Publications

isolation and characterisation of a cysteine protease (phytolacain g), from phytolacca americana roots.	protein extracts obtained from dried and fresh roots of phytolacca americana l. (phytolaccaceae) were examined in order to identify and characterise individual proteins. the extracts were compared with a commercial pokeweed mitogen standard using sds polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (sds-page). a dominant protein, present in both the extracts and the pokeweed mitogen standard, was isolated by subsequent ammonium sulphate fractionation, anion exchange chromatography, gel filtration and sds-page ...	2004	15490323
pokeweed antiviral protein inhibits brome mosaic virus replication in plant cells.	pokeweed antiviral protein (pap) is a ribosome-inactivating protein isolated from the pokeweed plant (phytolacca americana) that inhibits the proliferation of several plant and animal viruses. we have shown previously that pap and nontoxic mutants of pap can directly depurinate brome mosaic virus (bmv) rna in vitro, resulting in reduced viral protein translation. here we expand on these initial studies and, using a barley protoplast system, demonstrate that recombinant pap and nontoxic mutants i ...	2005	15764597
summer weeds as hosts for frankliniella occidentalis and frankliniella fusca (thysanoptera: thripidae) and as reservoirs for tomato spotted wilt tospovirus in north carolina.	in north carolina, tomato spotted wilt tospovirus (family bunyaviridae, genus tospovirus, tswv) is vectored primarily by the tobacco thrips, frankliniella fusca (hinds), and the western flower thrips, frankliniella occidentalis (pergande) (thysanoptera: thripidae). tswv overwinters in winter annual weeds from which it is spread to susceptible crops in spring. because most susceptible crops are destroyed after harvest before winter weeds emerge in the fall, infected summer weeds are thought to be ...	2005	16539098
comparison of solid and liquid forms of homeopathic remedies for tonsillitis.	the efficacy of three plants used in homeopathy to treat acute tonsillitis was evaluated. a fixed combination of three plant substances (phytolacca americana, guajacum officinale, capsicum annuum) was used in either solid (tablet) or liquid (drop) formulation: 107 patients were treated and no antibiotics were used. the objective and subjective symptoms of acute tonsillitis were noted. a significant decrease in symptoms was observed as early as 2.5 days after treatment startup; no serious adverse ...	2006	10351119
trypsin inhibitors from the garden four o'clock (mirabilis jalapa) and spinach (spinacia oleracea) seeds: isolation, characterization and chemical synthesis.	five serine proteinase inhibitors (mirabilis jalapa trypsin inhibitors, mjti i and ii and spinacia oleracea trypsin inhibitors, soti i, ii, and iii) from the garden four-o'clock (m. jalapa) and spinach (s. oleracea) seeds were isolated. the purification procedures included affinity chromatography on immobilized methylchymotrypsin in the presence of 5m nacl, ion exchange chromatography and/or preparative electrophoresis, and finally rp-hplc on a c-18 column. the inhibitors, crosslinked by three d ...	2007	17481678
transcriptional control of anthocyanin biosynthetic genes in the caryophyllales.	anthocyanins and betacyanins, two types of red pigment, have never been found to occur together in plants. although anthocyanins are widely distributed in higher plants, betacyanins have replaced anthocyanins in the caryophyllales. the accumulation of flavonols in the caryophyllales suggests that the step(s) of anthocyanin biosynthesis from dihydroflavonols to anthocyanins could be blocked in the caryophyllales. dihydroflavonol 4-reductase (dfr) and anthocyanidin synthase (ans) cdnas were isolat ...	2007	17185736
expression of pokeweed antiviral protein in mammalian cells activates c-jun nh2-terminal kinase without causing apoptosis.	pokeweed antiviral protein (pap) is a ribosome inactivating protein isolated from the pokeweed plant (phytolacca americana l.) that exhibits broad range antiviral activity against several human viruses including hiv and influenza. this characteristic suggests that pap may have therapeutic applications; however, it is not known whether the protein elicits a ribotoxic stress response that would result in cell death. therefore, we expressed pap in 293t cells and showed that the enzyme did not inhib ...	2008	18573678
