Cloning and partial characterisation of the Botrytis cinerea endopolygalacturonase gene family.

WUBBEN JP, MULDER W, TEN HAVE A, VAN KAN JAL AND VISSER J

APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY

Año: 1999 vol. 65 p. 1596 - 1602

0099-2240

   Botrytis cinerea is a plant-pathogenic fungus infecting over 200 different plant species. We use a moleculargenetic approach to study the process of pectin degradation by the fungus. Recently, we described the cloningand characterization of an endopolygalacturonase (endoPG) gene from B. cinerea (Bcpg1) which is required forfull virulence. Here we describe the cloning and characterization of five additional endoPG-encoding genesfrom B. cinerea SAS56. The identity at the amino acid level between the six endoPGs of B. cinerea varied from34 to 73%. Phylogenetic analysis, by using a group of 35 related fungal endoPGs and as an outgroup one plantPG, resulted in the identification of five monophyletic groups of closely related proteins. The endoPG proteinsfrom B. cinerea SAS56 could be assigned to three different monophyletic groups. DNA blot analysis revealed thepresence of the complete endoPG gene family in other strains of B. cinerea, as well as in other Botrytis species.Differential gene expression of the gene family members was found in mycelium grown in liquid culture witheither glucose or polygalacturonic acid as the carbon source.