Resistance of Gibberellin-Treated Persimmon Fruit to Alternaria alternata Arises from the Reduced Ability of the Fungus to Produce Endo-1,4-beta-Glucanase

ABSTRACT Black-spot symptoms, caused by Alternaria alternata, developed in persimmon fruits during prolonged storage at -1 degrees C. A preharvest treatment with gibberellic acid (GA(3)) extended the storage life of the fruit by delaying both black-spot development and fruit softening. Conversely, treatment of persimmon fruits with paclobutrazol (PBZ), an inhibitor of gibberellin (GA) synthesis, enhanced black-spot development and fruit softening during storage. Production of endo-1,4-beta-glucanase (EC 3.2.1.4, EG) by A. alternata in culture and in the presence of cell walls from PBZ-treated fruits as the carbon source, was enhanced by 150% over production in the presence of cell walls from control fruits, whereas endoglucanase (EG) production in the presence of cell walls from GA(3)-treated fruits was reduced by 49% relative to controls. To determine the importance of EG in symptom development, A. alternata EG was purified from a culture-inducing medium. It had a molecular mass of 41 kDa, its optimal pH and temperature for activity were 5.5 and 47 degrees C, respectively, and the pI was 4.3. Its K(m) and V(max) were 0.43 mg ml(-1) and 18 mumol reducing groups minute per milligrams of protein, respectively. The internal sequence of a 21-mer amino acid peptide from the purified EG showed 62% similarity and 38% identity to the EG-1 of Trichoderma reesei and of T. longibrachiatum. Purified EG induced black-spot symptoms on the fruit, similar to those caused by A. alternata, whereas boiled enzyme caused only pricking signs. Our results suggest that the black-spot symptoms caused by A. alternata, in persimmon, are related to the ability of the fungus to produce EG in developing lesions.