Transgenic Expression of chit42 gene from Metarhizium anisopliae in Trichoderma harzianum Enhances Antagonistic Activity against Botrytis cinerea

: Chitinases expressed by some beneficial fungi are crucial for the biocontrol of phytopathogens. The activity of chitinolytic strains of Trichoderma sp. may be enhanced by increasing the expression of chitinases. We describe the Trichoderma strain Mchit42 which expresses a transgenic chitinase chit42 from Metarhizium anisopliae. Inhibitory effects against plant pathogens were tested. Comparison of WT (T30) and OE (Mchit42) indicated that overexpression of M. anisopliae chit42 did not alter Trichoderma growth, while enhancing the expression of endogenous chitinase, β-l,3-glucanases, and polygalacturonase and increasing the antagonistic activity of Trichoderma against Botrytis cinerea. This work confirmed that the expression of the entomopathogenic fungi-sourced chit42 genes in Trichoderma harzianum enhances the efficiency of Trichoderma biocontrol against targeted pathogens.