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Hydrophobicity and surface electrostatic charge of conidia of the mycoparasitic Trichoderma species

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Abstract

The present investigation was done to understand the fungal-fungal interactions mechanisms based on level of nonspecific adhesion of a potential fungal mycoparasite (Trichoderma) to their fungal host (Macrophomina phaseolina). The relative cell surface hydrophobicity (CSH) and cell surface electrostatic charge (CSEC) of 29 isolates of Trichoderma species, analyzed by bacterial adhesion to hydrocarbon (BATH), hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC), microelectrophoresis and contact angle, revealed a large degree of variability. CSH and CSEC of conidia depended on culture age, pH and temperature. Maximum CSH and CSEC were recorded in 25–28 °C range, and both declined significantly with increasing temperature. Isolate Trichoderma hazianum (Th)-23/98 expressed surface hydrophobicity at 25–28 °C and hydrophilicity at 40 °C. Surface hydrophobicity of the isolate was susceptible to various proteases (trypsin, pepsin, proteinase k and a-chymotrypsin) and inhibitors (SDS, mercaptoethanol and Triton X-100) and a significant reduction in CSH was recorded in hydrophobic conidia. Hydrophilic conidia remained more or less unaffected by such treatments. SDS-PAGE analysis of the hydrophobic and hydrophilic conidia exhibited several protein bands in the 25 to 61 kDa range. However, each protein population contained one protein that was not observed in the other population. For hydrophobic conidia, the unique protein had an apparent molecular mass of 49 kDa, while the unique protein associated with hydrophilic conidia had a molecular mass of 61 kDa. Our findings suggest that CSH and CSEC of mycoparasitic Trichoderma may contribute to non-specific adhesion on to the sclerotial surfaces of Macrophomina phaseolina that may be influenced by growth and environmental conditions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Glyco-Immunochemistry Research Lab., Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, College of Medicine, Chang-Gung University, Kwei-San, Tao-Yuan, 333, Taiwan

    Tanuja Singh

  2. National Bureau of Agriculturally Important Microorganisms, NBPGR Old Bldg., Pusa Campus, New Delhi, 110012, India

    Ratul Saikia & Dilip K. Arora

  3. National Research Centre on Plant Biotechnology, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa, New Delhi, 110012, India

    Tarakanta Jana

Authors
  1. Tanuja Singh
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  2. Ratul Saikia
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  3. Tarakanta Jana
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  4. Dilip K. Arora
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Correspondence to Dilip K. Arora.

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Singh, T., Saikia, R., Jana, T. et al. Hydrophobicity and surface electrostatic charge of conidia of the mycoparasitic Trichoderma species. Mycol Progress 3, 219–228 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11557-006-0092-x

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