Abstract
Botany-derived antimicrobial peptides (BAMPs), a class of small, cysteine-rich peptides produced in plants, are an important component of the plant immune system. Both in vivo and in vitro experiments have demonstrated their powerful antimicrobial activity. Besides in plants, BAMPs have cross-kingdom applications in human health, with toxic and/or inhibitory effects against a variety of tumor cells and viruses. With their diverse molecular structures, broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, multiple mechanisms of action, and low cytotoxicity, BAMPs provide ideal backbones for drug design, and are potential candidates for plant protection and disease treatment. Lots of original research has elucidated the properties and antimicrobial mechanisms of BAMPs, and characterized their surface receptors and in vivo targets in pathogens. In this paper, we review and introduce five kinds of representative BAMPs belonging to the pathogenesis-related protein family, dissect their antifungal, antiviral, and anticancer mechanisms, and forecast their prospects in agriculture and global human health. Through the deeper understanding of BAMPs, we provide novel insights for their applications in broad-spectrum and durable plant disease prevention and control, and an outlook on the use of BAMPs in anticancer and antiviral drug design.
Highlights
Pathogenic microorganisms pose a great threat to plants, animals, and humans
This review deepens our understanding of Botany-derived antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) (BAMPs) in plant protection and human health, and provides theoretical input for future research on BAMPs, enabling the development of new disease control strategies and therapeutics
Plant defensins, which belong to the PR12 family, are basic BAMPs consisting of 45–54 amino acid residues and four disulfide bonds with less than 5 kDa of molecular weight (Figure 1A) [18]
Summary
Pathogenic microorganisms pose a great threat to plants, animals, and humans. Global crop losses caused by bacteria, fungi, and viruses amount to USD 220 billion annually. The amino acid composition and structure of BAMPs vary greatly among different classes, usually forming multiple pairs of disulfide bonds that confer structural and thermodynamic stability Their common features include: (a) ribosome-derived secretory proteins, and the precursor consists of a signal peptide at the N-terminus, a mature AMP structural domain, and an acidic domain at the C-terminus, (b) small molecular weight, (c) cysteine-rich, forming 2–6 intramolecular S-S bonds, and (d) compact structure, conferring thermal, chemical, and enzymatic stability [11]. BAMPs play an important role in regulating plant growth and development, as well as responses to abiotic stress (drought, cold, salt, injury) They are highly induced under biotic stress, especially upon pathogen infection [12]. This review deepens our understanding of BAMPs in plant protection and human health, and provides theoretical input for future research on BAMPs, enabling the development of new disease control strategies and therapeutics
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