title: A novel chitin-binding protein from Moringa oleifera seed with potential for plant disease control.
abstract: A thermostable chitin-binding protein (14.3 kDa) with antifungal activity was isolated from Moringa oleifera seeds by affinity chromatography on chitin followed by ion exchange chromatography. NH(2-) CPAIQRCCQQLRNIQPPCRCCQ (Mo-CBP3) is a glycoprotein with 2.5% sugar, pI 10.8, without hemagglutination, chitinase or beta-glucanase activities. Mo-CBP3 possesses in vitro antifungal activity against the phytopathogenicfungi Fusarium solani, F. oxysporum, Colletotrichum musae and C. gloesporioides. Contrarily, Mo-CBP3 did not affect Pythium oligandrum, an oomycete. At 0.05 mg/ml, Mo-CBP3 showed to be fungistatic against F. solani, but at 0.1 mg/ml Mo-CBP3 behaved as a potent fungicidal agent as it inhibited both the spore germination and mycelial growth of F. solani. Surprisingly, the effect of Mo-CBP3 against spore germination was observed even when the protein was heated at 100 degrees C for 1 h or pretreated with 0.15M N-acetyl-D-glucosamine. Mo-CBP3 inhibited the glucose-stimulated acidification of the incubation medium by F. solani. This is apparently caused by structural plasma membrane disarrangement induced by Mo-CBP3. Altogether, these results suggest that Mo-CBP3 might be involved in plant defense mechanisms and could be used as potential antifungal agent for controlling fungal pathogens in plants.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Bioquímica e Biologia Molecular, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Ceará 60451-970, Brazil.
authors.forename: Juliana M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Gifoni
authors.forename: José T A
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: Hermogenes D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: Adelina B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Batista
authors.forename: Mirella L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.forename: Antoniella S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Gomes
authors.forename: Henrique P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: Thalles B
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Grangeiro
authors.forename: Ilka M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Vasconcelos
mesh_terms: D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D002686:Chitin; D005670:Fusarium / Q000187:drug effects; D029588:Moringa oleifera / Q000737:chemistry*; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012639:Seeds / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D010940:Plant Proteins; D002686:Chitin