Oxidative stress and the presence of bacteria increase gene expression of the antimicrobial peptide aclasin, a fungal CSαβ defensin in Aspergillus clavatus.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) represent a broad class of naturally occurring antimicrobial compounds. Plants, invertebrates and fungi produce various AMPs as, for example, defensins. Most of these defensins are characterised by the presence of a cysteine-stabilised α-helical and β-sheet (CSαβ) motif. The changes in gene expression of a fungal CSαβ defensin by stress conditions were investigated in Aspergillus clavatus. A. clavatus produces the CSαβ defensin Aclasin, which is encoded by the aclasin gene.

Methods

Aclasin expression was evaluated in submerged mycelium cultures under heat shock, osmotic stress, oxidative stress and the presence of bacteria by quantitative real-time PCR.

Results

Aclasin expression increased two

SUBMITTER: Contreras G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6394349 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature