• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.53-59
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• 1998

The Rhizobium and Azospirillum spp. were isolated from the root nodules of several leguminous plants and rhizosphere of various paddy rice varieties. The growth of the nitrogen-fixing strains isolated was largely inhibited in yeast extract-mannitol medium (AMA) containing 0.6 M NaCl. In response to osmotic stress, the nitrogen-fixing strains accumulate intracellular free glutamate. The growth and nitrogenase activity of Rhizobium and Azospirillum were increased by addition of osmoprotectants such as proline, glycine betaine, and glutamate during salt stress. Glycine betaine was the most effective among exogenous osmoprotectants tested. In the absence of sodium chloride, nitrogenase activity seem to be slightly decreased by the presence of the proline or glycine betaine. These results revealed that nitrogenase activity was repressed by fixed nitrogens such as proline or glycine betaine.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.23 no.11
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• pp.1560-1568
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• 2013

Salmonella, a main cause of foodborne diseases, encounters a variety of environmental stresses and overcomes the stresses by multiple resistance strategies. One of the general responses to hyperosmotic stress is to import or produce compatible solutes so that cells maintain fluid balance and protect proteins and lipids from denaturation. The ProP and ProU systems are the main transport systems for compatible solutes. The OsmU system, recently identified as a third osmoprotectant transport system, debilitates excessive growth as well by reducing production of trehalose. We studied a fourth putative osmoprotectant transport system, YehZYXW, with high sequence similarity with the OsmU system. A Salmonella strain lacking YehZ, a predicted substrate-binding protein, did not suffer from hyperosmolarity but rather grew more rapidly than the wild type regardless of glycine betaine, an osmoprotectant, suggesting that the YehZYXW system controls bacterial growth irrespective of transporting glycine betaine. However, the growth advantage of ${\Delta}yehZ$ was not attributable to an increase in OtsBA-mediated trehalose production, which is responsible for the outcompetition of the ${\Delta}osmU$ strain. Overexpressed YehZ in trans was capable of deaccelerating bacterial growth vice versa, supporting a role of YehZ in dampening growth. The expression of yehZ was increased in response to nutrient starvation, acidic pH, and the presence of glycine betaine under hyperosmotic stress. Identifying substrates for YehZ will help decipher the role of the YehZYXW system in regulating bacterial growth in response to environmental cues.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.157-161
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• 2003

Proline is known as an osmoprotectant accumulating in response to salt and dehydration stresses. An increased level of proline is achieved by either an induced synthesis or a reduced degradation of proline. In an attempt to increase salt tolerance in carrot, a P5CS gene from mothbean was introduced via an Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. The resulting carrot cells and the regenerated plants containing the transgene showed increased levels of proline compared to nontransgenics. The transgenic cell line, Pj2 showed about 6 times increased degree of tolerance determined by relative growth after a treatment in 250 mM NaCl. In facts, due to the retarded growth shown in non-saline condition, Pj2 cells grow only about 1.2 times better than nontransgenic control under salt stress condition. Taken together, it appears that a P5CS is a key enzyme in proline biosynthesis and the increased accumulation of proline by overexpression of the enzyme is enough to enhance tolerance to salt stress in carrot.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.10
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• pp.1591-1602
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• 2019

To shed light on the genetic basis of salt tolerance in Enterococcus faecium, Enterococcus faecalis, and Tetragenococcus halophilus, we performed comparative genome analysis of 10 E. faecalis, 11 E. faecium, and three T. halophilus strains. Factors involved in salt tolerance that could be used to distinguish the species were identified. Overall, T. halophilus contained a greater number of potassium transport and osmoprotectant synthesis genes compared with the other two species. In particular, our findings suggested that T. halophilus may be the only one among the three species capable of synthesizing glycine betaine from choline, cardiolipin from glycerol and proline from citrate. These molecules are well-known osmoprotectants; thus, we propose that these genes confer the salt tolerance of T. halophilus.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.451-457
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• 1996

The effects of pH and L-cysteine HCI on the growth and stability of Biofidobacterium breve were studied. Significantly higher population was obtained by culturing at pH $6.0{\sim}6.5$ than at any other pH. The cultures that had been grown at pH $5.5{\sim}6.0$ were more stable during storage than those grown at other pH. The number of B. breve that had been grown at pH 5.5 and 6.0 remained as $2.4{\times}10^6ml/\;and\;1.4{\times}10^6ml,$ respectively, after 25 days of storage at $4^{\circ}C$. The ${\beta}$-galactosidase activity of B. breve grown at pH 5.5 and 6.0 was reduced only to $78{\sim}85%$ of the control after the same storage condition, whereas the culture grown at pH 7.0 exhibited a signficant decline in population and ${\beta}$-galactosidase activity during $4^{\circ}C$. The growth of B. breve was promoted by 0.05% L-cysteine HCI, and cells grown in MRS with $0.05{\sim}0.10%$ L-cysteine HCI were more resistant to hydrogen peroxide. With respect to the effect to the effect of osmoprotectants on the survival of B. breve subjected to freeze-drying, addition of 2 mM betaine of 2 mM trehalose increased the growth rate of cells grown under osmotic stress and also made the organism more osmotolerant. Furthermore, the betaine or trehalose increased the survivability of the cells after freeze-drying.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.174-180
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• 2004

A halophilic bacterium was isolated from fermented seafood. The 16S rDNA sequence identity between the isolate and Halomonas subglaciescola AJ306801 was above 95％. The isolate that did not grow in the condition without NaCl or in the condition with other sodium (Na$\^$+/) or chloride ions (Cl$\^$-/) instead of NaCl was named H. subglaciescola DH-l. Two mutants capable of growing without NaCl were obtained by random mutagenesis, of which their total soluble protein profiles were compared with those of the wild type by two-dimensional electrophoresis. The external compatible solutes (betaine and choline) and cell extract of the wild type did not function as osmoprotectants, and these parameters within the mutants did not enhance their growth in the saline environment. In the proton translocation test, rapid acidification of the reactant was not detected for the wild type, but it was detected for the mutant in the condition without NaCl. From these results, we derived the hypothesis that NaCl may be absolutely required for the energy metabolism of H. subglaciescola DH-l but not for its osmoregulation, and the mutants may have another modified proton translocation system that is independent of NaCl, except for those mutants with an NaCl-dependent system.

