Plants protect themselves from pathogen invasion through the local expression of a variety of pathogenesis-related proteins. They are highly diverse in both primary structure and length, and exhibit different direct antimicrobial activity. This text reviews the knowledge of osmotin, antimicrobial protein involved in innate immunity of plants. Osmotin belongs to the fifth class of the group of pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins and has been found in different plants species, in every case osmotin is cysteine-rich protein involved in plant defense responses to several pathogens and abiotic stresses. The phylogenetic tree of amino acids compositions of osmotins from different plant species is presented and the basic similarities of clusters are discussed in this review. Osmotin gene is activated by different biotic as well as abiotic signals and has many functions. The review summarizes biochemical and structural properties, induction, functions and structural homology between osmotin and other proteins. Recent data about recombinant production in bacterial and plant cells are examined. The article indicates possible ways of osmotin application in research in the field of functional biology, medicine and agriculture.

ICT Prague Faculty of Food and Biochemical Technology Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology Prague Czech Republic

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Integrated Proteomic and Metabolomic Profiling of Phytophthora cinnamomi Attack on Sweet Chestnut (Castanea sativa) Reveals Distinct Molecular Reprogramming Proximal to the Infection Site and Away from It

Recombinant expression of osmotin in barley improves stress resistance and food safety during adverse growing conditions