Abstract
Background Cyclotides are disulfide-rich miniproteins with the unique structural features of a circular backbone and knotted arrangement of three conserved disulfide bonds. These features make them exceptionally stable and they have applications as plant defense (insecticidal) agents and stable drug frameworks. So far they have been found mainly in two plant families, including in every species of the violet family (Violaceae) so far examined, and in a few species of the coffee family (Rubiaceae).
Highlights
Cyclotides are disulfide-rich miniproteins with the unique structural features of a circular backbone and knotted arrangement of three conserved disulfide bonds
On the basis of the phylogeny of cyclotide-bearing plants and the analysis of precursor gene sequences, we have refined the current hypothesis of the evolution of circular plant peptides
Based on their predicted number of tens of thousands, which potentially makes them one of the largest protein families within the plant kingdom, they constitute an immense combinatorial library of natural peptides, which is accessible for drug discovery
Summary
Cyclotides are disulfide-rich miniproteins with the unique structural features of a circular backbone and knotted arrangement of three conserved disulfide bonds. These features make them exceptionally stable and they have applications as plant defense (insecticidal) agents and stable drug frameworks. They have been found mainly in two plant families, including in every species of the violet family (Violaceae) so far examined, and in a few species of the coffee family (Rubiaceae)
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