Bruno M. Moerschbacher

Lignin biosynthetic enzymes in stem rust infected, resistant and susceptible near-isogenic wheat lines☆

Abstract Near-isogenic lines of the wheat cultivar Prelude, carrying either the Sr5 gene for resistance or the sr5 allele for susceptibility were inoculated with the stem rust fungus Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici race 32, which possesses the P5 gene for avirulence. The time-course of the enzyme activities of the general phenylpropanoid pathway, phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) and 4-coumarate:CoA ligase (4CL), as well as the enzyme activities of the specific pathway leading to the biosynthesis of lignin, cinnamyl-alcohol dehydrogenase (CAD) and peroxidase (PO), were determined. The resistant and the susceptible isoline both exhibit a first maximum in the coordinately regulated enzyme activities of PAL and 4CL at a time when the fungus is still growing on the surface of the leaves. This maximum is followed by a decrease to the levels of uninoculated controls. In the resistant isoline, a second increase is observed at the time of the hypersensitive resistant reaction. In contrast, enzyme activities in susceptible plants continue to decline, even falling below control levels until the onset of sporulation when a second, late increase can be detected. The observed changes in CAD and PO activities are consistent with a feed-forward regulation by products of the general phenylpropanoid pathway. However, no late increase in PO activity can be observed in the compatible interaction. An interpretation of these results is proposed in terms of non-host resistance, basic compatibility and race-cultivar specific resistance.

Complexation of copper(II) with chitosan nanogels: Toward control of microbial growth

Pure chitosan nanogels were produced, used to adsorb copper(II), and their antimicrobial activities were assessed. The complexation of copper(II) with chitosan solutions and dispersions was studied using UV-vis spectrometry. The adsorption capacity of chitosan nanogels was comparable to that of chitosan solutions, but copper(II)-loaded nanogels were more stable (i.e. no flocculation was observed while chitosan solutions showed macroscopic gelation at high copper concentration) and were easier to handle (i.e. no increase in viscosity). Adsorption isotherms of copper(II) onto chitosan were established and the impact of the pH on copper(II) release was investigated. The formation of a copper(II)-chitosan complex strongly depended on pH. Hence, release of copper(II) can be triggered by a decrease in pH (i.e. the protonation of chitosan amino groups). Furthermore, chitosan nanohydrogels were shown to be a suitable substrate for chitosan hydrolytic enzymes. Finally, a strong synergistic effect between chitosan and copper in inhibiting Fusarium graminearum growth was observed. The suitability of these copper(II)-chitosan colloids as a new generation of copper-based bio-pesticides, i.e. as a bio-compatible, bio-active and pH-sensitive delivery system, is discussed.

Polyphenoloxidase Silencing Affects Latex Coagulation in Taraxacum Species

Latex is the milky sap that is found in many different plants. It is produced by specialized cells known as laticifers and can comprise a mixture of proteins, carbohydrates, oils, secondary metabolites, and rubber that may help to prevent herbivory and protect wound sites against infection. The wound-induced browning of latex suggests that it contains one or more phenol-oxidizing enzymes. Here, we present a comprehensive analysis of the major latex proteins from two dandelion species, Taraxacum officinale and Taraxacum kok-saghyz, and enzymatic studies showing that polyphenoloxidase (PPO) is responsible for latex browning. Electrophoretic analysis and amino-terminal sequencing of the most abundant proteins in the aqueous latex fraction revealed the presence of three PPO-related proteins generated by the proteolytic cleavage of a single precursor (pre-PPO). The laticifer-specific pre-PPO protein contains a transit peptide that can target reporter proteins into chloroplasts when constitutively expressed in dandelion protoplasts, perhaps indicating the presence of structures similar to plastids in laticifers, which lack genuine chloroplasts. Silencing the PPO gene by constitutive RNA interference in transgenic plants reduced PPO activity compared with wild-type controls, allowing T. kok-saghyz RNA interference lines to expel four to five times more latex than controls. Latex fluidity analysis in silenced plants showed a strong correlation between residual PPO activity and the coagulation rate, indicating that laticifer-specific PPO plays a major role in latex coagulation and wound sealing in dandelions. In contrast, very little PPO activity is found in the latex of the rubber tree Hevea brasiliensis, suggesting functional divergence of latex proteins during plant evolution.

