A β‐1,3‐glucanase gene from Panax notoginseng confers resistance in tobacco to Fusarium solani

β‐1,3‐glucanases are members of the pathogenesis‐related protein (PR)-2 family, and they play important roles in defense response in plants. A β‐1,3‐glucanase gene was isolated from Panax notoginseng and named as PnGlu1 in this study. This gene encodes a protein of 379 amino acids containing a potential signal peptide, and subcellular localization analysis confirmed that PnGlu1 protein was localized in the cell wall. The PnGlu1 expression level in P. notoginseng roots was evidently induced by Methyl jasmonate, salicylic acid, ethylene, and hydrogen peroxide treatment. Moreover, the PnGlu1 gene showed high transcription level after inoculation with Fusarium solani, which is the important agent of P. notoginseng root rot disease. In addition, the PnGlu1 recombinant protein expressed in Escherichia coli showed a high-level inhibitory activity against Fusarium solani and Fusarium oxysporum growth. Furthermore, the plant overexpression vector pCAMBIA2300s-PnGlu1 was constructed and overexpressed in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L. cv Xanthi). The transgenic tobacco plants showed strong resistance to F. solani infection. Additionally, the gene expression levels of some jasmonic acid biosynthesis genes and PRs were significantly up-regulated in the PnGlu1 transgenic tobacco lines. This study indicated that the PnGlu1 is a vital defense gene during response to F. solani.