Proteomic and activity characterization of exocellular laccases from three Botrytis cinerea strains

Abstract

Botrytis cinerea is a fungus that causes common infection in grapes and other fruits. In winemaking, its presence can be both considered desirable in the case of noble rot infection or undesirable when grey rot is developed. This fungus produces an extracellular enzyme known as laccase which is able to cause oxidation of phenolic compounds present in must and wine, causing most of the times a decrease in its quality and problems during the winemaking process [1]. Material and methods: Three B. cinerea strains (B0510, VA612 and RM344) were selected and grown in a liquid medium adapted from one previously described [2]. The enzyme was isolated by tangential ultrafiltration of the culture medium using a QuixStand system equipped with a 30 KDa filtration membrane. The purity of the isolated enzymes was checked using SDS-PAGE. The characteristics (molecular weight, % of glycosylation, specific activity, activity in function of pH of the enzyme isolated from each strain were studied with ABTS as a substrate. Results: The enzymes isolated from the three strains showed the same molecular weight, 97 KDa, in good agreement with the molecular weight previously determined for B. cinerea laccase using SDS-PAGE [2]. The percentage of glycosylation was high, being estimated in 70% on weight, also similar to that described by other authors [3]. Despite similar physical characteristics of the enzymes obtained from different strains, their activity were quite different. The enzymes isolated from B0510 and VA612 strains showed similar specific activity for ABTS oxidation, being 0.3 and 0.21 mM for their Km and their Vmax were 1.28 and 1.45 mM/min per milligram of enzyme respectively. The activity for RM344 enzyme was found much lower, with values of 0.78 mM for Km and 0.13 mM/min per milligram of enzyme for Vmax. The enzyme isolated from the B0510 strain presented its highest activity at pH 2.9 while VA612 and RM344 enzymes showed the maximum activity at pH 3.3. All these values were quite lower compared to previously measured by other authors [4-6]. Those differences in the enzyme activity may be related with differences in the active center of the enzyme and could have important consequences for the winemaking process depending on the strains of the B. cinerea strain involved in the infection of grapes.

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