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Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are important compo­ nents of defense system in both plants and animals. They represent an ancient mechanism of innate immu­ nity providing rapid first line of defense against patho­ gens. Plant AMPs are classified into several families: thionins, defensins, non­specific lipid­transfer proteins, hevein­ and knottin­type peptides, hairpinins and macrocyclic peptides (cyclotides). The review focuses on the thionin family. Thionins comprise a plant­ spe­ cific AMP family that consists of short (~5 kDA) cysteine­ rich peptides containing 6 or 8 cysteine residues with antimicrobial and toxic properties. Based on similar­ ity in amino acid sequences and the arrangement of disulfide bonds, five structural classes of thionins are discriminated. The three­dimensional structures of a number of thionins have been determined. The amphipathic thionin molecule resembles the Greek letter Г, in which the long arm is formed by two anti­ parallel α­helices, and the short one – by two parallel β­strands. The residues responsible for the antimicrobi­ al activity of thionins have been identified. Thionins are synthesized as precursor proteins consisting of a signal peptide, the mature peptide region and the C­terminal prodomain. Thionins protect plants from pathogenic bacteria and fungi acting directly on the membranes of microorga nisms at micromolar concentrations, al­ though their precise mode of action remains unclear. In addition to plant pathogens, thionins inhibit growth of a number of human pathogens and opportunistic microorga nisms, such as Candida spp., Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Fusarium solani, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Thionins are toxic to different types of cells including mammalian cancer cell lines. Transgenic plants expressing thionin genes display enhanced resistance to pathogens. A wide range of biological activities makes thionins promising candidates for practical application in agriculture and medicine.

Plant thionins: structure, biological functions and potential use in biotechnology