AUTHOR=Kalunke Raviraj M. , Tundo Silvio , Benedetti Manuel , Cervone Felice , De Lorenzo Giulia , D'Ovidio Renato 

TITLE=An update on polygalacturonase-inhibiting protein (PGIP), a leucine-rich repeat protein that protects crop plants against pathogens

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=6

YEAR=2015

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2015.00146

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2015.00146

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=<p>Polygalacturonase inhibiting proteins (PGIPs) are cell wall proteins that inhibit the pectin-depolymerizing activity of polygalacturonases secreted by microbial pathogens and insects. These ubiquitous inhibitors have a leucine-rich repeat structure that is strongly conserved in monocot and dicot plants. Previous reviews have summarized the importance of PGIP in plant defense and the structural basis of PG-PGIP interaction; here we update the current knowledge about PGIPs with the recent findings on the composition and evolution of <italic>pgip</italic> gene families, with a special emphasis on legume and cereal crops. We also update the information about the inhibition properties of single <italic>pgip</italic> gene products against microbial PGs and the results, including field tests, showing the capacity of PGIP to protect crop plants against fungal, oomycetes and bacterial pathogens.</p>