IDENTIFICATION OF 4 CHITIN SYNTHASE GENES IN THE RICE BLAST DISEASE AGENT MAGNAPORTHE-GRISEA

Four chitin synthase gene fragments were isolated from Magnaporthe gri sea by use of polymerase chain reaction. A pair of degenerate primers based on conserved zymogen-type chitin synthase sequences amplified a similar to 600-bp product containing three chitin synthase gene fragme nts. A second pair of degenerate primers, based on conserved sequences between the chitin synthases 3 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candid a albicans, amplified a single 770-bp fragment. The four corresponding amino acid sequences each fell into one of the chitin synthase classe s I-IV, as deduced from sequence analysis. Northern analysis demonstra ted that the class II gene was expressed transiently in early phases o f growth, whereas the class I and III genes as well as the class IV ge ne were expressed throughout the entire life cycle. Furthermore, the c lass III gene was the most expressed. (C) 1998 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All righ ts reserved.