title: Molecular characterization and enzymatic activity of laccases in two Pleurotus spp. with different pathogenic behaviour.
abstract: Pleurotus eryngii and P. ferulae, two species belonging to the P. eryngii complex, synthesize laccases, ligninolytic enzymes that play a role in the host-pathogen interaction in the first step of infection. Ecological studies have shown that although both fungi have been recognized as saprophytes, P. eryngii weakly pathogenic when colonizing the roots and stems of Eryngium campestre, whereas P. ferulae is mostly pathogenic to Ferula communis. The paper describes the genomic organization of four putative laccase genes (lac1, lac2, lac3, and lac5-like gene; gene names were assigned on the basis of sequence homologies) of P. eryngii and P. ferulae. The mRNA expression and enzymatic activity of the laccases were analysed under culture conditions where a source of lignin (wheat bran) or lyophilized roots of E. campestre or F. communis were present. These experiments indicated that the four lac-like genes were differentially regulated in the two mushrooms. Specifically, the addition of the lyophilized roots of the respective host plant to the culture media induced an advance in the mRNA expression of the four lac-like genes and a seven-fold higher total laccase activity in P. ferulae than in P. eryngii. The results obtained are discussed in relation to the possible role of laccases in the interaction of P. eryngii and P. ferulae with their respective host.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Biologia Vegetale, Università La Sapienza, Largo Cristina di Svezia 24, 00165 Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Punelli
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Reverberi
authors.forename: Daniele
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Porretta
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nogarotto
authors.forename: Anna A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Fabbri
authors.forename: Corrado
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fanelli
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Urbanelli
mesh_terms: D031049:Eryngium / Q000382:microbiology*; D005309:Ferula / Q000382:microbiology*; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D042845:Laccase / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008031:Lignin / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D020076:Pleurotus / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000502:physiology; D014774:Virulence
chemical_list: D008031:Lignin; D042845:Laccase