depurination of brome mosaic virus rna3 in vivo results in translation-dependent accelerated degradation of the viral rna.	pokeweed antiviral protein (pap) is a ribosome-inactivating protein isolated from the pokeweed plant (phytolacca americana) that exhibits antiviral activity against several plant and animal viruses. we have shown previously that pap depurinates brome mosaic virus (bmv) rnas in vitro and that prior incubation of these rnas with pap reduced their synthesis in barley protoplasts. to investigate the post-transcriptional effect of pap on viral rna in vivo, we transcribed bmv rna3 and expressed pap in ...	2008	18815133
interferon gamma production in the course of mycobacterium tuberculosis infection.	it is not clear why some individuals with unknown predisposition develop tuberculosis, while others remain healthy in spite of heavy exposure. interferon gamma (ifngamma) is considered to be the key cytokine responsible for resistance to m. tuberculosis infection, as confirmed by increased susceptibility to mycobacterial infections in rare inherited defects in il-12-ifngamma axis. the aim of this study was to assess the ifngamma production by peripheral blood lymphocytes from immunocompetent tub ...	2008	19218702
bioactive triterpene saponins from the roots of phytolacca americana.	five new triterpene saponins named phytolaccasaponins n-1 (1), n-2 (2), n-3 (3) n-4 (4), and n-5 (5) were isolated from the roots of phytolacca americana together with seven known triterpene saponins (6-12). the structures of the five new saponins were established as shown in structures 1-5 on the basis of their spectroscopic data. the mdr-reversal activity of 1-12 was evaluated on the basis of the amount of calcein accumulated in mdr human ovarian cancer 2780 ad cells in the presence of each co ...	2008	18177012
[antioxidative response of phytolacca americana and nicotiana tabacum to manganese stresses].	plant species capable of accumulating heavy metals are of considerable interest for phytoremediation and phytomining. the mechanism of mn tolerance/hyperaccumulate in phytolacca americana l. is less known. to elucidate the role of antioxidative enzyme in response to mn, the 6-week-old seedling of mn hyperaccumulator p. americana and non-accumulator-tobacco (nicotiana tabacum) were exposed to half strength hoagland solution with 1 mmol x l(-1) or 3 mmol x l(-1) mncl2 for 4 days. the photosyntheti ...	2009	20187406
improvement of in vitro oocyte maturation with lectin supplementation and expression analysis of cx43, gdf-9, fgf-4 and fibronectin mrna transcripts in buffalo (bubalus bubalis).	to optimize in vitro maturation (ivm) of quality oocytes for embryo production through ivf and scnt.	2009	19629675
common plant toxicology: a comparison of national and southwest ohio data trends on plant poisonings in the 21st century.	data from the american association of poison control centers (aapcc) and the cincinnati-based drug and poison information center (dpic) were analyzed to determine the incidence and trends of human plant poisonings since the year 2000. approximately 3.4% of the approximately 4.3million annual calls to the aapcc centers involved plants, with a higher fraction (4.5%) for pediatric exposures. nearly 70% of plant exposures occurred in children under six. only 8% of cases required treatment in a healt ...	2010	21034756
Regioselective glucosidation of trans-resveratrol in Escherichia coli expressing glucosyltransferase from Phytolacca americana.	A glucosyltransferase (GT) of Phytolacca americana (PaGT3) was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified for the synthesis of two O-ß-glucoside products of trans-resveratrol. The reaction was moderately regioselective with a ratio of 4'-O-ß-glucoside: 3-O-ß-glucoside at 10:3. We used not only the purified enzyme but also the E. coli cells containing the PaGT3 gene for the synthesis of glycoconjugates. E. coli cell cultures also have other advantages, such as a shorter incubation time compared w ...	2011	22048846
