Wheat Antimicrobial Peptides - Springer Link

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Abstract—Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are low molecular weight defense ... Keywords: wheat, Triticum kiharae Dorof. et Migusch., antimicrobial peptides, ...
ISSN 20790597, Russian Journal of Genetics: Applied Research, 2013, Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 40–46. © Pleiades Publishing, Ltd., 2013. Original Russian Text © T.I. Odintsova, T.V. Korostyleva, L.L. Utkina, Ya.A. Andreev, A.A. Slavokhotova, E.A. Istomina, V.A. Pukhal’skii, T.A. Egorov, 2012, published in Vavilovskii Zhurnal Genetiki i Selektsii, 2012, Vol. 16, No. 1, pp. 107–115.

Wheat Antimicrobial Peptides T. I. Odintsovaa, T. V. Korostylevaa, L. L. Utkinaa, Ya. A. Andreevb, A. A. Slavokhotovaa, E. A. Istominaa, V. A. Pukhal’skiia, and T. A. Egorovb a

Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia email: [email protected] b Shemyakin and Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia Received November 11, 2011; accepted December 21, 2011

Abstract—Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are lowmolecularweight defense polypeptides produced in all living organisms either constitutively or upon perception of signals from pathogenic microorganisms. They are important components of the immune system in both animals and plants. AMPs differ in structure and mode of action. Most of them belong to the cysteinerich peptides; their molecules contain even numbers of cysteine residues involved in the formation of disulfide bonds, which stabilize the peptide structure. A number of families of plant AMPs have been isolated on the basis of amino acid sequence similarity and 3D structure. Plant AMP genes can be used in engineering of disease resistance in crops and development of novel antibi otics and antimycotics. We provide a concise review of properties and gene structures of major AMP families discovered by the authors in Triticum kiharae seeds, including glycinerich peptides, defensins, heveinlike peptides, and the socalled 4Cys peptides. Keywords: wheat, Triticum kiharae Dorof. et Migusch., antimicrobial peptides, amino acid sequencing, 3' and 5'RACE procedure, plant immunity, regulation of gene expression DOI: 10.1134/S2079059713010103

INTRODUCTION Wheat is the most important cereal crop for 35% of the world’s population. Its sown area is 216 million ha (Vasil, 2007). Pathogenic microorganisms and pests significantly harm the cultivated varieties. Use of chemicals for plant protection is expensive and harms the ecology. An alternative strategy is aimed at strengthening the plant’s own defense system via up regulation of defense genes and transformation of sen sitive plants with genes encoding defense proteins from other more resistant species. Genetic transfor mation has some advantages compared to other approaches. First, this method allows using genes of different origins. Second, it allows introducing single genes into genomes. Preliminary testing of the prod ucts of these genes for safety provides a high accuracy and reliability of this approach. Third, use of the genetic transformation approach makes it possible to modify alien genes in order to change their properties. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) represent one of the most important group of defensive polypeptides in pro and eucaryotes and they are an ancient mecha nism of defense against pathogens (Castro, Fontes, 2005; Manners, 2007; Farrokhi et al., 2008; Sels et al., 2008; Tavares et al., 2008; Ajesh, Sreejith, 2009; BenkoIseppon et al., 2010; da Rocha Pitta et al., 2010; Kido et al., 2010; Padovan et al., 2010). The concept of participation of AMPs in plant defense is based on experimental facts, such as antimi crobial activity in vitro, upregulation of the corre

sponding genes in response to biotic and abiotic stress, and an increase in pathogen resistance of transgenic plants constitutively expressing AMPs (Broekaert et al., 1997; GarciaOlmedo et al., 1998, 2001). Despite the diversity of amino acid sequences, AMPs share some physicalchemical properties, such as low molecular weight (