Abstract
Anti-fungal genes chitinase, beta-glucanase and ribosomal inactivating proteins (RIP) were detected in chickpea plants when they were artificially exposed to Ascochyta rabei spores. Immunological studies provided evidence for the presence of a chitinase-like proteins in blight- infected chickpea leaves using a poplar chitinase antibody. No activity was detected when a barley chitinase antibody was used, indicating that antifungal proteins in chickpea recognize different antigenic determinants. Purified barley ribosomal inactivating protein (RIP 30) and chitinase (Chi 26) were shown to inhibit the growth of Ascochyta rabiei in vitro. The role of antifungal proteins in the protection of chickpea against pathogen is discussed.
Highlights
Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is an important legume crop and a source of quality protein
Probing of chickpea genomic DNA with barley chitinase gene revealed a number of hybridizing fragments
Northern blot analysis revealed the expression of Chi26 gene in chickpea plants
Summary
Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is an important legume crop and a source of quality protein. Plants use various self defense mechanisms to protect themselves from pathogenic infections (Boller, 1985; Yedidia et al, 1999) These mechanisms include inducible modifications to plant cell walls, the synthesis of toxic phytoalexins, and the accumulation of pathogenesis resistant proteins such as protease inhibitors or pathogen targeted hydrophytic enzymes (Cho and Muehlbauer, 2004; Darvill and Albersheim, 1984; Pernas et al, 2000; Van Loon, 1985). Examples of the latter group are chitinase and β1-3 glucanase, which are synthesized in the vegetative tissues of many plants in response to fungal invasion (Legrand et al, 1987). Chitinase and β 1-3 glucanase are involved in self defense mechanism of plant and host signaling during pathogen attack
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