2003 Volume 37 Issue 2 Pages 71-76
Pathogen attack is a serious problem in rice, which is one of the most economically important crops worldwide. Plant genes with disease resistance have been extensively analyzed. Antimicrobial peptides from a variety of organisms are known to inhibit the growth of pathogens. Antimicrobial peptides are usually small, cationic, and amphipathic and have open-chain forms with disulfide bonds leading to rigid and compact structures. A gene family of plant defensins (AFP) is conserved in several plant species, including those of the Brassicaceae, and does not appear to be toxic to mammalian and plant cells. Rice plants do not contain these peptides. AFP1 homologs in 8 Brassicaceae vegetables have been identified, and their structural differences have been determined. AFP1 gene variants from Brassica oleracea and B. campestris conferred an effective resistance to both rice blast and bacterial leaf blight. The results of in vitro and in vivo analyses suggest that plant defensins have the potential to enhance broad-spectrum disease resistance in rice through genetic engineering. Modification of signal peptides and mature peptides could contribute to the improvement of broad disease resistance in crop plants, including rice.
