Atividade fungistática de uma quitinase recombinante do feijão de corda [Vigna unguiculata (L.) (Walp.)] contra Lasiodiplodia theobromae Pat. (Griff. e Maubl.), agente causal da resinose do cajueiro (Anacardium occidentale L.

Abstract

The aim of this work was to evaluate the biological activity of a recombinant chitinase (rVuChi) from cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) against the phytopathogenic fungus Lasiodiplodia theobromae. The recombinant protein was expressed in Pichia pastoris, collected and purified after 72h of induction, using a chitin affinity chromatography. The chitinase was eluted from the affinity chromatography using 0.1 M acetic acid. Enzymatic assay was performed against the synthetic substrate (colloidal chitin) in order to determine the activity of the purified recombinant protein. The chitinase displayed a specific activity of 5,637.32 U/mg of protein. Biological tests were performed. In these tests three different isolates of L. theobromae, identified as CNPAT CCJ-127, CNPAT CCJ-166 and CNPAT CCJ-184, were used and the experiments were performed on triplicate. The fungal isolates were obtained from the collection of work from the laboratory of plant pathology from the Embrapa Agroindústria Tropical (Fortaleza-CE, Brasil). In all biological assays the fungicide Carbomax 500 SC® (Carbendazim) at a concentration of 2 mL/L and sterile distilled water were used as positive and negative controls, respectively. A total of 50, 100 and 300 µg of recombinant chitinase (rVuChi) was used in all tests. The first test was based on the disk diffusion methodology using filter paper in which the effects of the protein on the mycelium growth, as well as the formation of an inhibition zone on the fungal hyphae were investigated. The second test was based on the diffusion assay in agar. Photographs were used to register the observations. The rVuChi showed moderate to strong fungistatic activities on the mycelial growth of all L. theobromae isolates when used at 100 and 300 µg in the disk diffusion assay. CNPAT CCJ-127 was the most resistant specimen to the rVuChi fungistatic action, as observed by the lower impact of the protein on it is mycelial growth. In the agar diffusion test the amount of 300 µg was the most effective, as observed in the disk diffusion test. In addition, the effect of the protein was most pronounced on the isolates CNPAT CCJ-166 and CNPAT CCJ-184 and less impacting on CNPAT CCJ-127. The recombinant chitinase rVuCHi showed to be an inhibitor of the mycelial growth of three L. theobromae isolates. The fungistatic effects of the protein described here may be due to its ability to degrade chitin, a structural biopolymer that makes part of the cell wall of several phytopathogenic fungi, including L. theobromae. Once this is only a scientific speculation, more studies need to be made to definitely reveal the mechanism of action of rVuChi on L. theobromae.