植物几丁质酶的结构与功能、分类及进化

近年来对几丁质酶的研究越来越深入,资料也愈来愈多。有的植物几丁质酶除具有几丁质酶活性,还具有其它的活性。典型的几丁质酶由N_端信号区、催化区和C_端延伸区组成,有的还有几丁质结合域。各功能域具有各自的功能。对植物几丁质酶的分类已经过多次改进,目前公认的是分成4组9个亚组。有证据表明植物几丁质酶在进化过程中有遗传转座现象,但具体进化过程还有待进一步确证。对几丁质酶与其它一些蛋白的关系的了解有助于理解几丁质酶的起源和进化。由于几丁质酶具有独特的抗真菌特性,因而几丁质酶基因成为目前抗真菌基因工程研究的热点之一。     

植物几丁质酶的基因工程与分子生物学研究进展

植物几丁质酶具有广泛的生理活性,尤其在植物的抗病性方面具有重要作用,因而植物几丁喷酶基因工程或为目前抗真菌基因工程研究的热点。本介绍了植物几丁质酶基因结构的研究进展,综述了植物几丁质酶基因工程和微生物产几丁质酶转入植物的基因工程研究成果,概述了植物几丁质酶分子比较和分子进化研究,并展望了植物几丁质酶基因工程的应用前景。     

植物几丁质酶的研究进展

几丁质酶是植物抗真菌基因工程的热点之一。本文叙述了植物几丁质酶的特性、结构和功能、基因结构;按最新资料对以前的植物几丁质酶的分类系统进行了完善;概述了几丁质酶的分子进化的各家观点及其模型,并归纳了植物几丁质酶的生物学作用 。     

植物几丁质酶的研究进展

几丁质酶是植物抗真菌基因工程的热点之一。本文叙述了植物几丁质酶的特性、结构和功能、基因结构;按最新资料对以前的植物几丁质酶的分类系统进行了完善;概述了几丁质酶的分子进化的各家观点及其模型,并归纳了植物几丁质酶的生物学作用。     

几丁质酶基因与抗真菌蛋白基因、葡聚糖酶基因双价表达载体的构建及农杆菌工程菌株的重组

几丁质酶（Chitinase,Chi.)、β-1,3－葡聚糖酶（β－1,3－Glucanase,Glu.)和萝卜抗真菌蛋白（Rs-AFP2)是植物体内正常的表达产物,它们对防御植物的真菌病害具有重要的作用。基于它们在功能上具有协同作用,本研究利用基因工程技术构建了几丁质酶和抗真菌蛋白、几丁质酶和葡聚糖酶双价表达载体,通过农杆菌直接转化技术将双价表达载体转入农杆菌EHA105,最后采用PCR、DNA dot blotting技术对所获得的农杆菌工程菌株进行了鉴定分析。     

植物中几丁质酶的作用

几丁质酶 (EC3.2 .1.14)是降解几丁质的糖苷酶。很多植物包括草本植物和木本植物都能产生几丁质酶 [1] 。由于几丁质酶在植物抗真菌病害中起着重要的作用 ,因而成为近年抗真菌病害研究的热点之一 [2 ] 。随着对几丁质酶研究的深入 ,发现该酶不仅与抗真菌病害有关 ,而且在植物发育、抗胁迫及共生固氮等方面都发挥着作用。1　参与植物的发育调控植物几丁质酶基因的表达具有组织特异性 ,参与了植物的发育调控 ,尤其在早期胚胎发育过程中。胡萝卜中 ,几丁质酶 EP3 参与控制早期胚胎发育 [3 ] 。在云杉体胚发育中 ,几丁质酶也起到了调控作用。…     

植物几丁质酶的结构、基因及其表达

植物几丁质酶按其蛋白氨基酸序列结构特征及同源性可分为六类,即：ＣｌａｓｓＩ－Ⅵ。ＣｌａｓＩ在蛋白氨基酸结构上包括三个功能区域,Ｎ－端是富含半胱氨酸的几丁质结合区,约４０个氨基酸;Ｃ－端是酶的催化区,也是酶的主要功能区域,约３００个氨基酸;二者通过一个多变的交联区连接在一起。ＣｌａｓｓⅡ仅具有类似于ＣｌａｓｓⅠ的酶催化区域,而没有几丁质结合区和交联区。ＣｌａｓｓⅢ几丁质酶在氨基酸序列上与ＣｌａｓｓⅠ和Ⅱ没有任何同源性,其中有些具有几丁质酶和溶菌酶双重活性。ＣｌａｓｓⅣ类似于ＣｌａｓｓⅠ,只是在几丁质结合区和催化区缺失了少数氨基酸。ＣｌａｓｓＶ类似于ＣｌａｓｓⅠ,但具有两个重复的几丁质结合区。ＣｌａｓＶＩ与前五类几丁质酶无同源性,但与微生物几丁质酶有同源性。所有的植物几丁质酶都是由一个小的多基因族编码的,一般基因中有二个内含子,都位于催化区内。几丁质酶的表达受病原物和植物激素的诱导而表达,也与植物的发育有关。通过转几丁质酶基因的工程植株分析几丁质酶基因的启动子,已鉴定出负责几丁质酶表达的调控序列。     

