Functional analysis of a subtilisin-like serine protease gene from biocontrol fungus Trichoderma harzianum

The subtilisin-like serine protease gene ThSS45 has been cloned from Trichoderma harzianum ACCC30371. Its coding region is 1302 bp in length, encoding 433 amino acids, with a predicted protein molecular weight of 44.9 kDa and pI of 5.91. ThSS45 was shown by RT-qPCR analysis to be differentially transcribed in response to eight different treatments. The transcription of ThSS45 was up-regulated when grown in mineral medium, under carbon starvation, and nitrogen starvation, and in the presence of 1% root powder, 1% stem powder, and 1% leaf powder derived from Populus davidiana × P. bolleana (Shanxin poplar) aseptic seedlings. The highest increase in transcription approached 3.5-fold that of the control at 6 h under induction with 1% poplar root powder. The transcription of ThSS45 was also slightly up-regulated by 1% Alternaria alternata cell wall and 5% A. alternata fermentation liquid. Moreover, the analyses of coding and promoter regions of ThSS45 homologs indicated that serine protease may be involved in both mycoparasitism and antibiotic secretion. ThSS45 was cloned into the pGEX-4T-2 vector and then expressed in Escherichia coli BL21. The recombinant protein, with an expected molecular weight of approximately 69 kDa, was then purified. When transformant BL21-ss was induced with 1 mM IPTG for 6 h, the purified protease activity reached a peak of 18.25 U/ml at pH 7.0 and 40°C. In antifungal assays the purified protease obviously inhibited the growth of A. alternata mycelia.