common chickweed/cysteine

A novel peptide named SmAMP3 was isolated from leaves of common chickweed (Stellaria media L.) by a combination of acidic extraction and a single-step reversed-phase HPLC and sequenced. The peptide is basic and cysteine-rich, consists of 35 amino acids, and contains three disulphide bridges.

Plant defense against disease is a complex multistage system involving initial recognition of the invading pathogen, signal transduction and activation of specialized genes. An important role in pathogen deterrence belongs to so-called plant defense peptides, small polypeptide molecules that present

Being perfectly adapted to diverse environments, chickweed (Stellaria media (L.) Vill), a ubiquitous garden weed, grows widely in Europe and North America. As opposed to the model plants, many weeds, and S. media in particular, have been poorly studied, although they are likely to contain promising