title: Protein engineering of chit42 towards improvement of chitinase and antifungal activities.
abstract: The antagonism of Trichoderma strains usually correlates with the secretion of fungal cell wall degrading enzymes such as chitinases. Chitinase Chit42 is believed to play an important role in the biocontrol activity of Trichoderma strains as a biocontrol agent against phytopathogenic fungi. Chit42 lacks a chitin-binding domain (ChBD) which is involved in its binding activity to insoluble chitin. In this study, a chimeric chitinase with improved enzyme activity was produced by fusing a ChBD from T. atroviride chitinase 18-10 to Chit42. The improved chitinase containing a ChBD displayed a 1.7-fold higher specific activity than chit42. This increase suggests that the ChBD provides a strong binding capacity to insoluble chitin. Moreover, Chit42-ChBD transformants showed higher antifungal activity towards seven phytopathogenic fungal species.
authors: National Institute of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (NIGEB), Shahrak-e Pajoohesh, km 15, Tehran - Karaj Highway, P.O. Box 14965-161, Tehran, Iran, kowsari@abrii.ac.ir.
authors: Mojegan
authors: M
authors: Kowsari
authors: Mostafa
authors: M
authors: Motallebi
authors: Mohammadreza
authors: M
authors: Zamani
mesh_terms: D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D001665:Binding Sites / Q000235:genetics; D002686:Chitin; D002688:Chitinases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D015202:Protein Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D014162:Transfection; D014242:Trichoderma / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D005656:Fungal Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D002686:Chitin; D002688:Chitinases