植物几丁质酶及其在抗真菌病害中的应用

植物几丁质酶的研究是抗真菌基因工程的热点之一。几丁质酶能够水解真菌细胞壁的主要成分几丁质,在植物抗真菌病害反应中发挥重要的作用。介绍了几丁质酶的基本生物学特性、基因的诱导表达,并对植物几丁质酶基因在抗真菌病害基因工程中的应用进行了阐述。     

几丁质酶基因及其应用新进展

几丁质酶能降解真菌和昆虫细胞壁的主要成分几丁质而在生物防御中具有重要的作用。近年来随着重组DNA技术的进一步发展和对几丁质酶基因表达与调控机理研究的进一步深入,将几丁质酶基因导入植物增强其抗真菌能力方面的研究取得了较大进展,促进了几丁质酶的产业化应用。     

几丁质酶及其在抗真菌病基因工程中的应用

真菌病是作物减产的主要原因之一。而植物界大量存在具有离体抑制真菌生长增殖能力的蛋白质,相应基因在转基因植株中表达,可使这些植物产生抗真菌能力。几丁质酶就是其中之一,它能催化几丁质水解,从而抑制真菌的生长增殖。随着对其作用机理、生化特性、表达调控的深入研究,几丁质酶基因转化植株显示出很高的抗真菌能力,正日益成为植物真菌病防治的新途径。围绕几丁质酶在抗真菌病基因工程中的应用,本文对几丁质酶的活性底物,     

A comparative proteomic approach to analyse structure, function and evolution of rice chitinases: a step towards increasing plant fungal resistance

Glycoside hydrolase family 19 chitinases (EC 3.2.1.14) widely distributed in plants, bacteria and viruses catalyse the hydrolysis of chitin and play a major role in plant defense mechanisms and development. Rice possesses several classes of chitinase, out of which a single structure of class I has been reported in PDB to date. In the present study an attempt was made to gain more insight into the structure, function and evolution of class I, II and IV chitinases of GH family 19 from rice. The three-dimensional structures of chitinases were modelled and validated based on available X-ray crystal structures. The structural study revealed that they are highly α-helical and bilobed in nature. These enzymes are single or multi domain and multi-functional in which chitin-binding domain (CBD) and catalytic domain (CatD) are present in class I and IV whereas class II lacks CBD. The CatD possesses a catalytic triad which is thought to be involved in catalytic process. Loop III, which is common in all three classes of chitinases, reflects that it may play a significant role in their function. Our study also confirms that the absence and presence of different loops in GH family 19 of rice may be responsible for various sized products. Molecular phylogeny revealed chitinases in monocotyledons and dicotyledons differed from each other forming two different clusters and may have evolved differentially. More structural study of this enzyme from different plants is required to enhance the knowledge of catalytic mechanism and substrate binding.     

几丁质酶与植物防卫反应

几丁质酶广泛存在于自然界,亦普遍存在于高等植物中,但在植物体内,至今尚未发现几丁质酶作用的底物。最近的研究不断发现植物防卫反应诱导表达的基因中包含着编码几丁质酶的基因［１］。许多研究已经表明,几丁质酶在植物体内的诱导与积累,对于增强植物防卫能力发挥着重要作用［２］,而植物自身防卫反应是目前植物分子生物学研究的热点之一。本文将着重介绍几丁质酶的特性、诱导及其参与防卫反应的机制的研究进展     

A novel family of lectins evolutionarily related to class V chitinases: an example of neofunctionalization in legumes

A lectin has been identified in black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) bark that shares approximately 50% sequence identity with plant class V chitinases but is essentially devoid of chitinase activity. Specificity studies indicated that the black locust chitinase-related agglutinin (RobpsCRA) preferentially binds to high-mannose N-glycans comprising the proximal pentasaccharide core structure. Closely related orthologs of RobpsCRA could be identified in the legumes Glycine max, Medicago truncatula, and Lotus japonicus but in no other plant species, suggesting that this novel lectin family most probably evolved in an ancient legume species or possibly an earlier ancestor. This identification of RobpsCRA not only illustrates neofunctionalization in plants, but also provides firm evidence that plants are capable of developing a sugar-binding domain from an existing structural scaffold with a different activity and accordingly sheds new light on the molecular evolution of plant lectins.     

