[Cloning and characterization of cuticle degrading enzyme CDEP-1 from Beauveria bassiana].

Beauveria bassiana extracellular subtilisin-like serine endoprotease is a potential virulence factor by virtue of its activity against insect cuticles. A cDNA library was constructed using mRNA from mycelia of Beauveria bassiana grown on cuticle/chitin cultures. A cDNA clone of the protease, designated CDEP-1, was isolated from cDNA library. CDEP-1 contained an 1,134 bp ORF that predicted a protein of 377 amino acids with M(r) = 38,616 and PI = 8.302. The amino acid sequence of the gene shows 57.9%, 83.3% and 54.7% identity to Metarhizium nisopliae Pr1, Beauveria bassiana Pr1 and proteinase K, respectively. Southern analysis indicated that CDEP-1 was present as singly copy in Beauveria bassiana.