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Expression of an Antifungal Peptide in Saccharomyces: A New Approach for Biological Control of the Postharvest Disease Caused by Colletotrichum coccodes

First author: Vegetable Laboratory, Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Center, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD 20705; and second author: Department of Postharvest Science of Fresh Produce, Institute for Technology and Storage of Agricultural Products, The Volcani Center, Agricultural Research Organization, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel

A cecropin A-based peptide inhibited germination of Colletotrichum coccodes at 50 μM. The DNA sequence encoding the peptide was cloned in pRS413, using the Saccharomyces cerevisiae invertase leader sequence for secretion of the peptide, and expressed in yeast. Yeast transformants inhibited the growth of germinated C. coccodes spores and inhibited decay development caused by C. coccodes in tomato fruits. Expression of the antifungal peptide in yeast therefore represents a new approach for the biological control of postharvest diseases.

Additional keywords: antifungal peptides, biocontrol mechanism.