Isolation and characterization of a 25 kDa antifungal protein from flax seeds

We have purified a 25 kDa protein from flax seeds to homogeneity by polyethyleneimine precipitation, ammonium sulfate precipitation, chitin extraction, Mono S cation exchange and C18 reversed phase column chromatographies. The purified protein strongly inhibited the growth of the agronomically important pathogen Alternaria solani, the causative agent of tomato early blight and in synergy with nikkomycin Z strongly inhibited the human pathogen Candida albicans. Amino terminal sequence analysis of the purified protein indicated that it has a high degree of homology to other reported pathogenesis-related antifungal proteins.