Chitosan Both Activates Genes in Plants and Inhibits RNA Synthesis in Fungi

Abstract

The regulatory role of chitosan in eucaryotic organisms may have far reaching consequences because chitosan and its acetylated form, chitin, are prevalent in nature. We have found two different regulatory functions for chitosan in a simple fungal-plant interaction1. Chitosan which is a normal component of the cell walls of some fungi (Fig. 1) can activate specific genes in plants and at similar concentrations can completely inhibit all RNA synthesis in some fungal organisms and thus suppress gene activity. In this paper we review data which partially explains this paradoxical action.