Chitinase and β-1,3-glucanase isoforms expressed in pea roots inoculated with arbuscular mycorrhizal or pathogenic fungi

Chitinases were studied in an endomycorrhiza-resistant mutant and wild type pea (Pisum sativum L. cv. Frisson) in order to characterize plant hydrolases specific to pathogenic (Aphanomyces euteiches and Chalara elegans) or mycorrhizal (Glomus mosseae) root interactions. Stimulation of constitutive and induction of new chitinase activities was detected by native PAGE for acidic proteins in both pea genotypes inoculated with pathogenic fungi. In contrast, a different additional chitinase isoform was induced in G. mosseae-colonized roots. This isoform was also not elicited in chemically-stressed roots, confirming its mycorrhiza-specificity. Investigations of basic chitinase and β-1,3-glucanase activities provided further evidence for differential pea responses during pathogenic and symbiotic interactions. © 1996 Kluwer Academic Publishers.