Examination of the Role of Fungal Cell Wall- Degrading Enzymes in Plant Fungal Resistance

Transgenic technology has demonstrated its usefulness in weed and insect control, but this technology has yet to expand much beyond these limited, special case scenarios. Along with stringent regulations, the primary limitation preventing expansion into new areas is finding efficacious genes. Fungal pathogens are particularly difficult to control in this regard as these organisms employ many of the same biochemical pathways as plants. One weakness, however, lies in the fungal cell wall, which is susceptible to degradation by a suite of enzymes that attack its structural components. However, the increases in fungal resistance observed by many researchers when fungal cell wall-degrading enzymes are expressed in plant systems may not be the straightforward result of structural degradation. This study examined the mode of action of one fungal cell wall-degrading enzyme, chitosanase.