Plant Protect. Sci., 2002, 38(10):S99-S101 | DOI: 10.17221/10328-PPS

Comparative study of proteases of pathogenic and saprophytic filamentous fungiOriginal Paper

Y.E. Dunaevsky, T.N. Gruban, G.A. Beliakova, M.A. Belozersky

¹ A. N. Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, and

² Faculty of Biology, Moscow State University, Moscow 119899, Russia Tel.: +7 95 939 5551, Fax: +7 95 939 3181, E-mail: mbeloz@genebee.msu.su

The presence of protein in the culture medium induced secretion of proteases in the studied filamentous fungi species. Comparative analysis of extracellular proteases expressed in vivo by saprotrophic (Trichoderma harzianum, Penicillium terlikowskii) and pathogenic (Alternaria alternata, Botrytis cinerea, Ulocladium botrytis) filamentous fungi species has been carried out. All isolated enzymes were classified as serine proteases on the basis of inhibitor analysis data. According to substrate specificity and the effect of some inhibitors it is proposed that enzymes from T. harzianum and P. terlikowskii are subtilisin-like proteases and enzymes from A. alternata, B. cinerea, U. botrytis are trypsin-like proteases. This fact is, apparently, one of the main characteristic properties of saprophytic and phytopathogenic fungi species. Participation of extracellular fungal proteases in pathogenesis is discussed.

Keywords: Alternaria alternata; Botrytis cinerea; filamentous fungi; protease; Penicillium terlikowskii; proteolytic activity; secretion; Trichoderma harzianum; Ulocladium botrytis

Published: June 30, 2002  Show citation