Inhibitors of plant proteases can regulate the hydrolysis of proteins inside the cells and also participate in the mechanisms of plant defense against herbivore insects and pathogens. Here, we demonstrated that seeds of Eucalyptus urophylla exhibit activities of trypsin and papain inhibitors, two proteases commonly found in living cells. Low amounts of proteins of the crude protein extract of seeds and fractions partially purified by gel filtration, with inhibitory activity against trypsin, inhibited in vitro the mycelial growth of a compatible isolate of the ectomycorrhizal fungus Pisolithus tinctorius and allowed an unsatisfactory growth of another isolate from Pinus taeda, considered incompatible for this eucalyptus species. The same amounts of inhibitory proteins, when tested in vitro on the pathogen Rhizoctonia solani, did not exhibit any effect on the growth of the pathogen. These results indicate the existence of proteases inhibitors in seeds of E. urophylla which could influence the complex biochemical system that differentiates mechanisms of symbiosis and pathogenicity between plants and microorganisms.
protease; inhibitor; trypsin; Pisolithus tinctorius; Rhizoctonia solani
