Dataset Information

Transgenic Tobacco Plants Expressing Synthetic Peptides: A Functional and Structural Analysis for Pathogen Resistance

ABSTRACT: The emergence of multidrug-resistant pathogens poses a significant threat to human health and agriculture. Current antimicrobial strategies against phytopathogens are often ineffective, failing to ensure food security while contributing to environmental pollution. Synthetic antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are a promising alternative due to their broad-spectrum activity and potential for recombinant production. In this study, we evaluated the antibacterial efficacy of two synthetic peptides, VR18 and KG18, against phytopathogens. Both peptides demonstrated selective affinity for bacterial membranes and were non-toxic and non-allergenic. Using solution-state NMR, we elucidated their structural-functional role in bacterial membrane disruption. Transgenic expressions of VR18 and KG18 in Nicotiana tabacum conferred resistance against Pseudomonas syringae pv. tabaci, a major phytopathogen, without disrupting the plant’s stress responses or metabolic processes. These findings highlight the potential of AMPs as an environmentally sustainable, in vivo alternative to conventional antimicrobials in agriculture, paving the way for broader applications in combating phytopathogens.

INSTRUMENT(S): Liquid Chromatography MS -

PROVIDER: MTBLS12255 | MetaboLights | 2025-09-25

REPOSITORIES: MetaboLights

ACCESS DATA

Dataset's files

Source:

Items per page:

1 - 5 of 103

Similar Datasets

Project description:Understanding how pathogens respond to antimicrobial peptides, and how this compares to currently available antibiotics, is crucial to optimizing antibiotic therapy. Staphylococcus aureus has several known resistance mechanisms against human cationic antimicrobial peptides (CAMPs). We aim to determine how S. aureus responds to sheep and frog CAMPs, and whether this response is associated with resistance. Gene expression changes in Staphylococcus aureus Newman cells exposed to linear CAMPs were analyzed by DNA microarray. Three antimicrobial peptides were used in the analysis, two of them are derived from frog, temporin L and dermaseptin K4-S4(1-16), one is from sheep, ovispirin-1. The peptides induced the VraSR cell-wall regulon and several other genes which are also upregulated in cells treated with vancomycin and other cell wall-active antibiotics. In addition to this similarity, three genes/operons were particularly strongly induced by the peptides: vraDE, SA0205 and SAS016, encoding an ABC transporter, a putative membrane-bound lysostaphin-like peptidase and a small functionally unknown protein, respectively. Ovispirin-1 and dermaseptin K4-S4(1-16), which disrupt lipid bilayers by the carpet mechanism, were strong inducers of the vraDE operon. We show that high level induction by ovispirin-1 was dependent on the amide modification of the peptide C-terminus. This suggests that the amide group has a crucial role in the activation of the Aps sensory system, the regulator of vraDE. In contrast, temporin L, which disrupts lipid bilayers by forming pores, was clearly a weaker inducer of vraDE despite the C-terminal amide modification. Sensitivity testing with CAMPs and other antimicrobials suggested that VraDE is a transporter dedicated to resist bacitracin. We also showed that SA0205 belongs to the VraSR regulon. Furthermore, VraSR was shown to be important for resistance against a wide range of cell wall-active antibiotics and other antimicrobial agents including the amide-modified ovispirin-1, bacitracin, teicoplanin, cefotaxime and 10 other β-lactam antibiotics, chlorpromazine, thioridazine and EGTA. The effects of the three different antimicrobial peptides on gene expression of S. aureus Newman were studied by using whole genome oligo-DNA microarrays. Bacteria were grown in BHI medium to the early exponential phase (OD600=0.6) and antimicrobial peptides were added at sublethal concentrations. Samples were taken for RNA isolations after treating the cultures with the peptides for 10 minutes. Control cultures without peptide additions were treated similarly and in parallel.

Project description:Pneumonia is a serious problem worldwide. We recently demonstrated that innate defense mechanisms of the lung are highly inducible against pneumococcal pneumonia. To determine the breadth of protection conferred by stimulation of lung mucosal innate immunity, and to identify cells and signaling pathways activated by this treatment, mice were treated with an aerosolized bacterial lysate, then challenged with lethal doses of bacterial and fungal pathogens. Mice were highly protected against a broad array of Gram-positive, Gram-negative, and Class A bioterror bacterial pathogens, and Aspergillus fumigatus. Protection was associated with rapid pathogen killing within the lungs, and this effect was recapitulated in vitro using a respiratory epithelial cell line. Gene expression analysis of lung tissue showed marked activation of NF-kappa-B, Type I and II interferon, and antifungal Card9-Bcl10-Malt1 pathways. Cytokines were the most strongly induced genes, but the inflammatory cytokines TNF and IL-6 were not required for protection. Lung-expressed antimicrobial peptides were also highly upregulated. Taken together, stimulated innate resistance (StIR) appears to occur through the activation of multiple host defense signaling pathways in lung epithelial cells, inducing rapid pathogen killing, and conferring broad protection against virulent bacterial and fungal pathogens. Augmentation of innate antimicrobial defenses of the lungs might have therapeutic value for protection of patients with neutropenia or impaired adaptive immunity against opportunistic pneumonia, and for defense of immunocompetent subjects against a bioterror threat or epidemic respiratory infection. Keywords: Differential expression, innate immunity, pneumonia, immunocompromised host; lung epithelium, in vitro, MLE-15 cells were treated with sham (PBS), NTHi lysate (100 ug/ml) or EF2505-III (40 ug/ml). 4 unique samples per group. Treated for 2 hours. Hybridized to Illumina Sentrix Mouse-6 v1.1 Beadhips.

			Action	DRS
	C1_POS.mzML	Mzml
	C2_POS.mzML	Mzml
	C3_POS.mzML	Mzml
	K1_POS.mzML	Mzml
	K2_POS.mzML	Mzml

Dataset Information

Transgenic Tobacco Plants Expressing Synthetic Peptides: A Functional and Structural Analysis for Pathogen Resistance

Dataset's files

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets