Plant defensins demonstrate high structural stability at extreme temperatures and pH values and, in general, are non-toxic to mammalian cells. These properties make them attractive candidates for use in biotechnology and biomedicine. Knowing the structure-function relationship is desirable to guide the design of plant defensin-based applications. Thus far, the broad range of biological activities was described only for one defensin from gymnosperms, the defensin PsDef1 from Scots pine. Here, we report that closely related defensin from the same taxonomy group, PsDef2, differing from PsDef1 by six amino acids, also possesses antimicrobial, antibacterial, and insect α-amylase inhibitory activities. We also report the solution structure and dynamics properties of PsDef2 assessed using a combination of experimental nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques. Lastly, we perform a comparative analysis of PsDef2 and PsDef1 gaining a molecular-level insight into their structure-dynamics-function relationship.

植物防御素在极端温度和 pH 值下表现出高度的结构稳定性，并且通常对哺乳动物细胞无毒。这些特性使它们成为用于生物技术和生物医学的有吸引力的候选者。了解结构-功能关系对于指导基于植物防御素的应用的设计是可取的。到目前为止，仅描述了来自裸子植物的一种防御素，即来自苏格兰松的防御素Ps Def1 的广泛生物活性。在这里，我们报告了来自同一分类组Ps Def2 的密切相关的防御素，不同于PsDef1由六个氨基酸组成，还具有抗菌、抗菌和昆虫α-淀粉酶抑制活性。我们还报告了使用实验核磁共振 (NMR) 技术组合评估的Ps Def2的溶液结构和动力学特性。最后，我们对Ps Def2 和Ps Def1进行了比较分析，从分子水平上了解它们的结构-动力学-功能关系。