Reed J D, Edwards D L, Gonzalez C F
Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Texas A&M University, College Station 77843-2132, USA.
Mol Plant Microbe Interact. 1997 Jul;10(5):537-49. doi: 10.1094/MPMI.1997.10.5.537.
Synthetic combinatorial libraries were evaluated with an iterative process to identify a hexapeptide with broadspectrum activity against selected phytopathogenic fungi. A D-amino acid hexapeptide (FRLKFH) and pentapeptide (FRLHF) exhibited activity against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici, Rhizoctonia solani (anastomosis group 1), Ceratocystis fagacearum, and Pythium ultimum. The peptides showed no hemolytic or mutagenic activity. Fluorescent microscopy studies with a membrane impermeant dye indicated that fungal cytoplasmic membranes were compromised rapidly and that the nuclear membrane was also affected.
