An antifungal protein from ginger rhizomes

Abstract

There are very few reports on antifungal proteins from rhizomes and there is none from the family of Zingiberaceae. An antifungal protein with a novel N-terminal sequence was isolated from ginger rhizomes utilizing a protocol that involved ion exchange chromatography on DEAE–cellulose, affinity chromatography on Affi-gel blue gel, and fast protein liquid chromatography on Superdex 75. The protein was unadsorbed on DEAE–cellulose and adsorbed on Affi-gel blue gel. It exhibited an apparent molecular mass of 32 kDa and exerted antifungal activity toward various fungi including Botrytis cinerea, Fusarium oxysporum, Mycosphaerella arachidicola, and Physalospora piricola.