Topic
Chitinase
About: Chitinase is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 4690 publications have been published within this topic receiving 161786 citations. The topic is also known as: 1,4-beta-poly-N-acetylglucosaminidase & poly-beta-glucosaminidase.
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TL;DR: An enzyme test for the classification of a plant enzyme among lysozymes or chitinases is described and a strong structural similarity between this enzyme and the major lysozyme purified from Hevea brasiliensis latex was observed.
79 citations
TL;DR: The general trend observed was a succession from fast-growing fungi and unicellular bacteria to actinomycetes and slow- growing fungi, yet the composition of chitinolytic CFU over time differed strongly between chitin-amended dune soils, and also between the two moisture levels.
Abstract: The dynamics of culturable chitin-degrading microorganisms were studied during a 16-week incubation of chitin-amended coastal dune soils that differed in acidity. Soil samples were incubated at normal (5% w/w) and high (15% w/w) moisture levels. More than half of the added chitin was decomposed within 4 weeks of incubation in most soils. This rapid degradation was most likely due to fast-growing chitinolytic fungi (mainly Mortierella spp. and Fusarium spp.) at both moisture levels, as dense hyphal networks of these fungi were observed during the first 4 weeks of incubation. Chitin N mineralization was inhibited by cycloheximide, and fast-growing fungal isolates were capable of rapid chitin decomposition in sterile sand, further suggesting that these fungi play an important role in initial chitin degradation. The strong increase in fast-growing fungi in chitin-amended dune soils was only detected by direct observation. Plate counts and microscopic quantification of stained hyphae failed to reveal such an increase. During the first part of the incubation, numbers of unicellular chitinolytic bacteria also increased, but their contribution to chitin degradation was indicated to be of minor importance. During prolonged incubation, colony forming units (CFU) of chitinolytic streptomycetes and/or slow-growing fungi increased strongly in several soils, especially at the 5% moisture level. Hence, the general trend observed was a succession from fast-growing fungi and unicellular bacteria to actinomycetes and slow-growing fungi. Yet, the composition of chitinolytic CFU over time differed strongly between chitin-amended dune soils, and also between the two moisture levels. These differences could not be attributed to pH, organic matter or initial microbial composition. The possible consequence of such unpredictable variation in microbial community composition for the use of chitin-amendments as a biocontrol measure is discussed.
79 citations
TL;DR: The data suggest that a signal produced during the first week after inoculation of leaf 1 affects protection and enzyme activities of leaf 2, the expanding leaves above leaf 2 and leaves which subsequently emerged from the bud in the absence of additional signal(s).
79 citations
TL;DR: Southern hybridization analysis indicates that the chitinase is encoded by a small family of genes.
Abstract: A chitinase cDNA clone from rapeseed (Brassica napus L. ssp. Oleifera) was isolated. The cDNA clone, ChB4, represents a previously purified and characterized basic chitinase isozyme. The longest open reading frame in ChB4 encodes a polypeptide of 268 amino acids. This polypeptide consists of a 24 amino acid N-terminal signal peptide, a cysteine-rich domain and a catalytic domain. The primary structure of the mature ChB4 shows a low degree of identity with class I and II chitinases, 43–48% and 35% respectively. In contrast, ChB4 shows 62% identity to a basic sugar-beet chitinase and 63% identity to an acidic chitinase from bean. The expression of chitinase messenger RNA (mRNA) in response to infection with Phoma lingam (Tode ex. Fr.) Desm. was examined by northern hybridization and scintilation counting. A differential induction was seen between resistant and susceptible cultivars where 3-fold higher chitinase transcript levels were estimated one day after inoculation in resistant as compared to susceptible cultivar. This difference diminished eight days after inoculation. Southern hybridization analysis indicates that the chitinase is encoded by a small family of genes.
79 citations
TL;DR: This data indicates that chitinase family members are important mediators in allergic diseases including asthma, and the mechanism of action of such an enzyme in asthma pathology is unclear, but the enzyme appears to mediate interleukin 13-dependent responses in a STAT6-independent manner.
79 citations