Intercellular 27 kD protein is a chitinase induced by water stress or Pseudoperonospora cubensis in cucumber leaves]

Cucumber seedlings were drought-stressed or inoculated with Pseudoperonospora cubensis. After 3 or 6 d the intercellular fluids of treated cucumber leaves were extracted and analyzed. Protein contents increased after pathogen inoculation and a 27-kD protein was found in intercellular fluids (Figs.1, 7). Both 27 kD proteins were purified from the intercellular fluids of cucumber leaves after drought stress or pathogen inoculation by SDS-PAGE and electro-elution protocol respectively (Fig.2, 3). Purified proteins from drought-stressed and P. cubensis infected seedlings were analyzed by MALDI-TOF MS and their peptide mass fingerprinting (PMF) results were obtained (Figs.4, 5). The PMF results were compared with protein database using the software Profound. The results show that the 27 kD proteins from seedlings after drought stress and after P. cubensis infection were the same protein, i.e. an acidic chitinase (Tables 1, 2; Fig.6). The activities of chitinase in the intercellular fluids of cucumber leaves after pathogen inoculation and in those drought stress were also analyzed. Results showed that both treatments induced the increase in chitinase activity (Fig.8), which indicated that chitinase may be involved in the protection of cucumber plant against both pathogen attack and water stress.