Risk assessment of hexachlorobutadiene (HCBD) in the Korean diet.

Hexachlorobutadiene (HCBD) is a persistent organic pollutant (POP), and a toxin whose primary target organ is the kidney. Consequently, quantifying the amount of HCBD in food is essential for determining whether it poses a health risk. The current study established and validated an analytical method for assessing HCBD in food using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS).

Eco-friendly synthesis of lignin mediated silver nanoparticles as a selective sensor and their catalytic removal of aromatic toxic nitro compounds.

The development of an eco-friendly and reliable process for the production of nanomaterials is essential to overcome the toxicity and exorbitant cost of conventional methods. As such, a facile and green synthesis method is introduced for the preparation of lignin mediated silver nanoparticles (L-Ag NPs). This is produced by reducing Ag precursors using lignin biopolymers which are formulated by pulsed laser irradiation and an ultrasonication process.

Expression of the floral repressor miRNA156 is positively regulated by the AGAMOUS-like proteins AGL15 and AGL18.

The regulation of flowering time has crucial implications for plant fitness. MicroRNA156 (miR156) represses the floral transition in Arabidopsis thaliana, but the mechanisms regulating its transcription remain unclear. Here, we show that two AGAMOUS-like proteins, AGL15 and AGL18, act as positive regulators of the expression of MIR156.

Regulation of temperature-responsive flowering by MADS-box transcription factor repressors.

Changes in ambient temperature affect flowering time in plants; understanding this phenomenon will be crucial for buffering agricultural systems from the effects of climate change. Here, we show that levels of FLM-β, an alternatively spliced form of the flowering repressor FLOWERING LOCUS M, increase at lower temperatures, repressing flowering. FLM-β interacts with SHORT VEGETATIVE PHASE (SVP); SVP is degraded at high temperatures, reducing the abundance of the SVP-FLM-β repressor complex and, thus, allowing the plant to flower.

Differential requirement of Oryza sativa RAR1 in immune receptor-mediated resistance of rice to Magnaporthe oryzae.

The required for Mla12 resistance (RAR1) protein is essential for the plant immune response. In rice, a model monocot species, the function of Oryza sativa RAR1 (OsRAR1) has been little explored. In our current study, we characterized the response of a rice osrar1 T-DNA insertion mutant to infection by Magnaporthe oryzae, the causal agent of rice blast disease.

Creation of resveratrol-enriched rice for the treatment of metabolic syndrome and related diseases.

Resveratrol has been clinically shown to possess a number of human health benefits. As a result, many attempts have been made to engineer resveratrol production in major cereal grains but have been largely unsuccessful. In this study, we report the creation of a transgenic rice plant that accumulates 1.

A comprehensive expression analysis of the WRKY gene superfamily in rice plants during defense response.

To understand the transcriptional regulatory mechanism of host genes during the activation of defense responses in rice, we isolated WRKY transcription factors whose expressions were altered upon attack of the fungal pathogen Magnaporthe grisea, the causal agent of the devastating rice blast disease. A systematic expression analysis of OsWRKYs (Oryza sativa L. WRKYs) revealed that among 45 tested genes the expression of 15 genes was increased remarkably in an incompatible interaction between rice and M.