Open AccessCloning of a cuticle‐degrading protease from the entomopathogenic fungus, Beauveria bassiana
Author(s) -
Joshi Lokesh,
St. Leger Raymond J.,
Bidochka Michael J.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.1995.tb07360.x
Subject(s) - beauveria bassiana , metarhizium anisopliae , entomopathogenic fungus , biology , bassiana , metarhizium , microbiology and biotechnology , protease , chitinase , serine protease , signal peptide , complementary dna , prophenoloxidase , beauveria , peptide sequence , botany , biochemistry , gene , biological pest control , enzyme , receptor , innate immune system
A Beauveria bassiana extracellular subtilisin‐like serine endoprotease is a potential virulence factor by virtue of its activity against insect cuticles. A cDNA clone of the protease was isolated from mycelia of B. bassiana grown on cuticle/chitin cultures. The amino acid sequence of this gene was compared to that of Metarhizium anisopliae Pr1, the only pathogenicity determinant so far described from an entomopathogenic fungus, and proteinase K, isolated from Tritirachium album , a saprophytic fungus. The cDNA sequence revealed that B. bassiana Prl is synthesized as a large precursor ( M r 37 460) containing a signal peptide, a propeptide and the mature protein predicted to have an M r of 26 832.