title: Increased pathogen resistance and yield in transgenic plants expressing combinations of the modified antimicrobial peptides based on indolicidin and magainin.
abstract: Reverse peptide of indolicidin (Rev4), a 13-residue peptide based on the sequence of indolicidin, has been shown to possess both strong antimicrobial and protease inhibitory activities in vitro. To evaluate its efficacy in vivo, we produced and evaluated transgenic tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) and Arabidopsis thaliana [(L.) Heynh.] plants expressing Rev4 with different signal peptide sequences for pathogen resistance. All transgenic plants showed normal growth and development, an indication of no or low cytotoxicity of the peptide. Furthermore, the transgenic plants exhibited elevated resistance to three bacterial and two oomycete pathogens. Interestingly, tobacco plants expressing Rev4 displayed enhanced yield compared to the control as indicated by an increased biomass production by as much as 34% in two field trials. When Rev4 was coexpressed with another antimicrobial peptide, Myp30, the disease resistance levels in the transgenic Arabidopsis were enhanced. These findings suggest the potential of using these peptides to protect plants from microbial pathogens and to enhance yield.
authors.affiliation: Kentucky Tobacco Research and Development Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, 40546, USA.
authors.forename: Hongyan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xing
authors.forename: Christopher B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Lawrence
authors.forename: Orlando
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Chambers
authors.forename: H Maelor
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Davies
authors.forename: Nicholas P
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: Everett
authors.forename: Qingshun Quinn
authors.initials: QQ
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000378:metabolism; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000378:metabolism*; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology / Q000502:physiology*; D054806:Magainins; D010455:Peptides / Q000378:metabolism*; D010935:Plant Diseases; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000502:physiology; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology / Q000502:physiology*; D029867:Xenopus Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D054806:Magainins; C513215:Myp30 peptide; D010455:Peptides; C451720:Rev4 peptide; D029867:Xenopus Proteins; C053301:magainin 2 peptide, Xenopus