Cloning and expression of a chitinase gene from the hyperparasitic fungus Aphanocladium album

Chitinolytic Enzymes of the Hyperparasite Fungus Aphanocladium album: Genome-Wide Survey and Characterization of A Selected Enzyme

The filamentous fungus Aphanocladium album is known as a hyperparasite of plant pathogenic fungi; hence, it has been studied as a possible agent for plant protection. Chitinases secreted by A. album have proven to be essential for its fungicidal activity. However, no complete analysis of the A. album chitinase assortment has been carried out, nor have any of its chitinases been characterized yet. In this study, we report the first draft assembly of the genome sequence of A. album (strain MX-95). The in silico functional annotation of the genome allowed the identification of 46 genes encoding chitinolytic enzymes of the GH18 (26 genes), GH20 (8 genes), GH75 (8 genes), and GH3 (4 genes) families. The encoded proteins were investigated by comparative and phylogenetic analysis, allowing clustering in different subgroups. A. album chitinases were also characterized according to the presence of different functional protein domains (carbohydrate-binding modules and catalytic domains) providing the first complete description of the chitinase repertoire of A. album. A single chitinase gene was then selected for complete functional characterization. The encoded protein was expressed in the yeast Pichia pastoris, and its activity was assayed under different conditions of temperature and pH and with different substrates. It was found that the enzyme acts mainly as a chitobiosidase, with higher activity in the 37-50 °C range.

Regulation of three genes encoding cell-wall-degrading enzymes of Trichoderma aggressivum during interaction with Agaricus bisporus

Members of the genus Trichoderma are very effective competitors of a variety of fungi. Cell-wall-degrading enzymes, including proteinases, glucanases, and chitinases, are commonly secreted as part of the competitive process. Trichoderma aggressivum is the causative agent of green mould disease of the button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus. The structures of 3 T. aggressivum genes, prb1 encoding a proteinase, ech42 encoding an endochitinase, and a β-glucanase gene, were determined. Promoter elements in the prb1 and ech42 genes suggested that transcription is regulated by carbon and nitrogen levels and by stress. Both genes had mycoparasitism-related elements indicating potential roles for the protein products in competition. The promoter of the β-glucanase gene contained CreA and AreA binding sites indicative of catabolite regulation but contained no mycoparasitism elements. Transcription of the 3 genes was measured in mixed cultures of T. aggressivum and A. bisporus. Two A. bisporus strains, U1, which is sensitive to green mould disease, and SB65, which shows some resistance, were used in co-cultivation tests to assess possible roles of the genes in disease production and severity. prb1 and ech42 were coordinately upregulated after 5 days, whereas β-glucanase transcription was upregulated from day 0 with both Agaricus strains. Upregulation was much less pronounced in mixed cultures of T. aggressivum with the resistant strain, SB65, than with the sensitive strain, U1. These observations suggested that the proteins encoded by these genes have roles in both nutrition and in severity of green mould disease.

Identification of two group A chitinase genes in Botrytis cinerea which are differentially induced by exogenous chitin

Chitin-degrading enzymes represent potential targets for pesticides in the control of plant pathogenic fungi. Here we describe the cloning, molecular characterization, and expression analysis of two putative chitinases of Botrytis cinerea, a pathogenic fungus infecting a wide range of plants. On the basis of conserved motifs from family 18 of the glycosyl hydrolases and group A of the fungal chitinases, two fragments (BcchiA and BcchiB) were cloned and sequenced. Expression of BcchiA and BcchiB chitinase genes upon growth under different conditions was analysed using RT-PCR. We observed that BcchiA expression was suppressed by glucose, whereas it was strongly stimulated in the presence of chitin or chitin degradation products. Conversely, BcchiB expression was not suppressed by glucose and was not stimulated by chitin or chitin degradation products. The difference in expression regulation is indicative of a functional divergence between the two chitinase paralogous genes.

The biology of the Gaucher cell: the cradle of human chitinases

Gaucher disease (GD) is the most common lysosomal storage disorder and is caused by inherited deficiencies of glucocerebrosidase, the enzyme responsible for the lysosomal breakdown of the lipid glucosylceramide. GD is characterized by the accumulation of pathological, lipid laden macrophages, so-called Gaucher cells. Following the development of enzyme replacement therapy for GD, the search for suitable surrogate disease markers resulted in the identification of a thousand-fold increased chitinase activity in plasma from symptomatic Gaucher patients and that decreases upon successful therapeutic intervention. Biochemical investigations identified a single enzyme, named chitotriosidase, to be responsible for this activity. Chitotriosidase was found to be an excellent marker for lipid laden macrophages in Gaucher patients and is now widely used to assist clinical management of patients. In the wake of the identification of chitotriosidase, the presence of other members of the chitinase family in mammals was discovered. Amongst these is AMCase, an enzyme recently implicated in the pathogenesis of asthma. Chitinases are omnipresent throughout nature and are also produced by vertebrates in which they play important roles in defence against chitin-containing pathogens and in food processing.

Review of fungal chitinases

Chitin is the second most abundant organic and renewable source in nature, after cellulose. Chitinases are chitin-degrading enzymes. Chitinases have important biophysiological functions and immense potential applications. In recent years, researches on fungal chitinases have made fast progress, especially in molecular levels. Therefore, the present review will focus on recent advances of fungal chitinases, containing their nomenclature and assays, purification and characterization, molecular cloning and expression, family and structure, regulation, and function and application.

