Expression of Paenibacillus polymyxa β-1,3-1,4-glucanase in Streptomyces lydicus A01 improves its biocontrol effect against Botrytis cinerea

Streptomyces lydicus strain A01, which can produce natamycin and chitinase, has a significant inhibition effect on gray mold disease caused by Botrytis cinerea. However, it has no detectable glucanase activity. Strain A21 isolated from the snow covered high altitude area in Tibet, China, also has a high antagonistic activity against B. cinerea. It displayed an obvious halo on lichen polysaccharides plates by congo red staining, indicating a strong glucanase activity. A21 was identified as Paenibacillus polymyxa using 16S rDNA gene analysis and biochemical and physiological analysis. To obtain the synergistic antifungal effects of natamycin, chitinase, and glucanases on B. cinerea, this study transformed the β-1,3-1,4-glucanase gene from P. polymyxa A21 to S. lydicus A01. The engineered S. lydicus AG01 showed substantially high glucanase activity, and had similar natamycin production and chitinase activity as the wild-type strain A01. Compared to the wild-type strain A01, the antifungal effects of S. lydicus AG01 on B. cinerea, including inhibition of spore germination and mycelial growth, were highly improved. The improved biocontrol effect of S. lydicus AG01 is likely attributed to the heterologous expression of glucanase from P. polymyxa, which acted synergistically with natamycin and chitinase to increase the antifungal activity of the strain.