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A latex lectin from Euphorbia trigona is a potent inhibitor of fungal growth

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Biologia Plantarum

Abstract

In this study we identified and characterized a major latex lectin — designated as EtLLH — with antimicrobial activity from the succulent African milk tree Euphorbia trigona. The lectin is highly concentrated in the latex of E. trigona and appears to be composed of at least two subunits with a molecular mass of 32 kDa. EtLLH shares significant similarities to known plant lectins — ricin from Ricinus communis and agglutinin from Viscum album coloratum — which specifically bind D-galactose and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine, the major building blocks of many fungal cell walls. Antimicrobial activity assays revealed an impact of EtLLH on three phytopathogenic filamentous ascomycetes. The germination of the conidiospores and the hyphal growth of Aspergillus niger and Fusarium graminearum were severely inhibited by EtLLH already at concentrations below 0.1 mg cm−3, while the effect on germination of the melanized conidiospores of Botrytis cinerea was less significant.

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Abbreviations

LC-MS:

liquid chromatography — mass spectrometry

SDS:

sodium dodecylsulphate

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge Prof. P. Tudzynski and Prof. B. Moerschbacher for providing the phytopathogenic fungi strains. We also thank Dr. K.J. Müller for helpful discussions. This work was supported by a grant from the Ministry of Science and Education of Germany (grant No. FKZ 0313712).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Biochemistry and Biotechnology of Plants, Westphalian Wilhelms-University Muenster, Hindenburgplatz 55, D-48143, Münster, Germany

    N. van Deenen & D. Prüfer

  2. Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, Forckenbeckstrasse 6, D-52074, Aachen, Germany

    D. Prüfer & C. Schulze Gronover

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  1. N. van Deenen
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  2. D. Prüfer
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  3. C. Schulze Gronover
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Correspondence to C. Schulze Gronover.

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van Deenen, N., Prüfer, D. & Schulze Gronover, C. A latex lectin from Euphorbia trigona is a potent inhibitor of fungal growth. Biol Plant 55, 335–339 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10535-011-0049-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10535-011-0049-z

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