Tissue culture study of the medicinal plant leek (allium ampeloprasum L).

Persian shallot, also called leek (Allium ampeloprasum), is a monocotyledon plant of the lily family (Liliaceae). It belongs to the genus Allium, has a characteristic taste and morphological features, making it to be considered as one of the popular herbal medicine. This research was conducted with the purpose of obtaining optimal conditions for tissue culture of Persian shallot and comparing its active ingredient production in vitro versus in vivo.

Chitinolytic and antifungal activity of a Bacillus pumilus chitinase expressed in Arabidopsis.

The Bacillus pumilus SG2 chitinase gene (ChiS) and its truncated form lacking chitin binding (ChBD) and fibronectin type III (FnIII) domains were transformed to Arabidopsis plants and the expression, functionality and antifungal activity of the recombinant proteins were investigated. Results showed that while the two enzyme forms showed almost equal hydrolytic activity toward colloidal chitin, they exhibited a significant difference in antifungal activity. Recombinant ChiS in plant protein extracts displayed a high inhibitory effect on spore germination and radial growth of hyphae in Alternaria brassicicola, Fusarium graminearum and Botrytis cinerea, while the activity of the truncated enzyme was strongly abolished.