Biomaterial Database

Cutinase in Cryphonectria parasitica, the chestnut blight fungus: suppression of cutinase gene expression in isogenic hypovirulent strains containing double-stranded RNAs. 1992

D A Varley, and G K Podila, and S T Hiremath

Department of Biological Sciences, Michigan Technological University, Houghton 49931.

Plant-pathogenic fungi produce cutinase, an enzyme required to degrade plant cuticles and facilitate penetration into the host. The absence of cutinase or a decrease in its production has been associated with a decrease in pathogenicity of the fungus. A set of isogenic strains of Cryphonectria parasitica, the chestnut blight fungus, was tested for the presence and amounts of cutinase activity. The virulent strain of C. parasitica produced and secreted significantly higher amounts of cutinase than the hypovirulent strains. Use of both nucleic acid and polyclonal antibody probes for cutinase from Fusarium solani f. sp. pisi showed that cutinase in C. parasitica is 25 kDa in size and is coded by a 1.1-kb mRNA. Both mRNA and protein were inducible by cutin hydrolysate, while hypovirulence agents suppressed the level of mRNA and the enzyme. Since all the strains had the cutinase gene, the suppression of expression was due to the hypovirulence agents. The data presented are the first report indicating that hypovirulence agents in C. parasitica regulate a gene associated with pathogenicity in other plant-pathogenic fungi.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007700	Kinetics	The rate dynamics in chemical or physical systems.
D002265	Carboxylic Ester Hydrolases	Enzymes which catalyze the hydrolysis of carboxylic acid esters with the formation of an alcohol and a carboxylic acid anion.	Carboxylesterases,Ester Hydrolases, Carboxylic,Hydrolases, Carboxylic Ester
D004591	Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel	Electrophoresis in which a polyacrylamide gel is used as the diffusion medium.	Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis,SDS-PAGE,Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate-PAGE,Gel Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide,SDS PAGE,Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate PAGE,Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate-PAGEs
D001203	Ascomycota	A phylum of fungi which have cross-walls or septa in the mycelium. The perfect state is characterized by the formation of a saclike cell (ascus) containing ascospores. Most pathogenic fungi with a known perfect state belong to this phylum.	Ascomycetes,Cochliobolus,Sclerotinia,Ascomycete,Ascomycotas,Sclerotinias
D012330	RNA, Double-Stranded	RNA consisting of two strands as opposed to the more prevalent single-stranded RNA. Most of the double-stranded segments are formed from transcription of DNA by intramolecular base-pairing of inverted complementary sequences separated by a single-stranded loop. Some double-stranded segments of RNA are normal in all organisms.	Double-Stranded RNA,Double Stranded RNA,RNA, Double Stranded
D012331	RNA, Fungal	Ribonucleic acid in fungi having regulatory and catalytic roles as well as involvement in protein synthesis.	Fungal RNA
D014774	Virulence	The degree of pathogenicity within a group or species of microorganisms or viruses as indicated by case fatality rates and/or the ability of the organism to invade the tissues of the host. The pathogenic capacity of an organism is determined by its VIRULENCE FACTORS.	Pathogenicity
D015139	Blotting, Southern	A method (first developed by E.M. Southern) for detection of DNA that has been electrophoretically separated and immobilized by blotting on nitrocellulose or other type of paper or nylon membrane followed by hybridization with labeled NUCLEIC ACID PROBES.	Southern Blotting,Blot, Southern,Southern Blot
D015152	Blotting, Northern	Detection of RNA that has been electrophoretically separated and immobilized by blotting on nitrocellulose or other type of paper or nylon membrane followed by hybridization with labeled NUCLEIC ACID PROBES.	Northern Blotting,Blot, Northern,Northern Blot,Blots, Northern,Blottings, Northern,Northern Blots,Northern Blottings
D015153	Blotting, Western	Identification of proteins or peptides that have been electrophoretically separated by blot transferring from the electrophoresis gel to strips of nitrocellulose paper, followed by labeling with antibody probes.	Immunoblotting, Western,Western Blotting,Western Immunoblotting,Blot, Western,Immunoblot, Western,Western Blot,Western Immunoblot,Blots, Western,Blottings, Western,Immunoblots, Western,Immunoblottings, Western,Western Blots,Western Blottings,Western Immunoblots,Western Immunoblottings