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Recent Progress in Research on Plant Antifungal Proteins: A Review

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Book cover Antifungal Metabolites from Plants

Abstract

The intent of this article is to review plant antifungal proteins that have been purified and characterized in the last 5–6 years. The antifungal proteins reported encompass 2S albumins, amidases and ureases, chitinases, defensins and defensin-like peptides, beta-1, 3-glucanases, beta-lactoglobulin-like protein, lectins, lipid transfer proteins, peroxidases, proteases, protease inhibitors, ribonucleases, thaumatin-like proteins, and other antifungal proteins. These proteins demonstrate a diversity of structures. Some of them possess additional activities such as antiproliferative activity toward cancer cells, inhibitory activity toward viral enzymes, and specific aforementioned enzyme activities. The antifungal mechanism may involve permeabilization of fungal cell membrane, induction of reactive oxygen species, and triggering of apoptosis.

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Acknowledgments

The award of a grant (Research Fund for the Control of Infectious Diseases, project number 10090812) from the Food and Health Bureau, The Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

    Tzi Bun Ng, Randy Chi Fai Cheung & Jack Ho Wong

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  1. Tzi Bun Ng
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  2. Randy Chi Fai Cheung
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Correspondence to Tzi Bun Ng or Jack Ho Wong .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran

    Mehdi Razzaghi-Abyaneh

  2. , Dept. Biotechnology, SGB Amravati University, Amravati, 444602, Maharashtra, India

    Mahendra Rai

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Ng, T.B., Cheung, R.C.F., Wong, J.H. (2013). Recent Progress in Research on Plant Antifungal Proteins: A Review. In: Razzaghi-Abyaneh, M., Rai, M. (eds) Antifungal Metabolites from Plants. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-38076-1_7

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