Sun-Min Kim

Differential Induction of PepTLP Expression via Complex Regulatory System against Fungal Infection, Wound, and Jasmonic Acid Treatment during Pre-and Post-Ripening of Nonclimacteric Pepper Fruit

Ripe fruit of pepper (Capsicum annuum) showed resistance to Colletotrichum gloeoporioides, but unripe fruit was susceptible. We previously isolated the PepTLP gene that induced in both unripe and ripe fruit by fungal infection and wound, and only in ripe fruit by jasmonic acid (JA) treatment. To examine further regulation of PepTLP, the action of specific agonist and antagonists of known signaling effector on the .PepTLP expression by fungal infection, wound, and JA was investigated. A similar dephosphorylation event negatively activated all the PepTLP expression in the ripe fruit by fungal infection, wound, and JA. The induction of PepTLP expression by wound is differentially regulated via phosphorylation and dephosphorylation step during pre- and post-ripening, respectively. In addition, the induction of PepTLP expression in the ripe fruit by wound and JA is differentially regulated via dephosphorylation and phosphorylation step, respectively. Only both wound and JA treatment has synergistic effect on the PepTLP expression in the unripe fruit. Both SA and JA treatments on the unripe fruit, and both wound or JA and SA on the ripe fruit could not do any effect on the expression of PepTLP. These results suggest that the induction of PepTLP expression is differentially regulated via complex regulatory system against fungal infection, wound, and JA treatment during pre- and post-ripening of pepper fruit.

Measurement of the Anti-oxidative Properties of Extract from Medicinal Plants Using an On-line HPLC-DPPH Assay

Natural anti-oxidative compounds have important disease prevention and food preservation properties, in addition to anti-bacterial, anti-inflammation, anti-cancer, and skin whitening effects. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), with an ultra vilolet (UV) detector coupled to a reverse phase C18 column and an online measurement system for 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) radicals, was used to search for potent antioxidative compounds in crude extracts. The online HPLCDPPH assay was then applied to confirm antioxidative compounds in water extracts from Radix of Pueraria lobata, Rhizoma of Zingiber officinale, Fructus of Chaenomeles sinensis, Cortex of Ulmus pumila, and Radix of Astragalus membranaceus. To determine the yields of the extracts, the Brix% of each extract solution was measured using a refractometer. When the relative DPPH radical scavenging ability values of the water extracts were compared with those of a positive control (ascorbic acid), the water extracts of P. lobata, C. sinensis, and U. pumila were 7.77%, 4.71%, and 4.19%, respectively. The results suggest that this method provides a useful assay for rapid measurement of DPPH radical scavenging abilities and conformation of antioxidative compounds in natural products. Moreover, it can reduce the time spent on the separation of active compounds from natural materials, such as medicinal plants, in addition to the use of reagents for separation.