Verticillium fungicola cell wall glucogactomannan-binding of the lectin from the Pleurotus ostreatus fruit bodies

Abstract

The Verticillium fungicola mycoparasitism on Agaricus bisporus fruit bodies appears to be a complex process made up of successive steps in which the recognition and binding between complementary molecules, the A. bisporus fruit body lectin and the V. fungicola cell wall glucogalactomannan, have recently been demonstrated. P. ostreatus fruit bodies have been described as containing a lectin and also presenting the “dry bubble” or the Verticillium disease. The aim of the present work is to purify and characterize the P. ostreatus lectin and compare the properties of both lectins in an attempt to confirm if the specific glucogalactomannan-lectin recognition and binding is the necessary step for the V. fungicola mycoparasitism process in P. ostreatus. The characteristics and properties of the purified P. ostreatus lectin together with those also previously described by us on A. bisporus lectin show that, although both lectins present different chemical structures, they behave very similarly in relation to their glucogalactomannan-binding, thus confirming the existence of the specific recognition and binding step in the Verticillium disease on P. ostreatus fruit bodies.