gene in Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa subsp. pekinensis) was isolated and characterized. The cabbage gene, designated BrPR4, encodes a pathogenesis-related protein 4 (PR4) of 140 amino acids. The BrPR4 protein shows high similarity with wound-inducible antifungal proteins of tobacco, potato, barley, and wheat. The BrPR4 gene is locally induced by a nonhost pathogen, Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato, that elicits a hypersensitive response in Chinese cabbage. Treatment of the cabbage leaves with benzothiadiazole (BTH), methyl jasmonate or ethephon showed that the BrPR4 gene expression is strongly induced by ethylene, but not by methyl jasmonate or BTH. The BrPR4 gene is also activated by wounding. Interestingly, however, the wound-inducible BrPR4 gene expression is repressed by salicylic acid or BTH, suggesting that there is cross-talk between salicylate-dependent and -independent signaling pathways.