
Earlier, in the wheat Triticum kiharae Dorof. et Migusch., a new family of genes coding for the hevein-like antimicrobial peptides WAMPs, involved in the protection of wheat plants against pathogens, was discovered. In the present study, we examined the wamp homologs in plants belonging to ten di-, tetra-, and hexaploid species of the genus Aegilops L., among which there are donors of polyploid wheat genomes, as well as of the resistance genes to the most important wheat pathogens. Using PCR amplification with genomic DNA as a template and primers specific to the sequences of the wheat wamp genes, for the first time, nucleotide sequences of the protein-coding regions of wamp homologs were determined in the species of the genus Aegilops L. The wamp homologs were found in all species studied. It was demonstrated that the WAMP peptide precursors encoded by them differed in single nucleotide substitutions, as well as deletions/insertions of amino acid sequences. The most conserved region of the precursor is the mature peptide region, where, in addition to the variable position 34, deletions of amino acid sequences were found in a number of peptides. To elucidate the role of deletions in the antimicrobial activity of WAMPs, a recombinant WAMP-3 peptide with a deletion in the N-terminal region was produced by expression in E. coli cells, and it was shown that antimicrobial activity of the peptide was preserved. It was demonstrated that all the discovered wamp genes were expressed in seedlings of the studied Aegilops species. The results shed new light on the structural diversity of genes encoding the hevein-like antimicrobial peptides WAMPs.
| selected citations These citations are derived from selected sources. This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | 5 | |
| popularity This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network. | Average | |
| influence This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | Average | |
| impulse This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network. | Average |
