Purification and characterization from tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) leaves of six small, wound-inducible, proteinase isoinhibitors of the potato inhibitor II family.

Six small molecular mass, wound-inducible trypsin and chymotrypsin inhibitor proteins from tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) leaves were isolated to homogeneity. The isoinhibitors, cumulatively called tobacco trypsin inhibitor (TTI), have molecular masses of approximately 5500 to 5800 D, calculated from gel filtration analysis and amino acid content. The amino acid sequence of the entire 53 residues of one isoinhibitor, TTI-1, and the sequence of 36 amino acid residues from the N terminus of a second isoinhibitor, TTI-5, were determined. The two isoinhibitors differ only at residue 11, which is threonine in TTI-1 and lysine in TTI-5. The isoinhibitors are members of the potato inhibitor II family and show considerable identity with the small molecular mass members of this family, which include the eggplant inhibitor, two small molecular mass trypsin and chymotrypsin inhibitors from potatoes, and an inhibitor from pistils of the ornamental plant Nicotiana alata. Antibodies produced against the isoinhibitors in rabbits were used in radial immunoassays to quantify both the systemic wound inducibility of TTI in tobacco leaves and its constitutive levels in flowers.