Plant β-1,3-glucanases: their biological functions and transgenic expression against phytopathogenic fungi

Abstract

β-1,3-Glucanases are abundant in plants and have been characterized from a wide range of species. They play key roles in cell division, trafficking of materials through plasmodesmata, in withstanding abiotic stresses and are involved in flower formation through to seed maturation. They also defend plants against fungal pathogens either alone or in association with chitinases and other antifungal proteins. They are grouped in the PR-2 family of pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins. Use of β-1,3-glucanase genes as transgenes in combination with other antifungal genes is a plausible strategy to develop durable resistance in crop plants against fungal pathogens. These genes, sourced from alfalfa, barley, soybean, tobacco, and wheat have been co-expressed along with other antifungal proteins, such as chitinases, peroxidases, thaumatin-like proteins and α-1-purothionin, in various crop plants with promising results that are discussed in this review.

Defense Responses in Grapevine (cv. Mourvèdre) after Inoculation with the Botryosphaeria Dieback Pathogens Neofusicoccum parvum and Diplodia seriata and Their Relationship with Flowering

“…These enzymes, copious in plants, are involved in several processes during cell division, as the passage of materials through plasmodesmata, and allow plants to tolerate abiotic stresses. β-1,3-glucanase also defends plants against fungal pathogens being able to degrade fungal cell walls either alone or in association with other antifungal proteins (e.g., chitinase isozymes) [41]. …”

Identification for soybean host factors interacting with P3N-PIPO protein of Soybean mosaic virus

“…The GL153 enzyme is a member of the PR-2 family (Balasubramanian et al 2012), which contributes to plant defenses against fungal infections (Simmons 1994;Kombrink and Somssich 1997), but is also involved in viral pathogenesis (Beffa et al 1996). Iglesias and Meins (2000) reported that a class I b-1,3-glucosidase-silenced line (TAG4.4) showed more resistant to Tobacco mosaic virus infection than wild-type tobacco.…”

Expression of the β-1,3-glucanase gene bgn13.1 from Trichoderma harzianum in strawberry increases tolerance to crown rot diseases but interferes with plant growth

“…The expression of both genes was highly induced after C. fragariae inoculation; however, C. acutatum treatment only induced a slight up-regulation of both genes after 48 h from inoculation (Shi et al 2006). Although plant b-1,3-glucanase genes are generally induced after fungal infection (Balasubramanian et al 2012), this does not seem to be the case for C. acutatum and strawberry interaction. It might be therefore possible that the increased tolerance of bgn13.1 transgenic plants to C. acutatum inoculation would just be due to an increase on total glucanase activity.…”