Pn-AMPs, the hevein-like proteins from Pharbitis nil confers disease resistance against phytopathogenic fungi in tomato, Lycopersicum esculentum.
The antifungal activity of hevein-like proteins has been associated with their chitin-binding activities. Pn-AMP1 and Pn-AMP2, two hevein homologues from Pharbitis nil, show in vitro antifungal activities against both chitin and non-chitin containing fungi. Purified Pn-AMPs retained antifungal activities only under non-reducing conditions. When Pn-AMP2 cDNA was constitutively expressed in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) plants under the control of CaMV35S promoter, the transgenic plants showed enhanced resistance against both the non-chitinous fungus Phytophthora capsici, and the chitin-containing fungus Fusarium oxysporum. Thus, the chitin component in the fungal cell wall is not an absolute requirement for Pn-AMP's antifungal activities. These results when considered together suggest that Pn-AMPs have the potential for developing transgenic plants resistant to a wide range of phytopathogenic fungi.
Lee
Ok Sun
OS
Division of Applied Life Science (BK21 program), Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 660-701, South Korea.
Lee
Boyoung
B
Park
Nammi
N
Koo
Ja Choon
JC
Kim
Young Hoe
YH
Prasad D
Theertha
T
Karigar
Chandrakant
C
Chun
Hyun Jin
HJ
Jeong
Byoung Ryong
BR
Kim
Doh Hoon
DH
Nam
Jaesung
J
Yun
Jae-Gil
JG
Kwak
Sang-Soo
SS
Cho
Moo Je
MJ
Yun
Dae-Jin
DJ
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D002686:Chitin / Q000378:metabolism; D027722:Convolvulaceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D005670:Fusarium / Q000187:drug effects*; D018551:Solanum lycopersicum / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology*; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008970:Molecular Weight; D010838:Phytophthora / Q000187:drug effects*; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000382:microbiology; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
D000935:Antifungal Agents; D010940:Plant Proteins; D002686:Chitin