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Antimicrobial Activities of Novel Peptides Derived from Defensin Genes of Brassica hybrid cv Pule

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Abstract

Plant defensins are small and basic antimicrobial peptides characterized by conserved cysteine stabilizing structure with α-helix and triple strand antiparallel β-sheet. In the present study, two novel defensin genes, designated as BhDef1 and BhDef2, was isolated from Brassica hybrid cv Pule, a native unexplored Brassicaceae species found in Thailand. The full-length cDNA of BhDef1 and BhDef2 were 240 and 258 bp encoding a 79 and 85 amino acid residues with 29 and 25 amino acid signal peptide at N-terminal, respectively. The putative BhDef1 and BhDef2 mature proteins showed significant similarity to other Brassicaceae defensins. Their secondary structure comprises of one α-helix and a triple stranded β-sheet stabilized by four disulphide bridges of eight cysteines. BhDef1 and BhDef2 also contain a highly conserved γ-core and α-core motif exhibiting antifungal activity against Colletotrichum gloeosporioides causing anthracnose disease. Six out of eight synthetic BhDef peptide derivatives showed antibacterial activity against both gram-positive bacteria and gram-negative bacteria used in this study. BhDef14, the derivative of BhDef1, showed the highest activity against two test pathogenic bacteria. This activity could probably due to a net positively charge and alpha-helical conformation which are known as the key determinant for the bacterial membrane disruption. To our knowledge, this is the first report on defensin genes isolated from B. hybrid cv Pule. The synthetic peptides designed from their sequences showed antifungal and antibacterial activity.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by National Research Council of Thailand, Thammasat University for fiscal year 2013–2014. Miss Siriporn Kaewklom was supported by the Thailand Research Fund under the Royal Golden Jubilee Ph.D. programme (PHD/0051/2555, 5.L.TU/55/I.1.O.JF) co funded by Thammasat University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Thammasat University, Klonglaung, Pathumthani, 12121, Thailand

    Siriporn Kaewklom & Ratchaneewan Aunpad

  2. Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Rama VI Road, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand

    Jirayut Euanorasetr, Bungonsiri Intra & Watanalai Panbangred

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  1. Siriporn Kaewklom
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  2. Jirayut Euanorasetr
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  3. Bungonsiri Intra
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  4. Watanalai Panbangred
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  5. Ratchaneewan Aunpad
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Correspondence to Ratchaneewan Aunpad.

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This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.

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This study was funded by National Research Council of Thailand, Thammasat University for fiscal year 2013–2014.

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Kaewklom, S., Euanorasetr, J., Intra, B. et al. Antimicrobial Activities of Novel Peptides Derived from Defensin Genes of Brassica hybrid cv Pule. Int J Pept Res Ther 22, 93–100 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10989-015-9488-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10989-015-9488-2

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