growth and cesium uptake responses of phytolacca americana linn. and amaranthus cruentus l. grown on cesium contaminated soil to elevated co2 or inoculation with a plant growth promoting rhizobacterium burkholderia sp. d54, or in combination.	growth and cesium uptake responses of plants to elevated co(2) and microbial inoculation, alone or in combination, can be explored for clean-up of contaminated soils, and this induced phytoextraction may be better than the natural process. the present study used open-top chambers to investigate combined effects of burkholderia sp. d54 inoculation and elevated co(2) (860 μl l(-1)) on growth and cs uptake by phytolacca americana and amaranthus cruentus grown on soil spiked with various levels of c ...	2011	22074893
[antioxidative enzymes play key roles in cadmium tolerance of phytolacca americana].	phytolacca americana l. has the capacity to take up and accumulate to very high levels heavy metals such as mn and cd, and is used for phytoextraction of heavy metal contaminated soils. the role of antioxidative enzyme of phytolacca americana in response to cd stress is unknown. the 6-week-old seedlings of phytolacca americana were exposed to half strength hoagland solution with 200 micromol/l cdcl2 or 400 micromol/l cdcl2 for 4 days. the content of h2o2 and mda, and electrolyte leakage increase ...	2011	21634194
[cloning and expression of pokeweed antiviral protein gene from phytolacca amercana in pichia pastoris and the study of apoptosis of human neuroglioma cells u251 induced by recombinant pap].	to clone the pokeweed anti-viral protein (pap) gene, to express it in pichia pastroris, and to study the inhibitory effect of pap on u251 in vitro.	2011	21910345
elevated co2 increases cs uptake and alters microbial communities and biomass in the rhizosphere of phytolacca americana linn (pokeweed) and amaranthus cruentus l. (purple amaranth) grown on soils spiked with various levels of cs.	general concern about increasing global atmospheric co(2) levels owing to the ongoing fossil fuel combustion and elevated levels of radionuclides in the environment, has led to growing interest in the responses of plants to interactive effects of elevated co(2) and radionuclides in terms of phytoremediation and food safety. to assess the combined effects of elevated co(2) and cesium contamination on plant biomass, microbial activities in the rhizosphere soil and cs uptake, phytolacca americana l ...	2012	22507353
[prevention and control of invaded plant phytolacca americana in sandy coastal shelter forests].	the invasion of phytolacca americana has produced serious damage to the coastal shelter forests in china. in order to search for the effective measures for controlling the growth of p. americana, several plots in the robinia pseudoacacia forest invaded by p. americana to the relatively same extent were installed, and the measures of physical control (mowing and root cutting) and chemical control (spraying herbicides) were adopted to control the invasion of p. americana, taking the site with good ...	2012	22803465
poke weed mitogen requires toll-like receptor ligands for proliferative activity in human and murine b lymphocytes.	poke weed mitogen (pwm), a lectin purified from phytolacca americana is frequently used as a b cell-specific stimulus to trigger proliferation and immunoglobulin secretion. in the present study we investigated the mechanisms underlying the b cell stimulatory capacity of pwm. strikingly, we observed that highly purified pwm preparations failed to induce b cell proliferation. by contrast, commercially available pwm preparations with b cell activity contained toll-like receptor (tlr) ligands such a ...	2012	22238657
formation of tetrahydrocurcumin by reduction of curcumin with cultured plant cells of marchantia polymorpha.	cultured plant cells of marchantia polymorpha, nicotiana tabacum, phytolacca americana, catharanthus roseus, and gossypium hirsutum were examined for their ability to reduce curcumin. only m. polymorpha cells converted curcumin into tetrahydrocurcumin in 90% yield in one day. time-course experiment revealed a two-step formation of tetrahydrocurcumin via dihydrocurcumin.	2012	22574459
inhibition of pokeweed antiviral protein (pap) by turnip mosaic virus genome-linked protein (vpg).	pokeweed antiviral protein (pap) from phytolacca americana is a ribosome-inactivating protein (rip) and an rna n-glycosidase that removes specific purine residues from the sarcin/ricin loop of large rrna, arresting protein synthesis at the translocation step. pap is also a cap-binding protein and is a potent antiviral agent against many plant, animal, and human viruses. to elucidate the mechanism of rna depurination, and to understand how pap recognizes and targets various rnas, the interactions ...	2012	22773840
