Modular structure of HEL protein from Arabidopsis reveals new potential functions for PR-4 proteins

Biol Chem. 2012 Aug 4;0(0):1-14. doi: 10.1515/hsz-2012-0225.

Abstract

Plants possess an innate immune system enabling them to defend themselves against pathogen attack. The accumulation of newly synthesized pathogenesis-related proteins (PRs) is one of the most studied inducible plant defence response. In this paper, we report on the characterization of a class I PR4 vacuolar protein from Arabidopsis, named AtHEL. The protein has a modular structure consisting of an N-terminal hevein-like domain (CB-HEL) and a C-terminal domain (CD-HEL) that are posttranslationally processed. Both domains show a strong antifungal activity, but they do not have chitinolitic properties. CD-HEL was found to be endowed with RNase, but not DNase activity. Molecular modeling carried out on both domains revealed that CB-HEL possesses a chitin binding site strictly conserved between hevein-type peptides and that the cavity involved in substrate interaction of CD-HEL do not show any residue substitution with respect to the orthologous wheatwin1 from wheat. Using a fishing for partners approach, CB-HEL was found to interact with a fungal fruiting body lectin. According to literature, we can hypothesize that CB-HEL could cross the pathogen hyphal membrane and that its interaction with a fungal lectin could knock out one of the weapons that the fungus uses.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Antifungal Agents / chemistry
  • Antifungal Agents / metabolism
  • Antifungal Agents / pharmacology
  • Arabidopsis Proteins / chemistry*
  • Arabidopsis Proteins / metabolism
  • Arabidopsis Proteins / pharmacology
  • Binding Sites
  • Chitin / chemistry
  • Chitin / metabolism
  • Fruiting Bodies, Fungal / physiology
  • Fusarium / drug effects
  • Fusarium / growth & development
  • Lectins / chemistry
  • Lectins / metabolism*
  • Models, Molecular
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Plant Proteins / chemistry*
  • Plant Proteins / genetics
  • Plant Proteins / metabolism
  • Plant Proteins / pharmacology
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary
  • Recombinant Proteins / chemistry
  • Recombinant Proteins / metabolism
  • Recombinant Proteins / pharmacology
  • Ribonucleases / chemistry
  • Ribonucleases / genetics
  • Ribonucleases / metabolism
  • Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
  • Triticum / genetics

Substances

  • Antifungal Agents
  • Arabidopsis Proteins
  • Lectins
  • Plant Proteins
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • Win-1 proteins, plant
  • pathogenesis-related proteins, plant
  • Chitin
  • Ribonucleases