Egorov Ts A, Odintsova T I
Bioorg Khim. 2012 Jan-Feb;38(1):7-17. doi: 10.1134/s1068162012010062.
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are natural antibiotics produced by all living organisms to combat pathogens. They are important effector molecules of the immune system both in animals and plants. AMPs are diverse in structure and mode of action. Based on homology of amino acid sequences and 3D structures several AMP families have been distinguished. They are defensins, thionins, lipid transfer proteins, hevein- and knottin-like peptides, and cyclotides. AMPs display broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity and thus show promise for the development of disease- resistant crops by genetic engineering and for the production of new-generation drugs. In this paper, the properties of the main AMP families (defensins and hevein-like peptides) and of a new 4-Cys plant AMP family are reviewed.
抗菌肽（AMPs）是所有生物产生的用于对抗病原体的天然抗生素。它们是动物和植物免疫系统的重要效应分子。抗菌肽在结构和作用方式上具有多样性。基于氨基酸序列和三维结构的同源性，已区分出几个抗菌肽家族。它们是防御素、硫堇、脂质转移蛋白、类橡胶素和类结蛋白肽以及环肽。抗菌肽具有广谱抗菌活性，因此有望通过基因工程培育抗病作物以及生产新一代药物。本文综述了主要抗菌肽家族（防御素和类橡胶素肽）以及一个新的4-半胱氨酸植物抗菌肽家族的特性。
