title: The chitin-binding capability of Cy-AMP1 from cycad is essential to antifungal activity.
abstract: Antimicrobial peptides are important components of the host innate immune responses by exerting broad-spectrum microbicidal activity against pathogenic microbes. Cy-AMP1 found in the cycad (Cycas revoluta) seeds has chitin-binding ability, and the chitin-binding domain was conserved in knottin-type and hevein-type antimicrobial peptides. The recombinant Cy-AMP1 was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified to study the role of chitin-binding domain. The mutants of Cy-AMP1 lost chitin-binding ability completely, and its antifungal activity was markedly decreased in comparison with native Cy-AMP1. However, the antimicrobial activities of the mutant peptides are nearly identical to that of native one. It was suggested that the chitin-binding domain plays an essential role in antifungal, but not antimicrobial, activity of Cy-AMP1.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, The United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences, Kagoshima University, 1-21-24, Korimoto, Kagoshima, 890-0065, Japan.
authors.forename: Seiya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yokoyama
authors.forename: Yuto
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Iida
authors.forename: Yousuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kawasaki
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Minami
authors.forename: Keiichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Fumio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yagi
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002686:Chitin / Q000378:metabolism*; D002942:Circular Dichroism; D029784:Cycas / Q000737:chemistry*; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D005658:Fungi / Q000187:drug effects; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D011485:Protein Binding; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D012639:Seeds / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D000935:Antifungal Agents; D010455:Peptides; D010936:Plant Extracts; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D002686:Chitin