title: Isolation of a novel antimicrobial peptide gene (Sp-AMP) homologue from Pinus sylvestris (Scots pine) following infection with the root rot fungus Heterobasidion annosum.
abstract: A new family of antimicrobial peptide homologues termed Sp-Amp has been discovered in Pinus sylvestris (Scots pine). This is the first report of such proteins to be characterized in a conifer species. Sp-AMP1 was identified in a substructured cDNA library of root tissue infected with the root rot fungus Heterobasidion annosum and encodes a mature peptide of 79 amino acid residues. Three additional members of the Sp-AMP family (Sp-AMPs 2-4) encode cysteine-rich proteins of 105 amino acids, each containing an N-terminal region with a probable cleavage signal sequence. Northern analysis confirmed that Sp-AMP expression is elevated in Scots pine roots upon infection with H. annosum. These peptides share 64% amino acid identity with a mature protein from Macadamia integrifolia (MiAMP1), which allowed us to build a homology model for preliminary analysis. Southern analyses further confirmed that several copies of the gene are present in the Scots pine genome. The potential significance of Sp-AMP in the H. annosum-conifer pathosystem is discussed.
authors: Department of Forest Mycology and Pathology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7026, Uppsala, Sweden. fred.asiegbu@mykopat.slu.se
authors: Frederick O
authors: FO
authors: Asiegbu
authors: Woobong
authors: W
authors: Choi
authors: Guosheng
authors: G
authors: Li
authors: Jarmila
authors: J
authors: Nahalkova
authors: Ralph A
authors: RA
authors: Dean
mesh_terms: D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D001483:Base Sequence; D001487:Basidiomycota; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009181:Mycoses / Q000382:microbiology; D041605:Pinus sylvestris / Q000235:genetics* / Q000382:microbiology; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000382:microbiology; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000382:microbiology / Q000502:physiology; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D010940:Plant Proteins