Female reproductive tissues of the ornamental tobacco amass high levels of serine proteinase inhibitors (PIs) for protection against pests and pathogens. These PIs are produced from a precursor protein composed of six repeats each with a protease reactive site ...
Female reproductive tissues of the ornamental tobacco amass high levels of serine proteinase inhibitors (PIs) for protection against pests and pathogens. These PIs are produced from a precursor protein composed of six repeats each with a protease reactive site. Here we show that proteolytic processing of the precursor generates five single-chain PIs and a remarkable two-chain inhibitor formed by disulfide-bond linkage of N- and C-terminal peptide fragments. Surprisingly, PI precursors adopt this circular structure regardless of the number of inhibitor domains, suggesting this bracelet-like conformation is characteristic of the widespread potato inhibitor II (Pot II) protein family.
Related Citations:
The Three-Dimensional Solution Structure by 1H NMR of a 6-kDa Proteinase Inhibitor Isolated from the Stigma of Nicotiana Alata Nielsen, K.J., Heath, R.L., Anderson, M.A., Craik, D.J. (1994) J Mol Biol 242: 231
Organizational Affiliation:
School of Biochemistry, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia.
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