Fungus-host interaction studies: structure determination and conformational dynamic of fungal protein Pop1 from Ceratocystis populicola

• Grant number: 11/21285-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research
• Start date: February 01, 2012
• End date: July 31, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biophysics - Molecular Biophysics
• Principal Investigator: Valmir Fadel
• Grantee: Valmir Fadel
• Host Investigator: Alberto Spisni
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas (IBILCE). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de São José do Rio Preto. São José do Rio Preto , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Università degli Studi di Parma, Italy

Abstract

Pop1 is a CP-orthologous protein produced by the fungus C. populicola which causes canker on poplars. Pop1 belongs to the cerato-platanins family (CP). These CP proteins are involved in the mechanisms of adhesion of fungi to the host plant and also in the infection process. These proteins are also elicitors because they have molecular patterns that are recognized by host plants triggering defense responses. Proteins that possess these molecular patterns (PAMPs) are identified by pathogenicity and ability to trigger defense reactions, but the three-dimensional structure of these patterns and the biochemical mechanism of action still being poorly known. A single protein of this family has its 3D structure determined (CP produced by C. platani). Although Pop1 and CP share relative sequence identity, these differences lie in regions of effective interaction of CP with oligosaccharides. The determination of the 3D structure and conformational study of the dynamics of another family member has the potential to contribute new information to the understanding of these mechanisms of host fungus interaction. (AU)