An antifungal protein purified from pearl millet seeds shows sequence homology to lipid transfer proteins

In the course of a search for antifungal proteins from plant seeds, we obse rved inhibition of mycelial growth of Trichoderma vt. ri Ide with extracts of pearl millet. We have identified several proteins with antifungal proper ties in the seeds of pearl millet. One of these proteins has been purified to homogeneity and characterized. The purified protein has a molecular mass of 25 kDa. The N-terminal sequence of the protein (25 residues) shows homo logy to non-specific lipid transfer proteins (LTPs) of cotton, wheat and ba rley. The purified LTP inhibited mycelial growth of T viride and the rice s heath blight fungus, Rhizoctonia solani in vitro.