Although a large number of microRNAs (miRNAs) have been identified in different plant species, the functional roles and targets of the majority of miRNAs have not yet been determined. Here, Arabidopsis thaliana miRNA400 (miR400) was investigated for its functional role in the defense response to diverse pathogens. Transgenic Arabidopsis plants that overexpress MIR400 (35S::MIR400) displayed much more severe disease symptoms than the wild-type plants when infected with the bacterium Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 or the fungus Botrytis cinerea. MiR400 guided the cleavage of two genes (At1g06580 and At1g62720) encoding pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) proteins. To confirm further that the miR400-mediated defense response was due to the cleavage of PPR mRNAs, loss-of-function mutant and artificial miRNA-mediated knockdown mutants of PPR were generated, and their disease responses were analyzed upon pathogen challenge. Similar to the 35S::MIR400 plants, the ppr mutants displayed much more severe disease symptoms than the wild-type plants when challenged with the pathogens, indicating that miR400 affects the defense response by cleaving PPR mRNAs. Expression of miR400 was down-regulated, whereas the PPR1 and PPR2 transcripts increased upon pathogen challenge. Collectively, the present study reveals that miR400-mediated dysfunction of PPR proteins renders Arabidopsis more susceptible to pathogenic bacteria and fungi, which emphasizes the importance of PPR proteins in plant defense against diverse pathogens.
In this study, the quality characteristics of scones containing 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8% Pinus koraiensis (Korean pine) leaf powder were analyzed. P. koraiensis is a plant belonging to the pine family and the leaf of P. koraiensis are known to have various effects, including antioxidant functions. The specific gravity, baking loss, moisture content, pH, chromaticity, texture, and antioxidant activity of the scones were measured. The results showed that, with the concentration of P. koraiensis leaf powder (PKLP) increased, the scones showed a significant decrease (P<0.001) in specific gravity. Regarding chromaticity, the brightness decreased significantly (P<0.001), and there was a significant increase (P<0.001) in redness after the addition of PKLP. We also found that the hardness of the scones was significantly decreased (P=0.001) with the addition of leaf powder. Regarding the antioxidant activity, the contents of polyphenols (P=0.007), flavonoids (P<0.001), and 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (P<0.001) were all significantly increased with the addition of the leaf powder. This study provides potential for the development of various foods using P. koraiensis leaf.
It has been shown that circulating tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) is elevated in end stage renal disease patients; however, the relationship between TNF-α and the development of infection in these patients is unknown. In this study, we investigated the association of plasma TNF-α and interleukin 6 (IL-6) with infection in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. We also evaluated the association of their plasma levels with the production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), and with various clinical parameters.We enrolled 32 patients on maintenance PD and 10 healthy controls. Plasma and PBMC were isolated from blood. PBMC were stimulated with lipopolysaccharide in vitro.Mean follow-up duration was 775 days. Six patients developed organ infections (five pneumonia and one liver abscess), and six patients developed PD peritonitis and eight developed exit site infection. Plasma TNF-α and IL-6 levels were significantly elevated in organ infections but not in peritonitis or in exit site infection. Plasma TNF-α was the only significant risk factor for organ infections and pneumonia in multivariate regression analysis. Patients with high plasma TNF-α levels showed a significantly greater cumulative hazard rate for organ infections compared to those with low TNF-α levels. Plasma TNF-α levels correlated with TNF-α production by PBMC and showed an inverse association with Kt/V.This is the first study showing that plasma TNF-α is a significant risk factor for infection in PD patients.
Despite the fact that a large number of miRNA sequences have been determined in diverse plant species, reports demonstrating the functional roles of miRNAs in the plant response to pathogens are severely limited. Here, Arabidopsis thaliana miRNA844 (miR844) was investigated for its functional role in the defense response to diverse pathogens. Transgenic Arabidopsis plants overexpressing miR844 (35S::miR844) displayed much more severe disease symptoms than the wild-type plants when challenged with the bacterium Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 or the fungus Botrytis cinerea. By contrast, a loss-of-function mir844 mutant showed an enhanced resistance against the pathogens. Although no cleavage was observed at the predicted cleavage site of the putative target mRNA, cytidinephosphate diacylglycerol synthase3 (CDS3), cleavage was observed at 6, 12, 21, or 52 bases upstream of the predicted cleavage site of CDS3 mRNA, and the level of CDS3 mRNA was downregulated by the overexpression of miR844, implying that miR844 influences CDS3 transcript level. To further confirm that the miR844-mediated defense response was due to the decrease in CDS3 mRNA level, the disease response of a CDS3 loss-of-function mutant was analyzed upon pathogen challenge. Increased susceptibility of both cds3 mutant and 35S::miR844 plants to pathogens confirmed that miR844 affected the defense response by downregulating CDS3 mRNA. The expression of miR844 was decreased, and the CDS3 transcript level increased upon pathogen challenge. Taken together, these results provide evidence that downregulation of miR844 and a concomitant increase in CDS3 expression is a defensive response of Arabidopsis to bacteria and fungi.
The rate of skipping breakfast in Korea is steadily increasing. Even if they eat breakfast, they tend to prefer simple meals. In addition, interest in nutritious foods is increasing. Therefore, in this study, Jinmal Dasik was prepared by adding Cordyceps militaris powder, which is known to have various effects. In this study, Jinmal Dasik with Cordyceps militaris powder added as a simple breakfast substitute was prepared. And to test the quality and characteristics, 0%, 3%, 6%, 9%, and 12% of Cordyceps militaris powder were added. The moisture content was highest in the 12% addition group and lowest in the control group (p=0.068). The chromaticity decreased significantly as the L value increased from the control group (p=0.010). DPPH (p0.001) and ABTS (p0.001) increased significantly from the control group as the amount added increased. In mineral contents, Calcium was highest in the 9% addition group and lowest in the 3% addition group (p=0.050). Iron showed a significantly increased value as the amount of iron added increased (p=0.030). Potassium showed a significantly increased value as the amount added increased (p=0.003). Through the antioxidant power and various effects of Cordyceps militaris, it is thought to be helpful in developing nutritionally excellent and convenient breakfast substitutes, and it is also thought to be helpful in the development of various foods using Cordyceps militaris.
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