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An Arabidopsis cDNA clone was isolated that encodes a protein similar to the antifungal chitin-binding protein hevein from rubber tree latex. This hevein-like (HEL) mRNA was inducible by either turnip crinkle virus infection or ethylene treatment. In addition, expression was moderately inducible by treatment with the resistance-inducing compounds salicylic acid and 2, 6-dichloroiso-nicotinic acid. The 786-bp cDNA contains an open reading frame of 212 codons. The deduced amino acid sequence contains a putative signal sequence of 21 amino acids followed by a 43-amino-acid cysteine-rich lectin domain and a 129-amino-acid carboxy-terminal domain. The predicted protein is approximately 70% identical to hevein, to the wound-inducible WIN1 and WIN2 proteins from potato, and to PR-4, a pathogenesis-related protein from tobacco.

Plants respond to pathogen attack by activating a variety of biochemical …