Sung Woo Jeong

Influences of four different light-emitting diode lights on flowering and polyphenol variations in the leaves of chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium).

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are an efficient alternative to traditional lamps for plant growth. To investigate the influence of LEDs on flowering and polyphenol biosynthesis in the leaves of chrysanthemum, the plants were grown under supplemental blue, green, red, and white LEDs. Flower budding was formed even after a longer photoperiod than a critical day length of 13.5 h per day under blue light illumination. The weights of leaves and stems were highest under the white light illumination growth condition, whereas the weight of roots appeared to be independent of light quality. Among nine polyphenols characterized by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectroscopy, three polyphenols were identified for the first time in chrysanthemum. A quantitation and principal component analysis biplot demonstrated that luteolin-7-O-glucoside (2), luteolin-7-O-glucuronide (3), and quercetagetin-trimethyl ether (8) were the highest polyphenols yielded under green light, and dicaffeoylquinic acid isomer (4), dicaffeoylquinic acid isomer (5), naringenin (7), and apigenin-7-O-glucuronide (6) were greatest under red light. Chlorogenic acid (1) and 1,2,6-trihydroxy-7,8-dimethoxy-3-methylanthraquinone (9) were produced in similar concentrations under both light types. The white and blue light appeared inefficient for polyphenol production. Taken together, our results suggest that the chrysanthemum flowering and polyphenol production are influenced by light quality composition.

Determination of chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) polyphenol components using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry: Overall contribution to antioxidant activity.

The type and content of plant polyphenols can be influenced by maturity. Korean chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) leaves of three different maturities (young, mature, and aged) were extracted with 70% aqueous methanol. The polyphenols in the leaves were analysed for the first time using high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) and comparison with reported data. Among the 12 characterised components, five flavonoids, 3, 4, and 10-12, and a dicaffeoylquinic acid derivative, 6, were characterised for the first time in chokeberry leaves. Each polyphenol component was validated and quantified using a representative polyphenol standard of the same group. The antioxidant activity of the three different mature leaf extracts was determined. The antioxidant activity was highest for young leaves, followed by mature and aged leaves. The results suggest that younger chokeberry leaves may be more favourable for processing a higher quality functional tea due to their higher polyphenol content.

Proteomic analysis of Rhizoctonia solani AG-1 sclerotia maturation

Rhizoctonia solani (R. solani), a soil-borne necrotrophic pathogen, causes various plant diseases. Rhizoctonia solani is a mitosporic fungus, the sclerotium of which is the primary inoculum and ensures survival of the fungus during the offseason of the host crop. Since the fungus does not produce any asexual or sexual spores, understanding the biology of sclerotia is important to examine pathogen ecology and develop more efficient methods for crop protection. Here, one- and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (1-DE and 2-DE, respectively) were used to examine protein regulation during the maturation of fungal sclerotia. A total of 75 proteins (20 proteins from 1-DE using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI)-time of flight (TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) and 55 proteins from 2-DE using MALDI-TOF MS or MALDI-TOF/TOF MS) were differentially expressed during sclerotial maturation. The identified proteins were classified into ten categories based on their biological functions, including genetic information processing, carbohydrate metabolism, cell defense, amino acid metabolism, nucleotide metabolism, cellular processes, pathogenicity and mycotoxin production, and hypothetical or unknown functions. Interestingly, two vacuole function-related proteins were highly up-regulated throughout sclerotial maturation, which was confirmed at the transcript level by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis. These findings contribute to our understanding of the biology of R. solani sclerotia.

Determination of Polyphenol Components of Korean Prostrate Spurge (Euphorbia supina) by Using Liquid Chromatography—Tandem Mass Spectrometry: Overall Contribution to Antioxidant Activity

The Korean prostrate spurge Euphorbia supina is a weed that has been used in folk medicine in Korea against a variety of diseases. Nine polyphenols were characterized for this plant by using high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) and the results were compared with the literature data. The individual components were validated using the calibration curves of structurally related external standards and quantified for the first time by using the validated method. Correlation coefficients (r 2) were >0.9907. The limit of detection and limit of quantification of the method were >0.028 mg/L and 0.094 mg/L, respectively. Recoveries measured at 50 mg/L and 100 mg/L were 76.1–102.8% and 85.2–98.6%, respectively. The total amount of the identified polyphenols was 3352.9 ± 2.8 mg/kg fresh plant. Quercetin and kaempferol derivatives formed 84.8% of the total polyphenols. The antioxidant activities of the flavonoids were evaluated in terms of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl and 2,2′-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radical cation-scavenging activity, and the reducing power showed a dose-dependent increase. Cell viability was effectively suppressed at polyphenol mixture concentrations >250 mg/L.

Variation in flavonoid levels in Citrus benikoji Hort. ex. Tan. infected by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides.

Anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides is one of the most serious postharvest diseases of citrus fruit. Fruit peels infected with C. gloeosporioides and the peels of healthy fruit were analysed for flavonoids, using high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectroscopy, to evaluate variations in flavonoid levels in Citrus benikoji Hort. ex. Tan. Seventeen flavonoids were characterised from the fruit peels. The flavonoids were validated using structurally related standards and quantified. Among the 17 flavonoids, the concentration of component 3 was the highest and that of component 10 was the lowest. During 8 days after inoculation, the concentration of the seven flavonoids 1-3, 5, 6, 13, and 14 increased gradually up to day 8. Flavonoid 4 was detected from day 7. The seven minor flavonoid components, 8-12, 15, and 16 increased to day 5 and then decreased. However, flavonoids level variations were not significantly different from that of the non-infected fruits during the experimental period. The monitoring suggested that the constitutively formed seven polymethoxyflavones (8-12, 15, and 16) may act as phytoanticipins in the defence mechanism against the fungus, and that hespertin 7-O-glucoside (4), produced de novo on day 6 after infection, may function as a phytoalexin.

Determination of the variations in levels of phenolic compounds in soybean (Glycine max Merr.) sprouts infected by anthracnose (Colletotrichum gloeosporioides).

BACKGROUND Soybean sprouts (Kongnamool) are one of the most popular and nutritive traditional vegetables in East Asia. Anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides is one of the most serious diseases of soybean sprouts. In order to obtain basic information for breeding and/or selecting soybean genotypes with increased natural defense against anthracnose, phenolic compounds were profiled for healthy and infected soybean (Glycine max Merr.) sprouts by using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. RESULTS Tryptophan and eight phenolic compounds (daidzin, genistin, malonyldaidzin, malonylgenistin, daidzein, glycitein, genistein and coumestrol) were determined from healthy and inoculated sprouts. Total identified phenolic content was 40.02 ± 0.03 mg kg⁻¹, 99.4% of which was isoflavones. CONCLUSION The monitoring suggested that de novo induced glycitein appeared to act as a phytoalexin in the defence mechanism of the soybean sprouts against C. gloeosporioides, and constitutively formed seven phenolic components that functioned as phytoanticipins in the diseased soybean sprouts.

The effects of different night-time temperatures and cultivation durations on the polyphenolic contents of lettuce: Application of principal component analysis.

The present study was conducted to characterize the polyphenolic contents of lettuce leaves grown under different night-time temperatures (4, 12, and 20 °C) and cultivation durations (5, 15, and 20 days) using high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). The assay method was validated based on specificity, linearity, accuracy, precision, and the performance limit. The total polyphenolic contents were highest (2462.6 mg/kg) after transplantation at a night temperature of 20 °C on day 20 and lowest (1132.7 mg/kg) at the same temperature on day 5. Quantification and principal component analysis showed that the relative contents of quercetin and kaempferol were markedly higher during the early stage of cultivation (day 5) than those of day 15 and 20, and that night-time temperatures of 12 and 20 °C on day 20 were favorable for producing polyphenol-rich lettuce containing caffeic acid. In conclusion, a synergistic effect between high night-time temperatures (12 and 20 °C) and cultivation duration (20 days) produced lettuce rich in polyphenols compared to that at low temperature (4 °C).

Comparative proteomic analysis of plant responses to sound waves in Arabidopsis

Environmental factors greatly influence the growth, development, and even genetic characteristics of plants. The mechanisms by which sound influences plant growth, however, remain obscure. Previously, our group reported that several genes were differentially regulated by specific frequenciesof sound treatmentusing a sound-treated subtractive library. In this study, we used a proteomic approach to investigate plant responses to sound waves in Arabidopsis. The plants were exposed to 250-Hz or 500-Hz sound waves, and total proteins were extracted from leaves 8 h and 24 h after treatment. Proteins extracted from leaves were subjected to 2-DE analysis. Thirty-eight spots were found to be differentially regulated in response to sound waves and were identified using MALDI-TOF MS and MALDI-TOF/TOF MS. The functions of the identified proteins were classified into photosynthesis, stress and defense, nitrogen metabolism, and carbohydrate metabolism. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the analysis of protein changes in response to sound waves in Arabidopsis leaves. These findings provide a better understanding of the molecular basis of responses to sound waves in Arabidopsis.

Phospholipid profiling of 57 soybean (Glycine max) varieties by high‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry and principal component analysis to classify Korean soybean germplasm

Phospholipids (PLs) in 57 varieties of soybeans were profiled by high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry and principal component analysis (PCA) to discriminate PL-rich soybeans. The PL calibration curves showed linearity with correlation coefficients >0.9964. The recoveries at 5 mg/L spiked level ranged from 72.8 to 86.7% and those at 12.5 mg/L from 78.2 to 85.1%. The repeatability at a 5 mg/L spiked level ranged from 2.5 to 7.0% and those at 12.5 mg/L from 1.2 to 3.9%. The average total PL content in the 57 soybean varieties was about 35.3 mg/kg. The total PL content was the highest in Aodaiz (35, 48.7 ± 1.4 mg/kg) and the lowest in Poongsannamul (56, 16.0 ± 0.7 mg/kg). The PCA showed that RS-78sun (42), Gyeongsang #1 (3) and Aodaiz (35) are the most improved varieties of the investigated 57 varieties from the viewpoint of PL content.