title: A novel antimicrobial protein for plant protection consisting of a Xanthomonas oryzae harpin and active domains of cecropin A and melittin.
abstract: Discoveries about antimicrobial peptides and plant defence activators have made possible the de novo and rational design of novel peptides for use in crop protection. Here we report a novel chimeric protein, Hcm1, which was made by linking the active domains of cecropin A and melittin to the hypersensitive response (HR)-elicitor Hpa1 of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola, the causal agent of rice bacterial leaf streak. The resulting chimeric protein maintained not only the HR-inducing property of the harpin, but also the antimicrobial activity of the cecropin A-melittin hybrid. Hcm1 was purified from engineered Escherichia coli and evaluated in terms of the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the 50% effective dose (ED(50)) against important plant pathogenic bacteria and fungi. Importantly, the protein acted as a potential pesticide by inducing disease resistance for viral, bacterial and fungal pathogens. This designed drug can be considered as a lead compound for use in plant protection, either for the development of new broad-spectrum pesticides or for expression in transgenic plants.
authors: Department of Plant Pathology, Nanjing Agricultural University/Key Laboratory of Monitoring and Management for Plant Diseases and Insects, Ministry of Agriculture of China, Nanjing 210095, China.
authors: Yi-Zhou
authors: YZ
authors: Che
authors: Yu-Rong
authors: YR
authors: Li
authors: Hua-Song
authors: HS
authors: Zou
authors: Li-Fang
authors: LF
authors: Zou
authors: Bing
authors: B
authors: Zhang
authors: Gong-You
authors: GY
authors: Chen
mesh_terms: D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000235:genetics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics; D005658:Fungi / Q000187:drug effects; D015870:Gene Expression; D008555:Melitten / Q000235:genetics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D010575:Pesticides / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control; D011506:Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology; D014974:Xanthomonas / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D010575:Pesticides; D011506:Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D008555:Melitten; C031161:cecropin A