inhibition of japanese encephalitis virus infection in vitro and in vivo by pokeweed antiviral protein.	pokeweed antiviral protein (pap) is a plant-derived n-glycosidase ribosomal-inactivating protein isolated from phytolacca americana. the antiviral activity of pap has been described in several viruses. this study was to investigate the antiviral activity of pap against japanese encephalitis virus (jev) infection in vitro and in vivo. antiviral activity of pap against jev infection was evaluated in vitro using plaque forming assay, qrt-pcr and western blot analysis. in vitro results showed that p ...	2013	23142554
fungal inoculation and elevated co2 mediate growth of lolium mutiforum and phytolacca americana, metal uptake, and metal bioavailability in metal-contaminated soil: evidence from dgt measurement.	fungal inoculation and elevated co2 may mediate plant growth and uptake of heavy metals, but little evidence from diffusive gradients in thin-films (dgt) measurement has been obtained to characterize the process. lolium mutiforum and phytolacca americana were grown at ambient and elevated co2 on naturally cd and pb contaminated soils inoculated with and without trichoderma asperellum strain c3 or penicillium chrysogenum strain d4, to investigate plant growth, metal uptake, and metal bioavailabil ...	2013	23488012
antioxidant and acetylcholinesterase inhibition properties of amorpha fruticosa l. and phytolacca americana l.	amorpha fruticosa l. and phytolacca americana l. are native plants for north america, but invasive for central europe and the mediterranean areas. previous investigation reported dpph radical scavenging activity of a. fruticosa seeds from mississippi river basin and p. americana berries from iran. the aim of the present study was to investigate methanol extracts from leaves and fruits of these invasive species growing in bulgaria for radical scavenging and acetylcholinesterase inhibitory potenti ...	2013	23772105
pokeweed antiviral protein alters splicing of hiv-1 rnas, resulting in reduced virus production.	processing of hiv-1 transcripts results in three populations in the cytoplasm of infected cells: full-length rna, singly spliced, and multiply spliced rnas. rev, regulator of virion expression, is an essential regulatory protein of hiv-1 required for transporting unspliced and singly spliced viral transcripts from the nucleus to the cytoplasm. export allows these rnas to be translated and the full-length rna to be packaged into virus particles. in our study, we investigate the activity of pokewe ...	2014	24951553
antibacterial effect of crude extract and metabolites of phytolacca americana on pathogens responsible for periodontal inflammatory diseases and dental caries.	the oral cavity is the store house of different species of microorganisms that are continuously engaged in causing diseases in the mouth. the present study was conducted to evaluate the antibacterial potential of crude extracts of the aerial parts of phytolacca americana and its natural compounds against two oral pathogens, porphyromonas gingivalis and streptococcus mutans, which are primarily responsible for periodontal inflammatory diseases and dental caries, as well as a nonpathogenic escheri ...	2014	25241105
the glycoprofile patterns of endothelial cells in usual interstitial pneumonia.	the pathological classification of cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis has been a matter of debate and controversy for histopathologists.	2014	25270010
pokeweed antiviral protein, a ribosome inactivating protein: activity, inhibition and prospects.	viruses employ an array of elaborate strategies to overcome plant defense mechanisms and must adapt to the requirements of the host translational systems. pokeweed antiviral protein (pap) from phytolacca americana is a ribosome inactivating protein (rip) and is an rna n-glycosidase that removes specific purine residues from the sarcin/ricin (s/r) loop of large rrna, arresting protein synthesis at the translocation step. pap is thought to play an important role in the plant's defense mechanism ag ...	2015	25635465
