Saponarin (SA), a natural flavonoid, is known for its antioxidant and hepatoprotective activities. SA is the predominant compound (1142.7 ± 0.9 mg per 100 g) in barley sprouts, constituting 72% of the total polyphenol content. We investigated, for the first time, the effects of SA from barley sprouts on cellular anti-inflammatory responses. In lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages, SA suppressed the activation of NF-κB, as evidenced by the inhibition of NF-κB DNA binding, nuclear translocation, IκBα phosphorylation, and reporter gene expression, and it downregulated the expression of the pro-inflammatory mediator IL-6. Furthermore, SA reduced the transcription of NF-κB target molecules COX2 and FLIP inhibited the phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases ERK and p38. These results suggest that SA isolated from barley sprouts exerts anti-inflammatory effects in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages via inhibition of NF-κB, ERK and p38 signaling. Thus, SA may be a promising natural anti-inflammatory agent.
Most high-affinity phosphate transporter genes (OsPTs) in rice were highly induced in roots when phosphate was depleted. OsPT1, however, was highly expressed in primary roots and leaves regardless of external phosphate concentrations. This finding was confirmed histochemically using transgenic rice plants that express the GUS reporter gene under the control of the OsPT1 promoter, which exhibited high GUS activity even in the phosphate sufficient condition. Furthermore, transgenic rice plants overexpressing the OsPT1 gene accumulated almost twice as much phosphate in the shoots as did wild-type plants. As a result, transgenic plants had more tillers than did wild-type plants, which is a typical physiological indicator for phosphate status in rice.
Identification of the PCR markers tightly linked to genes that encode important agronomic traits is useful for marker-assisted selection (MAS). The rice Pi5(t) locus confers broad-spectrum resistance to Magnaporthe grisea, the causal agent of rice blast disease. It has been hypothesized that the Pi5(t) locus carries the same gene as that encoded by the Pi3(t) and Pii(t) loci. We developed three PCR-based dominant markers (JJ80-T3, JJ81-T3, and JJ113-T3) from three previously identified BIBAC clones-JJ80, JJ81, and JJ113-that are linked to the Pi5 (t) locus. PCR analysis of 24 monogenic lines revealed that these markers are present only in lines that carry Pi5 (t), Pi3(t), and Pii(t). PCR and DNA gel-blot analysis of candidate resistance lines using JJ80-T3, JJ81-T3, and JJ113-T3 indicated that Tetep is the likely donor of Pi5(t).Of the 184 rice varieties tested, 34 carried the JJ80-T3-, JJ81-T3-, and JJ113-T3-specific bands. Disease evaluation of those 34 varieties revealed that all conferred resistance to PO6-6. The genomic structure of three of these resistant varieties (i.e., IR72, Taebaeg, Jahyangdo) is most similar to that of Pi5(t). Our results demonstrate the usefulness of the JJ80-T3, JJ81-T3, and JJ113-T3 markers for MAS for M. grisea resistance.
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