Histidine 19 Residue Is Essential for Cell Internalization of Antifungal Peptide SmAP Derived from the α-Core of the Defensin DefSm2-D in .

The synthetic peptide SmAP (KLCEKPSKTWFGNCGNPRHCG) derived from DefSm2-D defensin α-core is active at micromolar concentrations against the phytopathogenic fungus and has a multistep mechanism of action that includes alteration of the fungal cell wall and membrane permeabilization. Here, we continued the study of this peptide's mode of action and explored the correlation between the biological activity and its primary structure. Transmission electron microscopy was used to study the ultrastructural effects of SmAP in conidial cells.

Mapping Resistance to Argentinean () Head Blight Isolates in Wheat.

head blight (FHB) of wheat, caused by (Schwabe), is a destructive disease worldwide, reducing wheat yield and quality. To accelerate the improvement of scab tolerance in wheat, we assessed the International Triticeae Mapping Initiative mapping population (ITMI/MP) for Type I and II resistance against a wide population of Argentinean isolates of We discovered a total of 27 additive QTLs on ten different (2A, 2D, 3B, 3D, 4B, 4D, 5A, 5B, 5D and 6D) wheat chromosomes for Type I and Type II resistances explaining a maximum of 15.99% variation.

Water distribution systems in Sardinian hospitals host invasive clonal lineages of the and species complexes.

Several species cause disease on human hosts, including commonly fatal infections in immunocompromised individuals. Recently, cases of hospitalized patients affected by fusaria were reported in the Tyrrhenian Island of Sardinia, Italy. To precisely characterize the species and haplotypes present in hospitals of the region, a multilocus DNA sequence typing (MLST) approach was applied.

Peptides Derived From the α-Core and γ-Core Regions of a Putative Flower Defensin Show Antifungal Activity Against .

is the etiological agent of Fusarium head blight (FHB), a disease that produces a significant decrease in wheat crop yield and it is further aggravated by the presence of mycotoxins in the affected grains that may cause health problems to humans and animals. Plant defensins and defensin-like proteins are antimicrobial peptides (AMPs); they are small basic, cysteine-rich peptides (CRPs) ubiquitously expressed in the plant kingdom and mostly involved in host defence. They present a highly variable sequence but a conserved structure.

Honokiol, magnolol and its monoacetyl derivative show strong anti-fungal effect on Fusarium isolates of clinical relevance.

The antifungal activity of magnolol and honokiol, two naturally occurring hydroxylated biphenyls, and of their synthetic derivatives was evaluated on a collection of representative isolates of Fusarium oxysporum, F. solani and F. verticillioides of clinical and ecological concern.