Isolation and characterization of a gene coding for chitin deacetylase specifically expressed during fruiting body development in the basidiomycete Flammulina velutipes and its expression in the yeast Pichia pastoris.

Fv-pda, a gene coding for chitin deacetylase (CDA), was isolated from the basidiomycete Flammulina velutipes by differential display targeted for genes specifically expressed during fruiting body development. The fv-pda ORF comprises 250 amino acid residues and is interrupted by 10 introns. The fv-pda cDNA was expressed in the yeast Pichia pastoris, and the resulting recombinant FV-PDA was used for enzymatic characterization. The recombinant FV-PDA catalyses deacetylation of N-acetyl-chitooligomers, from dimer to pentamer, glycol chitin and colloidal chitin. The fv-pda was specifically expressed through the entire stage of fruiting body development, and the transcript was abundant in stipes of mature fruiting bodies. These results suggest that CDA plays an important role in the process of fruiting of F. velutipes.