Potato (Solanum tuberosum) is relatively vulnerable to abiotic stress conditions such as drought, but the tolerance mechanisms for such stresses in potato are largely unknown. To identify stress-related factors in potato, we previously carried out a genetic screen of potato plants exposed to abiotic environmental stress conditions using reverse northern-blot analysis. A cDNA encoding a putative R1-type MYB-like transcription factor (StMYB1R-1) was identified as a putative stress-response gene. Here, the transcript levels of StMYB1R-1 were enhanced in response to several environmental stresses in addition to drought but were unaffected by biotic stresses. The results of intracellular targeting and quadruple 9-mer protein-binding microarray analysis indicated that StMYB1R-1 localizes to the nucleus and binds to the DNA sequence G / A GATAA. Overexpression of a StMYB1R-1 transgene in potato plants improved plant tolerance to drought stress while having no significant effects on other agricultural traits. Transgenic plants exhibited reduced rates of water loss and more rapid stomatal closing than wild-type plants under drought stress conditions. In addition, overexpression of StMYB1R-1 enhanced the expression of droughtregulated genes such as AtHB-7, RD28, ALDH22a1, and ERD1-like. Thus, the expression of StMYB1R-1 in potato enhanced drought tolerance via regulation of water loss. These results indicated that StMYB1R-1 functions as a transcription factor involved in the activation of drought-related genes.

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The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the fragrance of Abies holophylla Max., which is known to contain α-pinene, β-pinene, and limonene, etc., on stress relief, vascular function and autonomic nervous system. In this crossover design study, 15 healthy workers without otolaryngologic disease (37.6 ± 6.8 years old) were randomized to either (1) plant fragrance inhalation or (2) odorless air inhalation by an experiment coordinator. Compared with odorless air inhalation, plant fragrance inhalation decreased brachial SBP (117.64±4.89 to 108.36± 3.92 mmHg, p=.001), brachial DBP (75.00±3.21 to 71.71±2.30 mmHg, p=.004), central SBP (104.86±4.22 to 97.21±3.28 mmHg, p=.001), central DBP (75.00±3.14 to 71.93±2.43 mmHg, p=.015), and heart rate (66.57±1.84 to 63.00±1.72 bpm, p<.001). Arterial Stiffness Indexes such as AIx (13.00±3.75 to 5.71±4.19%, p=.000) and AIx@75 (7.71±3.51 to-0.29±3.93%, p=.001) were also decreased significantly when fragrance was inhaled. In addition, all of the interventions had significant interventions except brachial and central DBP. Heart rate variability (HRV) and flow-mediated dilation (FMD) were significantly improved in plant fragrance inhalation vs. odorless air inhalation (p=.006, p=.039). In conclusion, this study demonstrates that fragrance components of A. holophylla Max. have positive effects on the autonomic nervous system and improve vascular function. Therefore, it will be helpful for the selective use of plants to increase the treatment effect in horticultural therapy.

The expression of HR-like lesion inducing gene of Oryza sativa (OsHRL) was slightly increased by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) infection. Transgenic rice plants over-expressing OsHRL gene were challenged with Xoo and the development of disease symptoms were examined to investigate the effect of OsHRL gene expression on plant defense responses. The over-expression of OsHRL increased disease resistance against Xoo compared with wild type plants.