Identification and characterization of class I chitinase in Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer

• Published in: Molecular biology reports 2011, Vol.38 (1), p.95-102
• Main Authors: Pulla, Rama Krishna, Lee, Ok Ran, In, Jun-Gyo, Parvin, Shohana, Kim, Yu-Jin, Shim, Ju-Sun, Sun, Hua, Kim, Yeon-Ju, Senthil, Kalaiselvi, Yang, Deok-Chun
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abiotic stress; Amino acids; Animal Anatomy; Animal Biochemistry; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Chitinase; Chitinases - genetics; Chitinases - metabolism; Class I chitinase-1 (Chi-1); Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; DNA, Complementary - genetics; DNA, Complementary - isolation & purification; Flowers & plants; Fungi; Gene Expression Profiling; Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Ginseng; Hairy root; Histology; Hydrogen peroxide; Life Sciences; Mannitol; Medicinal plants; Molecular Sequence Data; Morphology; Nematoda; Organ Specificity - genetics; Panax - enzymology; Panax - genetics; Panax ginseng; Pathogens; Plant protection; Plant Proteins; Plant Roots - enzymology; Plant Roots - genetics; Plant Roots - microbiology; Plantlets; Roots; RT-PCR; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Sodium chloride; Stress; Stress, Physiological - genetics
• ISSN: 0301-4851; 1573-4978
• DOI: 10.1007/s11033-010-0082-6

The role of plant chitinases in protecting plants against a variety of fungal pathogens is well established. In the present study, a cDNA clone containing a class I chitinase (Chi-1) gene, designated as PgChi-1, has been isolated from the oriental medicinal plant Panax ginseng. PgChi-1 is predicted to encode a protein of 34.9 kDa consisting of 323 amino acid residues. PgChi-1 was found to be expressed constitutively in all of the studied organs of ginseng plant. Under various abiotic stress treatments including Cu, H₂O₂, mannitol, SA, JA, and NaCl, the expression of PgChi-1 in plantlets and hairy roots increased significantly compared to the control. When different parts of root were analyzed, maximum level was observed in taproot. In addition, levels of PgChi-1 expression were compared between healthy root and fungal, bacterial, and nematode infected root. Significant increase of PgChi-1 was noticed in pathogen infected roots than healthy roots. This study revealed that PgChi-1 may protect the P. ginseng under both biotic and abiotic stress conditions.