Fusion proteins towards fungi and bacteria in plant protection

Abstract

In agriculture, although fungi are considered the foremost problem, infections by bacteria also cause significant economical losses. The presence of different diseases in crops often leads to a misuse of the proper therapeutic, or the combination of different diseases forces the use of more than one pesticide. This work concerns the development of a ‘super-Blad’: a chimeric protein consisting of Blad polypeptide, the active ingredient of a biological fungicide already on the market, and two selected peptides, SP10-5 and Sub5, proven to possess biological potential as antibacterial agents. The resulting chimeric protein obtained from the fusion of Blad with SP10-5 not only maintained strong antibacterial activity, especially against Xanthomonas spp. and Pseudomonas syringae, but was also able to retain the ability to inhibit the growth of both yeast and filamentous fungi. However, the antibacterial activity of Sub5 was considerably diminished when fused with Blad, which seems to indicate that not all fusion proteins behave equally. These newly designed drugs can be considered promising compounds for use in plant protection. A deeper and focused development of an appropriate formulation may result in a potent biopesticide that can replace, per se, two conventional chemistries with less impact on the environment.

Maximizing Blad-containing oligomer fungicidal activity in sweet cultivars of Lupinus albus seeds

“…C. glabrata: C. glabrata was grown as described in Pinheiro et al (2016Pinheiro et al ( , 2018. The suspension was prepared by covering the colonies with 5 mL of sterile 0.9% (w/v) saline (NaCl) solution and diluted to a turbidity equivalent to that of a 0.5 McFarland standard with a spectrophotometer at 640 nm.…”

Linkers: a synergistic way for chimeric proteins

“…A chimeric protein developed by Monteiro et al demonstrated both antibacterial and antifungal activity. This protein was designed by fusing two select peptides with Blad polypeptide, an active component in a commercially available fungicide; by a flexible linker (Pinheiro et al, 2018).…”

Laburnicotides A–F: Acyclic N-Acetyl Oligopeptides from the Nematode-Cyst-Associated Fungus Laburnicola nematophila

“…Due to their diverse activities together with high environmental compatibility and nontoxicity, they have recently sparked increasing interest in the agricultural sector. , Eighteen peptides have been commercialized for use as plant protection agents, with more under development . They can exhibit various modes of action including immune induction, antimicrobial effects, or as plant growth regulators, nematicides, , insecticides, and herbicides . During the course of our research targeting bioactive secondary metabolites of potential anti-infective and/or nematicidal activities, we explored the recently described cyst-associated fungus Laburnicola nematophila (L.…”

“… 5 , 8 Eighteen peptides have been commercialized for use as plant protection agents, with more under development. 5 They can exhibit various modes of action including immune induction, antimicrobial effects, 9 or as plant growth regulators, 5 nematicides, 9 , 10 insecticides, 11 and herbicides. 12 During the course of our research targeting bioactive secondary metabolites of potential anti-infective and/or nematicidal activities, we explored the recently described cyst-associated fungus Laburnicola nematophila ( L. nematophila ) 13 derived from the plant parasitic nematode Heterodera filipjevi ( H. filipjevi ) to ultimately develop a biocontrol agent.…”