Eucalyptus root and shoot chitinases, induced following root colonization by pathogenic versus ectomycorrhizal fungi, compared on one- and two-dimensional activity gels

The present work deals with the effect of root fungal colonization on chitinases activities in Eucalyptus seedlings. Plant chitinases indiced during pathogenic infection are thought to be directed against the fungus, but chitinases induced by ectomycorrhizal fungi may contribute to ectomycorrhizal ontogenesis. Plant responses were compared to determine whether plants induce different chitinases activities in contact with symbionts and pathogens, and whether chitinases are induced systemically in both cases. Despite 2-D analysis of Eucalyptus root chitinolytic activities, induced following root colonization by pathogenic or ectomycorrhizal fungi, it was not possible to differentiate between both infections. Moreover, ectomycorrhizal colonization, as pathogenic infections, led to systemic induction of chitinase activities far from the site of inoculation. Contrasting with roots, the chitinase activities induced in shoots were not positively correlated with ectomycorrhizal strain aggressiveness. The differential stimulation of root chitinase activity by aggressive or non-aggressive ectomycorrhizal strains was related to induction of five additional isoforms in response to contact with the most aggressive strains.     

Improvement of the enzymatic activity of the hyperthermophilic cellulase from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pyrococcus horikoshii</Emphasis>

A hyperthermophilic β-1,4 endoglucanase (EGPh) from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus horikoshii exhibits a strong hydrolyzing activity toward crystalline cellulose. The characteristic features of EGPh are: (1) it appears to have disulfide bonds, which is rare among anaerobic hyperthermophilic archaeon proteins, and (2) it lacks a carbohydrate-binding domain, which is necessary for effective hydrolysis of cellulose. We first examined the relationship between the disulfide bonds and the catalytic activity by analyzing various cysteine mutations. The activities of the mutated enzymes toward carboxy methyl cellulose (CMC) increased without any loss in thermostability. Second, we prepared a fusion enzyme so that the thermostable chitin-binding domain of chitinase from P. furiosus was joined to the C-terminus of EGPh and its variants. These fusion enzymes showed stronger activities than did the wild-type EGPh toward both CMC and crystalline cellulose (Avicel).     

A Diverse Range of Bacterial and Eukaryotic Chitinases Hydrolyzes the LacNAc (Galβ1–4GlcNAc) and LacdiNAc (GalNAcβ1–4GlcNAc) Motifs Found on Vertebrate and Insect Cells

There is emerging evidence that chitinases have additional functions beyond degrading environmental chitin, such as involvement in innate and acquired immune responses, tissue remodeling, fibrosis, and serving as virulence factors of bacterial pathogens. We have recently shown that both the human chitotriosidase and a chitinase from Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium hydrolyze LacNAc from Galβ1–4GlcNAcβ-tetramethylrhodamine (LacNAc-TMR (Galβ1–4GlcNAcβ(CH₂)₈CONH(CH₂)₂NHCO-TMR)), a fluorescently labeled model substrate for glycans found in mammals. In this study we have examined the binding affinities of the Salmonella chitinase by carbohydrate microarray screening and found that it binds to a range of compounds, including five that contain LacNAc structures. We have further examined the hydrolytic specificity of this enzyme and chitinases from Sodalis glossinidius and Polysphondylium pallidum, which are phylogenetically related to the Salmonella chitinase, as well as unrelated chitinases from Listeria monocytogenes using the fluorescently labeled substrate analogs LacdiNAc-TMR (GalNAcβ1–4GlcNAcβ-TMR), LacNAc-TMR, and LacNAcβ1–6LacNAcβ-TMR. We found that all chitinases examined hydrolyzed LacdiNAc from the TMR aglycone to various degrees, whereas they were less active toward LacNAc-TMR conjugates. LacdiNAc is found in the mammalian glycome and is a common motif in invertebrate glycans. This substrate specificity was evident for chitinases of different phylogenetic origins. Three of the chitinases also hydrolyzed the β1–6 bond in LacNAcβ1–6LacNAcβ-TMR, an activity that is of potential importance in relation to mammalian glycans. The enzymatic affinities for these mammalian-like structures suggest additional functional roles of chitinases beyond chitin hydrolysis.     

Characterization and role of a metalloprotease induced by chitin in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Serratia</Emphasis> sp. KCK

A metalloprotease induced by chitin in a new chitinolytic bacterium Serratia sp. Strain KCK was purified and characterized. Compared with other Serratia enzymes, it exhibited a rather broad pH activity range (pH 5.0–8.0), and thermostability. The cognate ORF, mpr, was cloned and expressed. Its deduced amino acid sequence showed high similarity to those of bacterial zinc-binding metalloproteases and a well-conserved serralysin family motif. Pretreatment of chitin with the Mpr protein promoted chitin degradation by chitinase A, which suggests that Mpr participates in, and facilitates, chitin degradation by this microorganism.     

