Extracellular proteins of Trichoderma and their role in plant health
Anu Sharma, Richa Salwan, Vivek Sharma
Abstract
Trichoderma spp, due to their biocontrol attributes have been explored in agriculture to combat the plant diseases. Since its exploration as a biocontrol agent, the mechanistic insights have shown the production of various lytic enzymes and secondary metabolites are responsible for its ability to suppress plant pathogens. Proteins such as lytic enzymes which include chitinases, glucanases, and proteases have been reported for targeting the cell wall and other components of the fungal plant pathogens have been characterized. More recently, with the advent of omics technologies, proteins of Trichoderma origin in the form of elicitors, histone modification and others have been identified for their role in boosting the plant immune responses through systemic acquired resistance (SAR) or induced systemic resistance (ISR). Here, we have described the role of extracellular proteins from Trichoderma origin and their role in pathogen suppression as well as activation of plant immune response.