title: Arabidopsis thaliana plants expressing human beta-defensin-2 are more resistant to fungal attack: functional homology between plant and human defensins.
abstract: Human beta-defensin-2 (hBD-2) is a small antimicrobial peptide with potent activity against different Gram-negative bacteria and fungal/yeast species. Since human beta-defensins and plant defensins share structural homology, we set out to analyse whether there also exists a functional homology between these defensins of different eukaryotic kingdoms. To this end, we constructed a plant transformation vector harbouring the hBD-2 coding sequence, which we transformed to Arabidopsis thaliana plants, giving rise to A. thaliana plants indeed expressing hBD-2. Furthermore, we could demonstrate that this heterologously produced hBD-2 possesses antifungal activity in vitro. Finally, we could show that hBD-2 expressing A. thaliana plants are more resistant against the broad-spectrum fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea as compared to untransformed A. thaliana plants, and that this resistance is correlated with the level of active hBD-2 produced in these transgenic plants. Hence, we demonstrated a functional homology, next to the already known structural homology, between defensins originating from different eukaryotic kingdoms. To our knowledge, this is the first time that this is specifically demonstrated for plant and mammalian defensins.
authors.affiliation: Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 20, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium.
authors.forename: An M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Aerts
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Thevissen
authors.forename: Sara M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Bresseleers
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sels
authors.forename: Piet
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wouters
authors.forename: Bruno P A
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Cammue
authors.forename: Isabelle E J A
authors.initials: IE
authors.lastname: François
mesh_terms: D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000382:microbiology*; D020171:Botrytis / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000382:microbiology*; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D023083:beta-Defensins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C106641:DEFB4A protein, human; D023083:beta-Defensins