Enhanced resistance to blast (Magnaporthe grisea) in transgenic Japonica rice by constitutive expression of rice chitinase

Rice blast is the most devastating plant disease in Japan. Our goal is to create new rice varieties which show enhanced resistance against blast, regardless of the race of blast. By an Agrobacterium-mediated transformation method, we reintroduced a rice class-I chitinase gene, Cht-2 or Cht-3, under the control of the enhanced CaMV 35S promoter and a hygromycin phosphotransferase gene, as a selection marker into the Japonica rice varieties Nipponbare and Koshihikari, which have retained the best popularity over a long period in Japan. In regenerated plants (R₀), the Cht-2 product was found to accumulate intracellularly whereas the Cht-3 product was found to be targeted extracellularly. The transgenic rice plants which constitutively expressed either chitinase gene showed significantly higher resistance against the rice blast pathogen Magnaporthe grisea races 007.0 and 333. Both high-level expression of the chitinase and blast-resistance were stably inherited by the next generation in several lines. Received: 16 November 1998 / Accepted: 30 January 1999     

Genetic engineering of wheat for increased resistance to powdery mildew disease

 Fungal wheat (Triticum aestivum) diseases greatly affect crop productivity and require the economically and ecologically undesirable application of fungicides in wheat agriculture. We have generated transgenic wheat plants constitutively expressing an antifungal barley-seed class II chitinase. The transgene was stably expressed and the chitinase properly localized in the apoplast of the transgenic lines. The engineered wheat plants showed increased resistance to infection with the powdery mildew-causing fungus Erysiphe graminis. Received: 20 October 1998 / Accepted: 26 October 1998     

几丁质酶和壳聚糖酶对部分乙酰化壳聚糖作用方式的比较

通过对几丁质酶和壳聚糖酶降解部分乙酰化壳聚糖的作用方式的比较,得到几丁质酶切断壳聚糖的ＧｌｃＮＡｃ－ ＧｌｃＮＡｃ 和ＧｌｃＮＡｃ－ ＧｌｃＮ 或ＧｌｃＮ－ ＧｌｃＮＡｃ 糖苷键,而壳聚糖酶切断壳聚糖的ＧｌｃＮ－ ＧｌｃＮ 和ＧｌｃＮ－ ＧｌｃＮＡｃ 或ＧｌｃＮＡｃ－ ＧｌｃＮ 糖苷键,为得到较高聚合度的壳寡糖提供理论基础。     

聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳配合荧光增白剂显色检测木霉几丁质酶同工酶谱

为提高木霉几丁质酶检测方法的准确性和灵敏度,建立一种快速检测几丁质酶同工酶的方法。采用活性凝胶电泳、变性凝胶电泳、原位显色凝胶电泳结合荧光增白剂（Calcofluor white M2R）显色从绿色木霉LTR-2发酵产物中检测几丁质酶同工酶。活性凝胶电泳在粗酶液浓缩5倍时显示两条活性谱带,变性凝胶电泳在浓缩10倍时显示一条活性谱带,原位显色凝胶电泳在浓缩20倍时显示两条不清晰的活性谱带,SDS-PAGE显示这两条活性谱带的分子量分别为65kDa和42kDa。结果表明活性聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳和Calcofluor white M2R显色相结合的方法在几丁质酶上样量为0.47U时具有较好的分辨能力,是检测木霉几丁质酶同工酶的有效的方法。     

水稻和拟南芥中几丁质酶的分析

几丁质酶（EC3．2．1．14）是一种降解几丁质的糖苷酶,广泛存在于各种生物体中,并在植物中对病原真菌起重要抗性作用。首先通过BLAST在GenBank中对其同源性进行搜索,用SMART分析其结构。基于水稻和拟南芥的基因组注释,借助4个生物学软件（SignalP3．0,TMHMM2．0,TargetP1．1andbig—PiPredictor）,分析了水稻所有37条和拟南芥所有24条几丁质酶序列,发现有些几丁质酶都分泌到细胞外,有些定位于液泡中,水稻中仅25条和拟南芥中仅16条几丁质酶序列有信号肽,这些信号肽的平均长度为24．8aa。利用ClustalX和MEGA3．1两个生物软件分析了59条几丁质酶序列和25条标准几丁质酶的系统发育关系,这些几丁质酶可分为Ⅰ、Ⅱ、Ⅲ、Ⅳ、Ⅴ和Ⅵ等6大类。这种聚类结果与几丁质酶传统分为7类有些差异。通过对6大类中各个氨基酸残基的分析,发现丙氨酸、甘氨酸、丝氨酸和亮氨酸的使用频率在每类中都非常高,而蛋氨酸、组氨酸、色氨酸和半胱氨酸均低于20％。各大类中彼此之间的某些氨基酸使用频率明显不同,Ⅰ-Ⅵ分别富含丙氨酸、缬氨酸、亮氨酸、半胱氨酸、丝氨酸和赖氨酸。     

疏绵状嗜热丝孢菌热稳定几丁质酶的纯化及其性质研究

采用硫酸铵沉淀、DEAE SepharoseFastFlow阴离子层析、Phenyl Sepharose疏水层析等步骤获得了凝胶电泳均一的疏绵状嗜热丝孢菌 (Thermomyceslanuginosus)几丁质酶。经SDS PAGE和凝胶过滤层析测得纯酶蛋白的分子量在 4 8～ 4 9 .8kD之间。该酶反应的最适温度和最适pH分别为 5 5℃和 4 5 ,在pH4 5条件下 ,该酶在 5 0℃以下稳定 ;6 5℃的半衰期为 2 5min ;70℃保温 2 0min后 ,仍保留 2 4 %的酶活性。其N 端氨基酸序列为AQGYLSVQYFVNWAI。金属离子对几丁质酶的活性影响较大 ,Ca2 、Na 、K 、Ba2 对酶有激活作用 ;Ag 、Fe2 、Cu2 、Hg2 对酶有显著的抑制作用 ;以胶体几丁质为底物的Km 和Vmax值分别为 9 .5 6mg mL和 2 2 . 12 μmol min。抗菌活性显示 ,该酶对供试病原菌有不同程度的抑制作用。