Evolution of antimicrobial cysteine-rich peptides in plants

作者：Huizhen Ma, Yong Feng, Qianqian Cao, Jing Jia, Muhammad Ali, Dilip M. Shah, Blake C. Meyers, Hai He, Yu Zhang · 发表于：Research Square · 年份：2023 · DOI：10.21203/rs.3.rs-2598984/v1 · 研究领域：Biochemical and Structural Characterization、Antimicrobial Peptides and Activities、Legume Nitrogen Fixing Symbiosis

Abstract To defend against diverse groups of pathogens, plants produce cysteine-rich peptides (CRPs) with long-lasting broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. We analyzed 240 plant genomes ranging from algae to eudicots and our comparative genomics results revealed that CRPs are widely distributed in plants. Further, we found that CRP genes have been amplified through both whole genome and local tandem duplication. Their copy number varied significantly across lineages and was associated with the plant ecotype, which may be the result of resistance to changing pathogenic environments. The conserved and lineage-specific CRP families contribute to diverse antimicrobial activities. Moreover, we investigated the unique bi-domain CRPs that result from unequal crossover events. Our findings provide a unique evolutionary perspective on CRPs and provide insights into their antimicrobial and symbiosis characteristics.