pokeweed antiviral protein: its cytotoxicity mechanism and applications in plant disease resistance.	pokeweed antiviral protein (pap) is a 29 kda type i ribosome inactivating protein (rip) found in pokeweed plants. pokeweed produces different forms of pap. this review focuses on the spring form of pap isolated from phytolacca americana leaves. pap exerts its cytotoxicity by removing a specific adenine from the α-sarcin/ricin loop of the large ribosomal rna. besides depurination of the rrna, pap has additional activities that contribute to its cytotoxicity. the mechanism of pap cytotoxicity is s ...	2015	25756953
inhibition of human glut1 and glut5 by plant carbohydrate products; insights into transport specificity.	glucose transporters glut1 (transports glucose) and glut5 (transports fructose), in addition to their functions in normal metabolism, have been implicated in several diseases including cancer and diabetes. while glut1 has several inhibitors, none have been described for glut5. by transport activity assays we found two plant products, rubusoside (from rubus suavissimus) and astragalin-6-glucoside (a glycosylated derivative of astragalin, from phytolacca americana) that inhibited human glut5. thes ...	2015	26306809
using contaminated plants involved in phytoremediation for anaerobic digestion.	this study investigated the anaerobic digestion capability of five plants and the effects of copper (cu) and s,s'-ethylenediaminedisuccinic acid (edds, a chelator widely used in chelant-assisted phytoremediation) on biogas production to determine a feasible disposal method for plants used in remediation. the results showed that in addition to phytolacca americana l., plants such as zea mays l., brassica napus l., elsholtzia splendens nakai ex f. maekawa, and oenothera biennis l. performed well i ...	2015	25397976
of the importance of a leaf: the ethnobotany of sarma in turkey and the balkans.	sarma - cooked leaves rolled around a filling made from rice and/or minced meat, possibly vegetables and seasoning plants - represents one of the most widespread feasting dishes of the middle eastern and south-eastern european cuisines. although cabbage and grape vine sarma is well-known worldwide, the use of alternative plant leaves remains largely unexplored. the aim of this research was to document all of the botanical taxa whose leaves are used for preparing sarma in the folk cuisines of tur ...	2015	25890379
the binucleate cell of okapi and giraffe placenta shows distinctive glycosylation compared with other ruminants: a lectin histochemical study.	the placenta of ruminants contains characteristic binucleate cells (bnc) with a highly conserved glycan structure which evolved early in ruminant phylogenesis. giraffe and okapi placentae also contain these cells and it is not known whether they have a similar glycan array. we have used lectin histochemistry to examine the glycosylation of these cells in these species and compare them with bovine bnc which have a typical ruminant glycan composition. two placentae, mid and near term, from giraffe ...	2015	25527317
non-crop plants used as hosts by drosophila suzukii in europe.	the invasive spotted wing drosophila drosophila suzukii, a fruit fly of asian origin, is a major pest of a wide variety of berry and stone fruits in europe. one of the characteristics of this fly is its wide host range. a better knowledge of its host range outside cultivated areas is essential to develop sustainable integrated pest management strategies. field surveys were carried out during two years in italy, the netherlands and switzerland. fruits of 165 potential host plant species were coll ...	2016	28275324
synthesis, oxygen radical absorbance capacity, and tyrosinase inhibitory activity of glycosides of resveratrol, pterostilbene, and pinostilbene.	the stilbene compound resveratrol was glycosylated to give its 4'-o-β-d-glucoside as the major product in addition to its 3-o-β-d-glucoside by a plant glucosyltransferase from phytolacca americana expressed in recombinant escherichia coli. this enzyme transformed pterostilbene to its 4'-o-β-d-glucoside, and converted pinostilbene to its 4'-o-β-d-glucoside as a major product and its 3-o-β-d-glucoside as a minor product. an analysis of antioxidant capacity showed that the above stilbene glycosides ...	2017	27756183