DmAMP1, an antifungal plant defensin from dahlia (Dahlia merckii), interacts with sphingolipids from Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

DmAMP1, an antifungal plant defensin from Dahlia merckii, was shown previously to require the presence of sphingolipids for fungicidal action against Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Sphingolipids may stabilize glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored proteins, which interact with DmAMP1, or they may directly serve as DmAMP1 binding sites. In the present study, we demonstrate that S. cerevisiae disruptants in GPI-anchored proteins showed small or no increased resistance towards DmAMP1 indicating no involvement of these proteins in DmAMP1 action. Further, studies using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)-based binding assay revealed that DmAMP1 interacts directly with sphingolipids isolated from S. cerevisiae and that this interaction is enhanced in the presence of equimolar concentrations of ergosterol. Therefore, DmAMP1 antifungal action involving membrane interaction with sphingolipids and ergosterol is proposed.