Expression of a novel small antimicrobial protein from the seeds of motherwort (Leonurus japonicus) confers disease resistance in tobacco.

ABSTRACT: Medicinal plants are valuable resources of natural antimicrobial materials. A novel small protein with antimicrobial activities, designated LJAMP1, was purified from the seeds of a medicinal herb, motherwort (Leonurus japonicus Houtt). LJAMP1 is a heat-stable protein with a molecular mass of 7.8 kDa and a determined isoelectric point of 8.2. In vitro assays showed that LJAMP1 inhibits the growth of an array of fungi and bacteria. The hyphal growth inhibition by LJAMP1 was more evident against hyphomycete fungi, such as Alternaria alternata, Cercospora personata, and Aspergillus niger. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of LJAMP1 was determined, and its coding gene was consequently cloned by the rapid amplification of cDNA ends. The gene LJAMP1 has no intron and encodes a polypeptide of 95

SUBMITTER: Yang X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1800757 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature