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Hypersensitive‐Like Response to the Pore‐Former Peptaibol Alamethicin in Arabidopsis Thaliana
Author(s) -
Rippa Sonia,
Eid Marguerita,
Formaggio Fernando,
Toniolo Claudio,
Béven Laure
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
chembiochem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.05
H-Index - 126
eISSN - 1439-7633
pISSN - 1439-4227
DOI - 10.1002/cbic.201000262
Subject(s) - alamethicin , arabidopsis thaliana , melittin , biochemistry , callose , biology , antimicrobial peptides , peptide , hypersensitive response , programmed cell death , membrane , chemistry , cell wall , mutant , gene , apoptosis , lipid bilayer
In Arabidopsis thaliana cell cultures, the peptaibol alamethicin induced a form of active cell death that was associated with cell shrinkage and DNA fragmentation. The transfer of mature A. thaliana plants from a peptide‐free medium to a medium containing a moderate concentration of alamethicin caused the development of lesions in leaves after a few days. These lesions were characterized by cell death, deposition of callose, production of autofluorescent phenolic compounds, and transcription of defense genes, just like in the hypersensitive response to a pathogen attack. The induction of defense‐like responses in Arabidopsis by other membrane‐disrupting peptides was also evaluated. The peptides selected for comparison included the natural antimicrobial melittin and the peptaibol ampullosporin A, as well as synthetic analogues of the peptaibols cervinin and trichogin. The response amplitude in A. thaliana increased with the peptaibol's ability to permeabilize biological membranes through a pore‐forming mechanism and was strongly associated with their content in the helicogenic α‐aminoisobutyric acid residue.