Biotechnological approaches to develop bacterial chitinases as a bioshield against fungal diseases of plants

Fungal diseases of plants continue to contribute to heavy crop losses in spite of the best control efforts of plant pathologists. Breeding for disease-resistant varieties and the application of synthetic chemical fungicides are the most widely accepted approaches in plant disease management. An alternative approach to avoid the undesired effects of chemical control could be biological control using antifungal bacteria that exhibit a direct action against fungal pathogens. Several biocontrol agents, with specific fungal targets, have been registered and released in the commercial market with different fungal pathogens as targets. However, these have not yet achieved their full commercial potential due to the inherent limitations in the use of living organisms, such as relatively short shelf life of the products and inconsistent performance in the field. Different mechanisms of action have been identified in microbial biocontrol of fungal plant diseases including competition for space or nutrients, production of antifungal metabolites, and secretion of hydrolytic enzymes such as chitinases and glucanases. This review focuses on the bacterial chitinases that hydrolyze the chitinous fungal cell wall, which is the most important targeted structural component of fungal pathogens. The application of the hydrolytic enzyme preparations, devoid of live bacteria, could be more efficacious in fungal control strategies. This approach, however, is still in its infancy, due to prohibitive production costs. Here, we critically examine available sources of bacterial chitinases and the approaches to improve enzymatic properties using biotechnological tools. We project that the combination of microbial and recombinant DNA technologies will yield more effective environment-friendly products of bacterial chitinases to control fungal diseases of crops.

Human macrophage activation triggered by chitotriosidase-mediated chitin and chitosan degradation

Chitin a biopolymer composed of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (GlcNAc) residues is a structural component in human pathogens such as nematodes and fungi. Deacetylation of chitin generates chitosan which has been recently found in the cell wall of Cryptococcus neoformans a human pathogenic fungi causing life-threatening meningoencephalitis. While chitin and chitosan are currently studied as compounds of medical devices such as wound dressings or nanoparticles, its immunostimulatory potential and its metabolic fate in humans remains unclear. To gain more fundamental insights on the immunological properties of chitin and chitosan in humans we studied their degradation by chitotriosidase (ChT) and their inflammatory properties on human macrophages. Our data show that chitinhexamer is not able to increase the expression of inflammatory cytokines significantly. However, we measured an induction of ChT secretion upon chitinhexamer treatment. By analysis of human ChT-mediated cleavage of chitosan we could demonstrate a special mechanism of substrate cleavage, defined as processivity. Processivity enables the rapid production of small and diffusible chitin and chitosan fragments. In comparison to large chitosan polymers these ChT-produced small chitin/chitosan oligomers exhibit strongest macrophage activating properties reflected by an enhanced ChT secretion. Here we show that recognition of chitin and chitosan by human macrophages is triggered by the enzyme ChT due to the production of chitin and chitosan oligomers which in turn stimulates further ChT secretion and consequently oligomers production. Finally, we demonstrate that despite the high cooperativity of chitosan and chitin clearance by ChT seems very specific as no inflammatory response could be detected.

