Tropical Plant Research
An International Journal by Society for Tropical Plant Research
Useful Links
Abstracted and Indexed
Identifier
2014, VOLUME 1 ISSUE 3Pages: 72-79
Expression of chitinase with antifungal activities in ripening Banana fruit
P. W. H. K. P. Daulagala
Abstract:
The banana (Musa acuminata) is a climacteric fruit of a great economic importance. In this present study, the expression of chitinases and their antifungal activities were investigated. The ripening stages of banana were defined according to the peel colour index (PCI). In the dye-labelled assay with carboxymethyl chitin remazol brilliant violet 5R (CM-chitin- RBV 5R), chitinase activity was detected in both pulp and peel extracts. The activities increased markedly at the onset of ripening and peaked at PCI 5 stage. On sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) activity gels, two chitinases of apparent molecular masses of 26 kDa and 31 kDa were detected in both pulp and peel extracts and they showed an accumulation during the subsequent ripening. This result was in consistent with the pattern of chitinase activity obtained in dye-labelled assay. Interestingly, both pulp and peel extracts inhibited the growth of the fungus Botrytis cinerea on plates and caused lysis of hyphal tips. In some instances, with bursting of the fungal tips, flowing out of the cell contents could be observed.
The banana (Musa acuminata) is a climacteric fruit of a great economic importance. In this present study, the expression of chitinases and their antifungal activities were investigated. The ripening stages of banana were defined according to the peel colour index (PCI). In the dye-labelled assay with carboxymethyl chitin remazol brilliant violet 5R (CM-chitin- RBV 5R), chitinase activity was detected in both pulp and peel extracts. The activities increased markedly at the onset of ripening and peaked at PCI 5 stage. On sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) activity gels, two chitinases of apparent molecular masses of 26 kDa and 31 kDa were detected in both pulp and peel extracts and they showed an accumulation during the subsequent ripening. This result was in consistent with the pattern of chitinase activity obtained in dye-labelled assay. Interestingly, both pulp and peel extracts inhibited the growth of the fungus Botrytis cinerea on plates and caused lysis of hyphal tips. In some instances, with bursting of the fungal tips, flowing out of the cell contents could be observed.
Fig.: Light micrographs of B. cinerea hyphae: A, after incubation with crude protein extracts (Note the swollen (narrow arrows) and lysed (wide arrows) hyphal tips with the banana pulp extract); B, after incubation with extraction buffer.
Useful Links
Abstracted and Indexed
Identifier
| 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 9 |