Effects Of Herbicides And Fungicides On The Soil Chitinolytic Activity. A Molecular Docking Approach

A molecular docking study was undertaken using the programs SwissDock and PatchDock to assess the interactions of the bacterial chitinases belonging to the GH18 and GH19 families with two herbicides (chlorsulfuron and nicosulfuron) and two fungicides (difenoconazole and drazoxolon). Both molecular docking programs predict that all considered pesticides bind to the active sites of chitinases produced by soil microorganisms. There are correlations for predicted binding energy values for receptor-ligand complexes obtained using the two programs consolidating the prediction of the chitinases-pesticides interactions. The interactions of chitinases with pesticides involve the same residues as their interactions with known inhibitors suggesting the inhibitory potential of pesticides. Pesticides interact stronger with chitinases belonging to the GH18 family, their active sites reflecting higher polarity than those of the GH19 chitinases. Also, herbicides reveal a higher inhibitory potential to bacterial chitinases than fungicides.