• Plant Biotechnology Reports
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.75-83
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• 2010

Glycine betaine has been reported as an osmoprotectant compound conferring tolerance to salinity and osmotic stresses in plants. We previously found that the expression of betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 gene (OsBADH1), encoding a key enzyme for glycine betaine biosynthesis pathway, showed close correlation with salt tolerance of rice. In this study, the expression of the OsBADH1 gene in transgenic tobacco was investigated in response to salt stress using a transgenic approach. Transgenic tobacco plants expressing the OsBADH1 gene were generated under the control of a promoter from the maize ubiquitin gene. Three homozygous lines of $T_2$ progenies with single transgene insert were chosen for gene expression analysis. RT-PCR and western blot analysis results indicated that the OsBADH1 gene was effectively expressed in transgenic tobacco leading to the accumulation of glycine betaine. Transgenic lines demonstrated normal seed germination and morphology, and normal growth rates of seedlings under salt stress conditions. These results suggest that the OsBADH1 gene could be an excellent candidate for producing plants with osmotic stress tolerance.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.477-483
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• 2016

Heat shock factors (Hsfs) are central regulators of abiotic stress responses, especially heat stress responses, in plants. In the current study, we characterized the activity of the Hsf gene HsfA3 in Arabidopsis under oxidative stress conditions. HsfA3 transcription in seedlings was induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS), exogenous hydrogen peroxide ($H_2O_2$), and an endogenous $H_2O_2$ propagator, 2,5-dibromo-3-methyl-6-isopropyl-p-benzoquinone (DBMIB). HsfA3-overexpressing transgenic plants exhibited increased oxidative stress tolerance compared to untransformed wild-type plants (WT), as revealed by changes in fresh weight, chlorophyll fluorescence, and ion leakage under light conditions. The expression of several genes encoding galactinol synthase (GolS), a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFOs), which function as antioxidants in plant cells, was induced in HsfA3 overexpressors. In addition, galactinol levels were higher in HsfA3 overexpressors than in WT under unstressed conditions. In transient transactivation assays using Arabidopsis leaf protoplasts, HsfA3 activated the transcription of a reporter gene driven by the GolS1 or GolS2 promoter. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays showed that GolS1 and GolS2 are directly regulated by HsfA3. Taken together, these findings provide evidence that GolS1 and GolS2 are directly regulated by HsfA3 and that GolS enzymes play an important role in improving oxidative stress tolerance by increasing galactinol biosynthesis in Arabidopsis.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.357-363
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• 2018

The objective of this study was to investigate whether exogenous proline (Pro) could confer freezing tolerance of spinach and determine fluctuations of free amino acids in spinach leaf tissues under freeze-induced stress. Treatment with Pro (10 mM) resulted in more accumulation of Pro (~2.6-fold) in Pro-treated spinaches compared to untreated ones. These Pro-pretreated spinaches were more freezing-tolerant, showing more turgid leaves and petioles compared to untreated controls. However, when spinaches pre-treated with or without Pro were subjected to freezing, there was no significant difference in overall amino acid contents, emphasizing the role of Pro as an osmoprotectant. Freezing stress prompted intensification of total amino acid contents irrespective of pretreatment with Pro. Asp, Glu, Ala, and Val were the most abundant free amino acids due to increased protein degradation and nitrogen mobilization for plant survival under freezing stress. Arg, a precursor for the synthesis of polyamines in plants, was profoundly enhanced under freezing stress. This implies that Arg plays an important role in modulating freezing tolerance. Gly, Leu, and Ile were maintained at relatively low levels in all treatments. However, Ser, Tyr, and Lys as primary constituents of dehydrins were accumulated under freezing stress, suggesting that they might play a role in increasing cryoprotective activity under freezing stress.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.334-341
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• 2000

The DMPT produced by marine algae is the main biogenic precursor of oceanic DMS. Also, DMPT is an efficient stimulant for growth, feeding, and body movement of fish and striped prawn, and appears to play a physiologic role as an osmoprotectant in algae. This study was focused on the extraction of dimethyl-$\beta$-propiothetin as bioactive substance from green seaweed. Identification and quantification of dimethyl-$\beta$-propiothetin were measured by headspace gas chromatography after conversion to dimethyl sulfide by treatment with saturated NaOH solution. Dimethyl-$\beta$-propiothetin was extracted through various processes(solvent extraction, ultrasonication, boiling and autoclaving) from Enteromorpha intesinalis. The content of dimethyl-$\beta$-propiothetin extracted by autoclaving treatment showed higher than those of various extraction methods. Dimethyl-$\beta$-propiothetin content in extract of Enteromorpha Enteromorpha was 311,200ng/g after autoclaving at 121$^{\circ}C$ for 60min. Dimethyl-$\beta$-propiothetin in extract of Enteromorpha intestinalis was comparatively stable under low temperature. The retentions of dimethyl-$\beta$-propiothetin content in extract of Enteromorpha intestinalis were 75.8 ~99.8% by incubation at 10~6$0^{\circ}C$ for 2 hours. Chemical decomposition of dimethyl-$\beta$-propiothetin was observed under laboratory conditions at pH values higher than 9.5.