Novel antifungal α-hairpinin peptide from Stellaria media seeds: structure, biosynthesis, gene structure and evolution.

Plant defense against disease is a complex multistage system involving initial recognition of the invading pathogen, signal transduction and activation of specialized genes. An important role in pathogen deterrence belongs to so-called plant defense peptides, small polypeptide molecules that present antimicrobial properties. Using multidimensional liquid chromatography, we isolated a novel antifungal peptide named Sm-AMP-X (33 residues) from the common chickweed (Stellaria media) seeds.

Isolation, molecular cloning and antimicrobial activity of novel defensins from common chickweed (Stellaria media L.) seeds.

Two novel highly homologous defensins, Sm-AMP-D1 and Sm-AMP-D2, were isolated from seeds of common chickweed Stellaria media L. (family Cariophyllaceae). They show sequence homology to defensins of the Brassicaceae plants and display strong inhibitory activity against phytopathogenic fungi and oomycetes in the micromolar range (IC(50)≤1μM).

Antifungal activity of storage 2S albumins from seeds of the invasive weed dandelion Taraxacum officinale Wigg.

In this work, we isolated and characterized novel antifungal proteins from seeds of dandelion (Taraxacum officinale Wigg.). We showed that they are represented by five isoforms, each consisting of two disulphide-bonded large and small subunits.

A novel antifungal hevein-type peptide from Triticum kiharae seeds with a unique 10-cysteine motif.

Two forms of a novel antimicrobial peptide (AMP), named WAMP-1a and WAMP-1b, that differ by a single C-terminal amino acid residue and belong to a new structural type of plant AMP were purified from seeds of Triticum kiharae Dorof. et Migusch. Although WAMP-1a and WAMP-1b share similarity with hevein-type peptides, they possess 10 cysteine residues arranged in a unique cysteine motif which is distinct from those described previously for plant AMPs, but is characteristic of the chitin-binding domains of cereal class I chitinases.

Seed defensins of barnyard grass Echinochloa crusgalli (L.) Beauv.

From the annual weed barnyard grass Echinochloa crusgalli (L.) Beauv., two novel defensins Ec-AMP-D1 and Ec-AMP-D2 that differ by a single amino acid substitution were isolated by a combination of different chromatographic procedures.