Molecular cloning, characterization, and expression of a cDNA encoding an endochitinase gene from the mycoparasite Stachybotrys elegans

Stachybotrys elegans is a mycoparasite of the soilborne plant pathogenic fungus Rhizoctonia solani. The mycoparasitic activity of S. elegans is correlated with the production of cell wall degrading enzymes such as chitinases. This report details the cloning by RACE-PCR and characterization of a full-length cDNA clone, sechi44, that appears to encode an extracellular endochitinase. An analysis of the sechi44 sequence indicates that this gene contains a 1269-bp ORF and encodes a 423-aa polypeptide. The SECHI44 protein has a calculated molecular weight of 44.1kDa and pI of 5.53. Since the SECHI44 protein also appears to encode a signal peptide, an extracellular location for the corresponding protein is predicted. Comparison of SECHI44 sequence with known sequences of fungal endochitinases revealed that SECHI44 is grouped with endochitinases from other mycoparasites. Real-time quantitative RT-PCR analysis showed an elevated level of expression of sechi44 (21-fold) in chitin-rich (induced) as compared to no-carbon (non-induced) culture conditions. In dual culture, the temporal expression of sechi44 increased after 2 days of contact with R. solani, reaching a 10-fold increase after 9 days, followed by a decrease to basic expression level at 12 days. Interestingly, inhibition of sechi44 expression was observed when S. elegans hyphae were in close proximity with R. solani hyphae.

Expression of two major chitinase genes of Trichoderma atroviride (T. harzianum P1) is triggered by different regulatory signals

Regulation of the expression of the two major chitinase genes, ech42 (encoding the CHIT42 endochitinase) and nag1 (encoding the CHIT73 N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase), of the chitinolytic system of the mycoparasitic biocontrol fungus Trichoderma atroviride (= Trichoderma harzianum P1) was investigated by using a reporter system based on the Aspergillus niger glucose oxidase. Strains harboring fusions of the ech42 or nag1 5' upstream noncoding sequences with the A. niger goxA gene displayed a glucose oxidase activity pattern that was consistent under various conditions with expression of the native ech42 and nag1 genes, as assayed by Northern analysis. The expression product of goxA in the mutants was completely secreted into the medium, detectable on Western blots, and quantifiable by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. nag1 gene expression was triggered during growth on fungal (Botrytis cinerea) cell walls and on the chitin degradation product N-acetylglucosamine. N-Acetylglucosamine, di-N-acetylchitobiose, or tri-N-acetylchitotriose also induced nag1 gene expression when added to mycelia pregrown on different carbon sources. ech42 expression was also observed during growth on fungal cell walls but, in contrast, was not triggered by addition of chitooligomers to pregrown mycelia. Significant ech42 expression was observed after prolonged carbon starvation, independent of the use of glucose or glycerol as a carbon source, suggesting that relief of carbon catabolite repression was not involved in induction during starvation. In addition, ech42 gene transcription was triggered by physiological stress, such as low temperature, high osmotic pressure, or the addition of ethanol. Four copies of a putative stress response element (CCCCT) were found in the ech42 promoter.

Possible roles of wall hydrolases in the morphogenesis ofCoccidioides immitis

We have used the human respiratory pathogen, Coccidioides immitis, as an experimental model to explore possible interrelationships of wall-associated hydrolases, cell growth, and reproduction. Preliminary evidence has been presented that suggests that certain wall hydrolases (glucanase, chitinase) may play key roles in cell development in this systemic pathogen. Initial differentiation of the parasitic cells from cylindrical arthroconidia involves a period of isotropic growth and results in formation of a multinucleate spherule (approximately 60 μm diameter). An endo-1,3-β-glucanase that may participate in this diametric growth phase has been isolated. Two distinct chitinase genes (cts1, cts2) have been isolated from C. immitis and shown to be members of different classes of this wall hydrolase. The class I chitinase (CTS2) demonstrates homology to a reported endochitinase of Saccharomyces cerevisiae that has been shown to be essential for yeast daughter cell release. CTS2 may play a pivotal role in isotropic growth, as well as differentiation and release of endospores from maternal spherules. In the absence of specific gene disruption and transformation experiments, these data are still circumstantial evidence for the functions of wall hydrolases in C. immitis development. However, we suggest our results provide further support for the concept that wall hydrolases represent rational molecular targets for future development of novel antifungal agents. Key words: Coccidioides, cell wall, β-glucanase, chitinase, morphogenesis.

Isolation of genomic DNAs from plants, fungi and bacteria using benzyl chloride

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A simple and efficient protocol for isolation of high molecular weight DNA from filamentous fungi, fruit bodies, and infected plant tissues

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Primary structure of a chitinase-encoding gene (chi1) from the filamentous fungus Aphanocladium album: similarity to bacterial chitinases

Chitinase 1 (Chi1) is the major extracellular chitinase from the hyperparasitic fungus, Aphanocladium album. We determined the complete sequence of the chromosomal and cDNA copies of the structural gene (chi1) coding for Chi1. The coding region is interrupted by three short introns (55, 53 and 49 bp long). Chi1 is 423 aa long and begins with a stretch of 34 aa not found in the mature protein. The Chi1 sequence presents overall similarities with bacterial chitinases from Serratia marcescens and Bacillus circulans. Compared with other chitinases, A. album Chi1 has only two short similarity regions (12 and 8 aa long), which are also found in bacterial, yeast and some plant chitinases.