TRICHODERMA-HARZIANUM TRANSFORMANT HAS HIGH EXTRACELLULAR ALKALINE PROTEINASE EXPRESSION DURING SPECIFIC MYCOPARASITIC INTERACTIONS

The mycoparasite Trichoderma harzianum produces an alkaline proteinase that may be specifically involved in mycoparasitism. We have construc ted transformant strains of this fungus that overexpress this alkaline proteinase. Some of the transformants were assessed for alkaline prot einase activity, and those with higher activity than the wild type wer e selected for further studies. One of these transformant strains prod uced an elevated and constitutive pbr1 mRNA level during mycoparasitic interactions with Rhizoctonia solani.