A two component chitin-binding protein from French bean – association of a proline-rich protein with a cysteine-rich polypeptide

A 42 kDa chitin-binding proline-rich protein (PRP) from French bean has been previously characterised through its involvement in plant–pathogen interactions. It is located at the plasmalemma-wall interface, intercellular spaces and binds to the pathogen Colletotrichum lindemuthianum in vitro and in planta. It is also present in cell wall appositions formed in response to an hrp mutant of Xanthomonas campestris. We now show that the 42 kDa protein is composed of two components, a 25 kDa polypeptide member of the PRP family of legumes and a 6.8 kDa cysteine-rich peptide with high similarity to snakin-2 from potato. Snakins bind to pathogens and are antimicrobial. Molecular cloning of the longest PRP corresponding to the N-terminal sequence of the purified protein and the 6.8 kDa component is reported. The cognate mRNAs show coordinate expression. The two-component protein complex has already been shown to be involved in binding and immobilising pathogens through oxidative cross-linking of the PRP components but could also function as a two-component chitin-receptor involved in plant–pathogen interactions through antimicrobial activity and/or signalling.