Sequencing, biochemical and molecular analysis of extracellular enzymes degrading plant cell walls produced by Rhizoctonia solani AG-1 IA isolated from cultures of rice, SIGNALGRASS and soybean

• Grant number: 14/24248-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date until: March 01, 2015
• End date until: February 29, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Food Science and Technology - Food Science
• Principal Investigator: Heloiza Ferreira Alves do Prado
• Grantee: Erica Aparecida Santos Bistratini
• Supervisor: Bernard R. Glick
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia (FEIS). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Ilha Solteira. Ilha Solteira , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Waterloo, Canada
• Associated to the scholarship: 13/03692-0 - Plant cell wall degradation enzymes from Rhizoctonia solani AG-1 IA: extracellular production study, characterization and sequencing., BP.DR

Abstract

The pathogenicity of phytopathogenic fungi is primarily associated with plant cell walldegrading enzymes (PCWDE). These enzymes include pectinases, xylanases, cellulases, amylases and cutinases. Rhizoctonia solani AG-1 IA is considered an important plant pathogen affecting a wide range of host crops of global importance. Knowing the dynamics and control of this pathogen is of utmost importance for the agricultural sector. On the other hand, there is a very large focus on the study of these enzymes because of their ability to degrade plant biomass for biofuel production. Thus, if EDPCP produced by R. solani AG-1 IA are efficient in the hydrolysis of plant biomass, these may be used or associated with biotechnological processes aimed at producing new products. Consequently, it is proposed to sequence the genes for these enzymes, and to analyze these nucleotide sequences in different hosts. In this case, it should be possible to correlate molecular differences between the enzymes produced by R. solani AG-1 IA, following infection of different hosts and to determine whether the enzymes show difference from other similar microbial enzymes. (AU)