| Author |
Catiane S. Souza1, Bruno M. Oliveira1, Gustavo G. L. Costa2, Albert Schriefer3, Alessandra Selbach-Schnadelbach4, Ana Paula T. Uetanabaro1, Carlos P. Pirovani5, Goncalo A. G. Pereira2, Alex G. Taranto6, Julio Cezar de M. Cascardo5, and Aristoteles Goes-Neto1* |
| Address |
1Laboratório de Pesquisa em Microbiologia (LAPEM), Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana (UEFS), Avenida Transnordestina, s/n, Bairro Novo Horizonte, Feira de Santana, BA 44036-900, Brazil, 2Laboratório de Genômica e Expressão (LGE), Departamento de Genética e Evolução, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP 13083-970, Brazil, 3Universidade Federal da Bahia (UFBA), Hospital Universitario Professor Edgard Santos, Servico de Imunologia Rua Joao das Botas s/n, quinto andar, Canela, Salvador, BA 40110-160, Brazil, 4Universidade Estadual do Rio Grande do Sul (UERGS), Unidade Tapes-Regional VII. Rua Oscar Matzenbacher, 475, Tapes, RS 96760-000, Brazil, 5Laboratorio de Genomica e Expressao Genica (LGEE), Departamanto de Ciencias Biologicas, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (UESC), Rodovia Ilheus-Itabuna, Km 16, Ilheus, BA 45650-000, Brazil, 6Laboratorio de Modelagem Molecular (LMM), Departamento de Saude, Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana (UEFS), Km 3, BR 116 (norte), Feira de Santana, BA 44031-460, Brazil |
| Abstract |
Chitin synthase (CHS) is a glucosyltransferase that converts UDP-N-acetylglucosamine into chitin, one of the main components of fungal cell wall. Class III chitin synthases act directly in the formation of the cell wall. They catalyze the conversion of the immediate precursor of chitin and are responsible for the majority of chitin synthesis in fungi. As such, they are highly specific molecular targets for drugs that can inhibit the growth and development of fungal pathogens. In this work, we have identified and characterized a chitin synthase gene of Moniliophthora perniciosa (Mopchs) by primer walking. The complete gene sequence is 3,443 bp, interrupted by 13 small introns, and comprises a cDNA with an ORF with 2,739 bp, whose terminal region was experimentally determined, encoding a protein with 913 aa that harbors all the motifs and domains typically found in class III chitin synthases. This is the first report on the characterization of a chitin synthase gene, its mature transcription product, and its putative protein in basidioma and secondary mycelium stages of M. perniciosa, a basidiomycotan fungus that causes witches’ broom disease of cacao. |
