Distribution of chitinases in the entomopathogen Metarhizium anisopliae and effect of N-acetylglucosamine in protein secretion.
For a long time, fungi have been characterized by their ability to secrete enzymes, mostly hydrolytic in function, and thus are defined as extracellular degraders. Chitin and chitinolytic enzymes are gaining importance for their biotechnological applications. Particularly, chitinases are used in agriculture to control plant pathogens. Metarhizium anisopliae produces an extracellular chitinase when grown on a medium containing chitin, indicating that synthesis is subject to induction by the substrate. Various sugar combinations were investigated for induction and repression of chitinase. N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) shows a special dual regulation on chitinase production. M. anisopliae has at least two distinct, cell-bound, chitinolytic enzymes when cultured with GlcNAc as one of the carbon sources, and we suggest that this carbohydrate has an important role in protein secretion.
Barreto
Cristine Chaves
CC
Centro de Biotecnologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Campus do Vale, P.O. Box 15005, 91501-970 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
Staats
Charley Christian
CC
Schrank
Augusto
A
Vainstein
Marilene Henning
MH
D000117:Acetylglucosamine / Q000378:metabolism*; D002686:Chitin / Q000378:metabolism; D002688:Chitinases / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism*; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D004790:Enzyme Induction; D004794:Enzyme Repression; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D006999:Hypocreales / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D003904:Mitosporic Fungi / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism
D005656:Fungal Proteins; D002686:Chitin; D002688:Chitinases; D005947:Glucose; D000117:Acetylglucosamine