Scientific Reports 16, 4606. 2026.
New publications: Kazal-type serine protease inhibitors from Arabidopsis thaliana and Toxoplasma gondii exhibit antimicrobial activity against plant pathogens.
Researchers from INTECH (CONICET-UNSAM) recently published an article in the journal Scientific Reports (Nature Portfolio), describing new antimicrobial functions of Kazal-type serine protease inhibitors from Arabidopsis thaliana and Toxoplasma gondii. The work demonstrates that these recombinant proteins exhibit inhibitory activity against important plant pathogens, including bacteria of the genus Pseudomonas and the fungus Botrytis cinerea. Furthermore, the study analyzes truncated versions of the inhibitors, allowing the identification of the role of specific domains in the observed antimicrobial activity.
These results provide novel evidence on the molecular mechanisms underlying the interaction between protease inhibitors and phytopathogenic microorganisms, and open new perspectives for the development of alternative and sustainable strategies for plant disease control. The article was published in Scientific Reports (Nature Portfolio).
