Gymnin, a potent defensin-like antifungal peptide from the Yunnan bean (Gymnocladus chinensis Baill).
From the seeds of the Yunnan bean, we purified an antifungal peptide using affinity chromatography on Affi-gel blue gel, FPLC-ion exchange chromatography on Mono S, and FPLC-gel filtration on Superdex 75. The antifungal peptide was adsorbed on Affi-gel blue gel at pH 7.8 and Mono S at pH 4.5. It exhibited a molecular mass of 6.5 kDa in both gel filtration and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Its N-terminal sequence closely resembled defensin-related peptides. The peptide exerted antifungal activity toward the fungal species Fusarium oxysporum and Mycosphaerella arachidicola, with an IC50 of 2 microM for the former fungus and 10 microM for the latter. It manifested a weaker mitogenic activity toward murine splenocytes than Concanavalin A. It also displayed antiproliferative activity on a murine leukemia (L1210), a hepatoma (HepG2), and a murine leukemia (M1) cell line. It inhibited human immunodeficiency virus-1 reverse transcriptase with an IC50 of 200 microM.
D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor / Q000187:drug effects; D002846:Chromatography, Affinity; D002850:Chromatography, Gel; D002852:Chromatography, Ion Exchange; D003208:Concanavalin A / Q000494:pharmacology; D023082:Defensins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D007887:Fabaceae / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000502:physiology; D005658:Fungi / Q000187:drug effects; D005670:Fusarium / Q000187:drug effects; D054303:HIV Reverse Transcriptase / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D020128:Inhibitory Concentration 50; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects; D008970:Molecular Weight; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D020539:Sequence Analysis, Protein; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology
D000935:Antifungal Agents; D023082:Defensins; D010940:Plant Proteins; C487126:gymnin protein, Gymnocladus chinensis; D003208:Concanavalin A; D054303:HIV Reverse Transcriptase