Cell‐wall‐degrading enzymes produced by sesame leaf spot pathogen Corynespora cassiicola

Corynespora leaf spot (CLS) is one of the most important diseases in sesame and is caused by a fungal pathogen, Corynespora cassiicola . In this study, we investigated the role of cell‐wall‐degrading enzymes (CWDEs) in the process of pathogen infection and aimed to identify the enzyme that exerts positive effect. Corynespora cassiicola was inoculated in liquid culture and in sesame leaf. At 7 days postinoculation, CWDEs including polygalacturonase (PG), cellulase (CL), neutral xylanase (NEX) and laccase (LC) were detected in the supernatant and leaf extracts inoculated with Corynespora cassiicola . The result showed that the activities of LC and NEX were higher in liquid culture, while the activities of CL and PG were lower. In the sesame leaf infected by Corynespora cassiicola , the activity of NEX was the highest, those of CL and LC were the second highest and that of PG was the weakest, which indicated that NEX was the key enzyme in the process of sesame infection by Corynespora cassiicola . Secondly, the activities of the CWDEs secreted by Corynespora cassiicola were disparate in different sesame varieties. CWDEs activities of cultivar Jz were generally higher than cultivar Hn, and the activity change curve of Jz was also steeper than that of Hn. This indicates that the resistance mechanism of Hn may inhibit the activities of CWDEs and that the appearance and expansion of leaf necrosis spot is related to the comprehensive accumulation and action of various CWDEs. This is the first report investigating the association between CWDEs and pathogenesis of Corynespora cassiicola , causing Corynespora leaf spot in sesame.