title: Plants Defense-related Cyclic Peptides: Diversity, Structure and Applications.
abstract: Plant growth is prone to several unfavorable factors that may compromise or impair development and survival, including abiotic or biotic stressors. Aiming at defending themselves, plants have developed several strategies to survive and adapt to such adversities. Cyclotides are a family of plant-derived proteins that exhibit a diverse range of biological activities including antimicrobial and insecticidal activities that actively participate in plant defense processes. Three main categories of peptides have been described: (i) Cyclotides (ii) Sunflower Trypsin Inhibitor (SFTI) and (iii) peptides MCoTI-I and II, from Momordica cochinchinensis. They comprise proteins of approximately 30 amino acids, containing a head-to-tail cyclized backbone, with three disulfide bonds configured in a cystine knot topology, therefore bearing greater peptide stability. Given their features and multifunctionality, cyclotides stand out as promising sources for the discovery of new antimicrobial agents. The present review describes cyclotide occurrence, abundance and action in plants, also their and evolution. Considerations regarding their use in the context of biomedical and agronomical sciences uses are also presented.
authors.forename: Sheyla Carla Barbosa
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: da Silva Lima
authors.forename: Ana Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Benko-Iseppon
authors.forename: João Pacífico
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Bezerra-Neto
authors.forename: Lidiane Lindinalva Barbosa
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Amorim
authors.forename: José Ribamar Costa Ferreira
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Neto
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Crovella
authors.affiliation: Federal University of Pernambuco, Center of Biological Sciences, Department of Genetics, Av. Prof. Moraes Rêgo, 1235, CEP 50670-420, Recife, PE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Valesca
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pandolfi