Chitinolytic and glucanolytic enzymes play a major role in the antagonism expressed by mycoparasitic strains of Trichoderma spp. Transfer of their encoding genes in potato, tobacco and other crops has increased resistance to fungal diseases. Antagonistic yeasts have been successfully used to control postharvest fungal pathogens of fruit and horticultural crops. Moreover, new strains with increased antifungal activity are being sought to achieve commercial applications. Such strains could be obtained, in our strategy, by transferring in yeast Trichoderma genes involved in mycoparasitism and producing proteins displaying direct antifungal activity. The ech42 gene encoding for a 42-kDa endochitinase from T. harzianum was placed under the control of the constitutive oliC promoter from Aspergillus nidulans. The plasmid obtained, pOech42, was cotransformed with the hygB gene-containing plasmid pAN7-1 in three strains of biocontrol yeasts, by using different methods. Hygromycin B resistant colonies containing both hygB and ech42 genes have been obtained so far from one strain of the biocontrol yeasts tested.

Transferring of an endochitinase-encoding gene from Trichoderma spp. to antagonistic yeasts

CASTORIA, Raffaello;DE CURTIS, Filippo;LIMA, Giuseppe;
2000-01-01

Abstract

Chitinolytic and glucanolytic enzymes play a major role in the antagonism expressed by mycoparasitic strains of Trichoderma spp. Transfer of their encoding genes in potato, tobacco and other crops has increased resistance to fungal diseases. Antagonistic yeasts have been successfully used to control postharvest fungal pathogens of fruit and horticultural crops. Moreover, new strains with increased antifungal activity are being sought to achieve commercial applications. Such strains could be obtained, in our strategy, by transferring in yeast Trichoderma genes involved in mycoparasitism and producing proteins displaying direct antifungal activity. The ech42 gene encoding for a 42-kDa endochitinase from T. harzianum was placed under the control of the constitutive oliC promoter from Aspergillus nidulans. The plasmid obtained, pOech42, was cotransformed with the hygB gene-containing plasmid pAN7-1 in three strains of biocontrol yeasts, by using different methods. Hygromycin B resistant colonies containing both hygB and ech42 genes have been obtained so far from one strain of the biocontrol yeasts tested.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11695/15005
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