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Physiology and Biochemistry

Extracellular Enzymes Produced by Colletotrichum lindemuthianum and Helminthosporium maydis During Growth on Isolated Bean and Corn Cell Walls. Anne J. Anderson, Assistant Professor, Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331; Phytopathology 68:1585-1589. Accepted for publication 30 May 1978. Copyright © 1978 The American Phytopathological Society, 3340 Pilot Knob Road, St. Paul, MN 55121. All rights reserved.. DOI: 10.1094/Phyto-68-1585.

Helminthosporium maydis, a fungal pathogen of corn (a monocotyledon) grew on isolated cell walls of its host as well as on cell walls isolated from bean (a nonhost dicotyledon). A fungal bean pathogen, Colletotrichum lindemuthianum, also grew on cell walls isolated from both bean and corn. Both pathogens sequentially produced extracellular enzymes that degrade pectin, xylan, and cellulose and the exoglycosidases, β-xylosidase and β-glucosidase, during culture on either corn or bean walls. The pectin-degrading enzymes were detected early in culture filtrates from both fungi grown on either cell wall preparation. Helminthosporium maydis produced higher levels of laminarinase particularly in corn cell wall cultures. Corn wall cultures of both fungi possessed more xylanase activity than the bean cell wall cultures. Such differential production of certain enzymes may relate to structural differences between the monocotyledon and dicotyledon cell walls.