Isolation and Expression of a Chitinase Family Protein AT4G01700 from Arabidopsis Thaliana

Chitinase acts on the chitin present on the cell wall of the fungal pathogen and hence, identification and characterization of the putative gene and the protein is very useful in understanding its role in plant defence. Chitinase gene AT4G01700 was isolated, characterized and expressed from Arabidopsis thaliana (ecotype Arabidopsis Columbia). We wanted to characterize a putative chitinases of Arabidopsis, AT4G01700 which resembled most with the chitinase of Nicotiana tobaccum. The gene was amplified using the cDNA of the plant Arabidopsis thaliana, cloned and expressed using PET EK/LIC vector in different hosts like BL21 (DE3), BL21-pLysS, Rosetta and Rosetta DE3 into a protein up to the size of 31kd. Information obtained from further characterisation of this protein and of chitinase gene (AT4G01700) which the group is continuing with, can be used to develop the transgenic plants resistant to the diseases caused by the fungal pathogens.