Characterization of Type1 Lipid Transfer Protein from Citrus sinensis : Unraveling its potential as an antimicrobial and insecticidal agent

Lipid Transfer Protein1 (LTP1) is a cationic, multifaceted protein belonging to the pathogenesis-related protein (PR14) family. Despite being involved in diverse physiological processes and defense mechanisms, the precise invivo role of LTP1 remains undiscovered. This work presents the characterization of recombinant Citrus sinensis LTP1 ( Cs LTP1) along with lipid binding studies through in-silico and in -vitro approaches. Cs LTP1 demonstrated great thermal and pH stability with a huge biotechnological potential. It showed in -vitro binding capacity with jasmonic acid and lipids involved in regulating plant immune responses. Gene expression profiling indicated a significant upregulation of Cs LTP1 in Candidatus -infected Citrus plants. Cs LTP1 disrupted the cell membrane integrity of various pathogens, making it a potent antimicrobial agent. Further, in-vivo antimicrobial and insecticidal properties of Cs LTP1 have been explored. The impact of exogenous Cs LTP1 treatment on rice crop metabolism for managing blight disease has been studied using GC - MS. Cs LTP1 triggered crucial metabolic pathways in rice plants while controlling the blight disease. Cs LTP1 effectively inhibited Helicoverpa armigera larvae by impeding mid-gut alpha-amylase activity and obstructing its developmental stages. This study highlights the pivotal role of Cs LTP1 in plant defense by offering insights for developing multi-target therapeutic agent or disease-resistant varieties to comprehensively tackle the challenges towards crop protection.