Oxidative stress has been identified as the root cause of the development and progression of several diseases. Supplementation of exogenous antioxidants or boosting endogenous antioxidant defenses of the body is a promising way of combating the undesirable effects of reactive oxygen species (ROS) induced oxidative damage. Plants have an innate ability to biosynthesize a wide range of non-enzymatic antioxidants capable of attenuating ROS- induced oxidative damage. Several in vitro methods have been used to screen plants for their antioxidant potential, and in most of these assays they revealed potent antioxidant activity. However, prior to confirming their in vivo therapeutic efficacy, plant antioxidants have to pass through several physiopharmacological processes. Consequently, the findings of in vitro and in vivo antioxidant potential assessment studies are not always the same. Nevertheless, the results of in vitro assays have been irrelevantly extrapolated to the therapeutic application of plant antioxidants without undertaking sufficient in vivo studies. Therefore, we have briefly reviewed the physiology and redox biology of both plants and humans to improve our understanding of plant antioxidants as therapeutic entities. The applications and limitations of antioxidant activity measurement assays were also highlighted to identify the precise path to be followed for future research in the area of plant antioxidants.

The immutans (im) variegation mutant of Arabidopsis has green and white leaf sectors due to the action of a nuclear recessive gene, IMMUTANS (IM). This gene encodes the IM protein, which is a chloroplast homolog of the mitochondrial alternative oxidase. Because the white sectors of im accumulate the noncolored carotenoid, phytoene, IM likely serves as a redox component in phytoene desaturation. In this paper, we show that IM has a global impact on plant growth and development and is required for the differentiation of multiple plastid types, including chloroplasts, amyloplasts, and etioplasts. IM promoter activity and IM mRNAs are also expressed ubiquitously in Arabidopsis. IM transcript levels correlate with carotenoid accumulation in some, but not all, tissues. This suggests that IM function is not limited to carotenogenesis. Leaf anatomy is radically altered in the green and white sectors of im: Mesophyll cell sizes are dramatically enlarged in the green sectors and palisade cells fail to expand in the white sectors. The green im sectors also have significantly higher than normal rates of O 2 evolution and elevated chlorophyll a/b ratios, typical of those found in "sun" leaves. We conclude that the changes in structure and photosynthetic function of the green leaf sectors are part of an adaptive mechanism that attempts to compensate for a lack of photosynthesis in the white leaf sectors, while maximizing the ability of the plant to avoid photodamage.Variegation mutants provide an excellent system to explore the nature of communication between the nucleus-cytoplasm, chloroplast, and mitochondrial genetic compartments (for review, see Leó n et al., 1998; Rodermel, 2001). The leaves of these mutants have green and white (or yellow) sectors that arise as a consequence of mutations in nuclear or organellar genes (Tilney-Bassett, 1975). Whereas the green sectors contain cells with morphologically normal chloroplasts, cells in the white sectors contain plastids that lack pigments and normal lamellar structures. One common mechanism of variegation involves the induction of defective mitochondria or chloroplasts by mutations in nuclear genes for organelle proteins. This is sometimes due to transposable element activity, in which case the green and white cells have different genotypes. In other cases, the two types of cells have the same (mutant) genotype, indicating that the gene defined by the mutation codes for a product that is required for organelle biogenesis in some, but not all, cells of the mutant.Despite the large number of mutant screens that have been conducted in Arabidopsis, surprisingly few nuclear "variegation" loci have been reported. These include cab underexpressed (cue1), chloroplast mutator (chm), differential development of vascularassociated cells (dov), immutans (im), pale cress (pac), var1, and var2 (e.g.

Chlorophenols (CPs) and their derivatives are persistent environmental pollutants which are used in the manufacture of dyes, drugs, pesticides and other industrial products. CPs, which include monochlorophenols, polychlorophenols, chloronitrophenols, chloroaminophenols and chloromethylphenols, are highly toxic to living beings due to their carcinogenic, mutagenic and cytotoxic properties. Several physico-chemical and biological methods have been used for removal of CPs from the environment. Bacterial degradation has been considered a cost-effective and eco-friendly method of removing CPs from the environment. Several bacteria that use CPs as their sole carbon and energy sources have been isolated and characterized. Additionally, the metabolic pathways for degradation of CPs have been studied in bacteria and the genes and enzymes involved in the degradation of various CPs have been identified and characterized. This review describes the biochemical and genetic basis of the degradation of CPs and their derivatives.

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are characterized by their narrow-spectrum, non-thermal photon emission, greater longevity, and energy-saving characteristics, which are better than traditional light sources. LEDs thus hold the potential to revolutionize horticulture lighting technology for crop production, protection, and preservation. Exposure to different LED wavelengths can induce the synthesis of bioactive compounds and antioxidants, which in turn can improve the nutritional quality of horticultural crops. Similarly, LEDs increase the nutrient contents, reduce microbial contamination, and alter the ripening of postharvest fruits and vegetables. LED-treated agronomic products can be beneficial for human health due to their good nutrient value and high antioxidant properties. Besides that, the non-thermal properties of LEDs make them easy to use in closed-canopy or within-canopy lighting systems. Such configurations minimize electricity consumption by maintaining optimal incident photon fluxes. Interestingly, red, blue, and green LEDs can induce systemic acquired resistance in various plant species against fungal pathogens. Hence, when seasonal clouds restrict sunlight, LEDs can provide a controllable, alternative source of selected single or mixed wavelength photon source in greenhouse conditions.

The effects of CO 2 enrichment on the growth and physiology of maize were investigated at the molecular, biochemical, leaf, and canopy levels. Maize plants were grown in sunlit soil-plant-atmosphere research (SPAR) chambers at ambient (370 lmol mol À1 ) or elevated (750 lmol mol À1 ) atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration (C a ) under wellwatered and fertilized conditions. Canopy gas exchange rates and leaf temperatures were monitored continuously during the growing season. CO 2 enrichment did not enhance the growth or canopy photosynthesis of maize plants. However, canopy evapotranspiration rates decreased by 22% and daytime leaf temperatures were increased about 1 1C in response to CO 2 enrichment. Leaf carboxylation efficiency and leaf nitrogen concentration also decreased at elevated C a . Transcription profiling using maize cDNA microarrays revealed that approximately 5% of tested genes responded to CO 2 enrichment. Of the altered transcripts, several were known to encode proteins involved in stomatal development or photosynthesis. For the majority of the altered transcripts, however, it was difficult to link their functions with specific physiological factors partly because many of these genes encoded unknown proteins. We conclude that maize did not exhibit enhanced growth or photosynthesis in response to CO 2 enrichment but a number of molecular and physiological processes including those involved in stomatal relations were affected by growth in elevated C a .