Pathogenesis-related protein 1 homologue is an antifungal protein in Wasabia japonica leaves and confers resistance to Botrytis cinerea in transgenic tobacco

Abstract

An antimicrobial protein was purified from leaves of Wasabia japonica L., and designated as WjAMP-2. WjAMP-2 strongly inhibited growth of four phytopathogenic fungi. The deduced amino acid sequence from WjAMP-2 cDNA showed a homology with pathogenesis-related protein 1 (PR-1) from several higher plants. Expression of WjAMP-2 was induced by inoculation with fungal pathogens and with treatments by salicylic acid, but not by methyl jasmonate. Overexpression of WjAMP-2 in tobacco plants conferred resistance against Botrytis cinerea. These results suggest that WjAMP-2 (PR-1) is an antifungal protein with a defensive role against phytopathogenic fungi in wasabi plants. Copyright © 2007 The Japanese Society for Plant Cell and Molecular Biology.