Differences in the methyl ester distribution of homogalacturonans from near-isogenic wheat lines resistant and susceptible to the wheat stem rust fungus

Plants possess an efficient nonself surveillance system triggering induced disease resistance mechanisms upon molecular recognition of microbial invaders. Successful pathogens have evolved strategies to evade or counteract these mechanisms, e.g., by the generation of suppressors. Pectic fragments produced during host cell wall degradation can act as endogenous suppressors of the hypersensitive response in wheat leaves. We have isolated and characterized homogalacturonans from cell walls of two wheat cultivars susceptible to the stem rust fungus, Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici, namely cvs. Prelude and Marquis, and from near-isogenic lines of both cultivars containing the Sr5-gene for hypersensitive rust resistance. Two independent approaches were used to compare their methyl esterification: i) immunochemistry using the monoclonal antibodies JIM5, JIM7, PAM1, and LM7 and ii) chromatography of oligogalacturonides representing stretches of contiguous nonmethyl-esterified GalA residues. The results clearly indicate a significant difference in the homogalacturonans from susceptible and resistant wheat lines. The difference can best be explained by assuming a nonrandom and more blockwise distribution of the methyl esters in the homogalacturonans of susceptible wheat cultivars as compared with a presumably more random distribution in the near-isogenic resistant lines. Possible consequences of this difference for the enzymatic generation of endogenous suppressors are discussed.

Enzymatic production of defined chitosan oligomers with a specific pattern of acetylation using a combination of chitin oligosaccharide deacetylases

Chitin and chitosan oligomers have diverse biological activities with potentially valuable applications in fields like medicine, cosmetics, or agriculture. These properties may depend not only on the degrees of polymerization and acetylation, but also on a specific pattern of acetylation (PA) that cannot be controlled when the oligomers are produced by chemical hydrolysis. To determine the influence of the PA on the biological activities, defined chitosan oligomers in sufficient amounts are needed. Chitosan oligomers with specific PA can be produced by enzymatic deacetylation of chitin oligomers, but the diversity is limited by the low number of chitin deacetylases available. We have produced specific chitosan oligomers which are deacetylated at the first two units starting from the non-reducing end by the combined use of two different chitin deacetylases, namely NodB from Rhizobium sp. GRH2 that deacetylates the first unit and COD from Vibrio cholerae that deacetylates the second unit starting from the non-reducing end. Both chitin deacetylases accept the product of each other resulting in production of chitosan oligomers with a novel and defined PA. When extended to further chitin deacetylases, this approach has the potential to yield a large range of novel chitosan oligomers with a fully defined architecture.

Chitinolytic enzymes from endophytic fungi

Fungal endophytes isolated from leaves of tree species of the forests of Western Ghats, southern India were screened for chitin modifying enzyme production. Thirty-one of the one hundred and sixty two isolates were positive for chitinase, while different isolates produced isoforms of the enzyme. Many isolates produced chitosanase that acted on chitosan with different degrees of acetylation. Modified chitin and different types of chitosans are used in biomedical applications including wound healing, drug delivery, gene delivery, tissue engineering, in the food industry as preservatives and emulsifying agents, and in biocatalysis. Horizontally transmitted endophytes appear to be a good source for a variety of chitin modifying enzymes with the potential to be used in biotechnology. The possibility of chitin modifying enzymes of endophytes in regulating plant defense against pathogens and pests in vivo should also be addressed.

Somatic embryogenesis in Araucaria angustifolia

Immature and mature zygotic embryos were used as source of explants for induction of somatic embryogenesis in Araucaria angustifolia. Embryogenic cultures (EC) were only obtained from immature zygotic embryos. Basic medium, carbon source, and genotype showed a significant influence on the formation of stage I somatic embryos (SE). When EC were submitted to maturation conditions, SE continued their individual development until stage II, but mature embryos were not obtained. Proteins secreted by embryogenic cultures were, to a certain degree, genotype specific and included an extracellular class IV chitinase and β-1-3-glucanase.

Increased Lipoxygenase Activity is Involved in the Hypersensitive Response of Wheat Leaf Cells Infected with A virulent Rust Fungi or Treated with Fungal Elicitor

The hypersensitive reaction in incompatible wheat-rust interactions is characterized by an increase in lipoxygenase activity detectable as early as 28 h after penetration of the pathogen. In contrast, lipoxygenase activity in the compatible interaction did not increase until the onset of sporulation. Lipoxygenase activity also increased following treatment of wheat leaves with an elicitor fraction from germ tubes of Puccinia graminis tritici.