Regulation of a Hevein-like Gene in Arabidopsis. Sharon Potter. Department of Molecular Genetics, Agricultural Biotechnology, Ciba-Geigy Corporation, 3054 Cornwallis Road, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 U.S.A. Scott Uknes, Kay Lawton, Ann Marie Winter, Danielle Chandler, Joseph DiMaio, Roseann Novitzky, Eric Ward, and John Ryals. Department of Molecular Genetics, Agricultural Biotechnology, Ciba-Geigy Corporation, 3054 Cornwallis Road, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 U.S.A. MPMI 6:680-685. Accepted 1 July 1993. Copyright 1993 The American Phytopathological Society.

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-dichloroisonicotinic 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.