Structural and Evolutionary Relationships Among Chitinases of Flowering Plants

The analysis of nuclear-encoded chitinase sequences from various angiosperms has allowed the categorization of the chitinases into discrete classes. Nucleotide sequences of their catalytic domains were compared in this study to investigate the evolutionary relationships between chitinase classes. The functionally distinct class III chitinases appear to be more closely related to fungal enzymes involved in morphogenesis than to other plant chitinases. The ordering of other plant chitinases into additional classes mainly relied on the presence of auxiliary domains—namely, a chitin-binding domain and a carboxy-terminal extension—flanking the main catalytic domain. The results of our phylogenetic analyses showed that classes I and IV form discrete and well-supported monophyletic groups derived from a common ancestral sequence that predates the divergence of dicots and monocots. In contrast, other sequences included in classes I* and II, lacking one or both types of auxiliary domains, were nested within class I sequences, indicating that they have a polyphyletic origin. According to phylogenetic analyses and the calculation of evolutionary rates, these chitinases probably arose from different class I lineages by relatively recent deletion events. The occurrence of such evolutionary trends in cultivated plants and their potential involvement in host–pathogen interactions are discussed. Received: 5 July 1996 / Accepted: 9 January 1997     

Molecular and functional evolution of class I chitinases for plant carnivory in the caryophyllales

Proteins produced by the large and diverse chitinase gene family are involved in the hydrolyzation of glycosidic bonds in chitin, a polymer of N-acetylglucosamines. In flowering plants, class I chitinases are important pathogenesis-related proteins, functioning in the determent of herbivory and pathogen attack by acting on insect exoskeletons and fungal cell walls. Within the carnivorous plants, two subclasses of class I chitinases have been identified to play a role in the digestion of prey. Members of these two subclasses, depending on the presence or absence of a C-terminal extension, can be secreted from specialized digestive glands found within the morphologically diverse traps that develop from carnivorous plant leaves. The degree of homology among carnivorous plant class I chitinases and the method by which these enzymes have been adapted for the carnivorous habit has yet to be elucidated. This study focuses on understanding the evolution of carnivory and chitinase genes in one of the major groups of plants that has evolved the carnivorous habit: the Caryophyllales. We recover novel class I chitinase homologs from species of genera Ancistrocladus, Dionaea, Drosera, Nepenthes, and Triphyophyllum, while also confirming the presence of two subclasses of class I chitinases based upon sequence homology and phylogenetic affinity to class I chitinases available from sequenced angiosperm genomes. We further detect residues under positive selection and reveal substitutions specific to carnivorous plant class I chitinases. These substitutions may confer functional differences as indicated by protein structure homology modeling.     

Addition of substrate-binding domains increases substrate-binding capacity and specific activity of a chitinase from Trichoderma harzianum

Chitinase Chit42 from Trichoderma harzianum CECT 2413 is considered to play an important role in the biocontrol activity of this fungus against plant pathogens. Chit42 lacks a chitin-binding domain (ChBD). We have produced hybrid chitinases with stronger chitin-binding capacity by fusing to Chit42 a ChBD from Nicotiana tabacum ChiA chitinase and the cellulose-binding domain from cellobiohydrolase II of Trichoderma reesei. The chimeric chitinases had similar activities towards soluble substrate but higher hydrolytic activity than the native chitinase on high molecular mass insoluble substrates such as ground chitin or chitin-rich fungal cell walls.     

Diversification of Fungal Chitinases and Their Functional Differentiation in Histoplasma capsulatum

Chitinases enzymatically hydrolyze chitin, a highly abundant and utilized polymer of N-acetyl-glucosamine. Fungi are a rich source of chitinases; however, the phylogenetic and functional diversity of fungal chitinases are not well understood. We surveyed fungal chitinases from 373 publicly available genomes, characterized domain architecture, and conducted phylogenetic analyses of the glycoside hydrolase (GH18) domain. This large-scale analysis does not support the previous division of fungal chitinases into three major clades (A, B, C) as chitinases previously assigned to the “C” clade are not resolved as distinct from the “A” clade. Fungal chitinase diversity was partly shaped by horizontal gene transfer, and at least one clade of bacterial origin occurs among chitinases previously assigned to the “B” clade. Furthermore, chitin-binding domains (including the LysM domain) do not define specific clades, but instead are found more broadly across clades of chitinases. To gain insight into biological function diversity, we characterized all eight chitinases (Cts) from the thermally dimorphic fungus, Histoplasma capsulatum: six A clade, one B clade, and one formerly classified C clade chitinases. Expression analyses showed variable induction of chitinase genes in the presence of chitin but preferential expression of CTS3 in the mycelial stage. Activity assays demonstrated that Cts1 (B-I), Cts2 (A-V), Cts3 (A-V), Cts4 (A-V) have endochitinase activities with varying degrees of chitobiosidase function. Cts6 (C-I) has activity consistent with N-acetyl-glucosaminidase exochitinase function and Cts8 (A-II) has chitobiase activity. These results suggest chitinase activity is variable even within subclades and that predictions of functionality require more sophisticated models.