title: Sporicidal activity of synthetic antifungal undecapeptides and control of Penicillium rot of apples.
abstract: The antifungal activity of cecropin A(2-8)-melittin(6-9) hybrid undecapeptides, previously reported as active against plant pathogenic bacteria, was studied. A set of 15 sequences was screened in vitro against Fusarium oxysporum, Penicillium expansum, Aspergillus niger, and Rhizopus stolonifer. Most compounds were highly active against F. oxysporum (MIC < 2.5 microM) but were less active against the other fungi. The best peptides were studied for their sporicidal activity and for Sytox green uptake in F. oxysporum microconidia. A significant inverse linear relationship was observed between survival and fluorescence, indicating membrane disruption. Next, we evaluated the in vitro activity against P. expansum of a 125-member peptide library with the general structure R-X(1)KLFKKILKX(10)L-NH(2), where X(1) and X(10) corresponded to amino acids with various degrees of hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity and R included different N-terminal derivatizations. Fifteen sequences with MICs below 12.5 muM were identified. The most active compounds were BP21 {Ac,F,V} and BP34 {Ac,L,V} (MIC < 6.25 microM), where the braces denote R, X(1), and X(10) positions and where Ac is an acetyl group. The peptides had sporicidal activity against P. expansum conidia. Seven of these peptides were tested in vivo by evaluating their preventative effect of inhibition of P. expansum infection in apple fruits. The peptide Ts-FKLFKKILKVL-NH(2) (BP22), where Ts is a tosyl group, was the most active with an average efficacy of 56% disease reduction, which was slightly lower than that of a commercial formulation of the fungicide imazalil.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Plant Pathology, Institute of Food and Agricultural Technology-CIDSAV-XaRTA, University of Girona, Campus Montilivi, 17071 Girona, Spain.
authors.forename: Esther
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Badosa
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ferré
authors.forename: Jesús
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Francés
authors.forename: Eduard
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bardají
authors.forename: Lidia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Feliu
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Planas
authors.forename: Emilio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Montesinos
mesh_terms: D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000187:drug effects; D027845:Malus / Q000382:microbiology*; D008555:Melitten / Q000494:pharmacology; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D050296:Microbial Viability / Q000187:drug effects; D009930:Organic Chemicals / Q000378:metabolism; D010407:Penicillium / Q000187:drug effects*; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D013172:Spores, Fungal / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D009930:Organic Chemicals; C402795:SYTOX Green; D008555:Melitten; C031161:cecropin A