<p>Barwin is a basic protein isolated from aqueous extracts of barley seeds. It is125 amino acids in length, and contains six cysteine residues that combine to formthree disulphide bridges [<cite idref="PUB00000371"/>, <cite idref="PUB00000372"/>]. Comparative analysis shows the sequence to be highly similar to a 122 amino acid stretch in the C-terminal of the products of two wound-induced genes (win1 and win2) from potato, the product of the hevein gene of rubber trees, and pathogenesis-related protein 4 from tobacco. The high levels of similarity to these proteins, and their ability to bind saccharides, suggest that the barwin domain may be involved in a common defence mechanism in plants.</p> Barwin