We previously established a bioassay method to screen for compounds that activate the promoter activity of p21(WAF1/CIP1), a potent inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinases, in a p53-independent manner. As an activator of p21(WAF1/CIP1) promoter activity, we isolated cryptolepine (CLP: 5-methyl indolo (2,3b)-quiniine), an indoloquinoline alkaloid, from the traditional Ayurvedic medicinal plant Sid...

Xenocoumacin 1 (Xcn1), which is produced by Xenorhabdus nematophila CB6, exhibits strong inhibition activity against plant pathogens, especially fungi and oomycetes. Therefore, it has attracted interest in developing into a novel biofungicide applicable for protection. However, its low yield with concomitant high cost during the fermentation process limits widespread application. In this study,...

ppdb (http://www.ppdb.gene.nagoya-u.ac.jp) is a plant promoter database that provides promoter annotation of Arabidopsis and rice. The database contains information on promoter structures, transcription start sites (TSSs) that have been identified from full-length cDNA clones and also a vast amount of TSS tag data. In ppdb, the promoter structures are determined by sets of promoter elements ide...

Although lipo-chitooligosaccharides (LCOs) are important signal molecules for plant-symbiont interactions, a number of reports suggest that LCOs can directly impact plant growth and development, separate from any role in plant symbioses. In order to investigate this more closely, maize and Setaria seedlings were treated with LCO and their growth was evaluated. The data indicate that LCO treatme...

Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe), a widely consumed edible and medicinal plant, possesses significant nutritional economic value. Abiotic stresses such as drought low temperatures can impact the growth development of ginger. The plant-specific transcription factor Teosinte branched1/cycloidea/proliferating cell (TCP) has progressively been identified in various plants for its role regulating...

PsUGT1, which encodes a microsomal UDP-glucuronosyltransferase, was cloned from root tips of Pisum sativum. PsUGT1 expression is correlated with mitosis and strongly induced in dividing cells. A region at the C terminus of the encoded protein is closely related to the UDP-glucuronic acid binding site consensus sequence, and the protein encoded by PsUGT1 catalyzes conjugation of UDP-glucuronic a...

The transcription factor DREB1A/CBF3 specifically interacts with the dehydration responsive element (DRE/CRT) and induces expression of genes involved in environmental stress tolerance in Arabidopsis: Overexpression of DREB1A improved drought- and low-temperature stress tolerance in tobacco. The stress-inducible rd29A promoter minimized the negative effects on the plant growth in tobacco. Furth...

Although abiotic stress affects plant growth and development, demonstration of its direct effect on regulation of the components of the DNA replication machinery is largely unknown. In this work, we demonstrate that the expression of TOP2 (encoding topoisomerase II) is up-regulated by various abiotic stresses including salinity and low temperature, and phytohormones such as ABA (abscisic acid) ...