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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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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In situ mRNA hybridization analysis in sections obtained from fungus-infected germinating embryos revealed that ZmPR4 mRNA accumulation occurs in those cell types that first establish contact with the pathogen, and could be part of the general defence response of maize plants against pathogens.
Abstract: Pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins are plant proteins that are induced in response to pathogen attack. PR proteins are grouped into independent families based on their sequences and properties. The PR-4 family comprises class I and class II chitinases. We have isolated a full-length cDNA encoding a chitinase from maize which shares a high degree of nucleotide and amino acid sequence homology with the class II chitinases of the PR-4 family of PR proteins. Our results indicate that fungal infection, and treatment either with fungal elicitors or with moniliformin, a mycotoxin produced by the fungus Fusarium moniliforme, increase the level of ZmPR4 mRNA. In situ mRNA hybridization analysis in sections obtained from fungus-infected germinating embryos revealed that ZmPR4 mRNA accumulation occurs in those cell types that first establish contact with the pathogen. ZmPR4 mRNA accumulation is also stimulated by treatment with silver nitrate whereas the application of the hormones gibberellic acid or acetylsalicylic acid has no effect. Wounding, or treatment with abscisic acid or methyl jasmonate, results in accumulation of ZmPR4 mRNA in maize leaves. Furthermore, the ZmPR4 protein was expressed in Escherichia coli, purified and used to obtain polyclonal antibodies that specifically recognized ZmPR4 in protein extracts from fungus-infected embryos. Accumulation of ZmPR4 mRNA in fungus-infected maize tissues was accompanied by a significant accumulation of the corresponding protein. The possible implications of these findings as part of the general defence response of maize plants against pathogens are discussed.

96 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This review covers the recent advances of chitinases as a biocontrol agent and its various applications including preparation of medically important chitooligosaccharides, bioconversion of Chitin as well as in implementing chit inases as diagnostic and prognostic markers for numerous diseases and the prospect of their future utilization.
Abstract: Biological control of phytopathogenic fungi and insects continues to inspire the research and development of environmentally friendly bioactive alternatives. Potentially lytic enzymes, chitinases can act as a biocontrol agent against agriculturally important fungi and insects. The cell wall in fungi and protective covers, i.e. cuticle in insects shares a key structural polymer, chitin, a β-1,4-linked N-acetylglucosamine polymer. Therefore, it is advantageous to develop a common biocontrol agent against both of these groups. As chitin is absent in plants and mammals, targeting its metabolism will signify an eco-friendly strategy for the control of agriculturally important fungi and insects but is innocuous to mammals, plants, beneficial insects and other organisms. In addition, development of chitinase transgenic plant varieties probably holds the most promising method for augmenting agricultural crop protection and productivity, when properly integrated into traditional systems. Recently, human proteins with chitinase activity and chitinase-like proteins were identified and established as biomarkers for human diseases. This review covers the recent advances of chitinases as a biocontrol agent and its various applications including preparation of medically important chitooligosaccharides, bioconversion of chitin as well as in implementing chitinases as diagnostic and prognostic markers for numerous diseases and the prospect of their future utilization.

96 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is suggested that direct repeat sequences present in other chitinase genes recently characterized may be involved in repression and induction for this entire class of catabolite-controlled genes.
Abstract: We report the identification and partial characterization of the promoters for two chitinase genes from Streptomyces plicatus. Chitinases are a family of enzymes made by Streptomyces and other soil microbes to digest chitin, an abundant source of carbon and nitrogen in the soil. The promoter regions of two chitinases were defined by using transcriptional fusions to the xylE reporter gene. Transcription was shown to be glucose-sensitive and chitin-dependent. Each promoter contains a putative RNA polymerase binding site with a recognition sequence very similar to that observed in many eubacterial vegetatively expressed genes. In both promoters, a pair of 12-base-pair direct repeat sequences overlap the putative RNA polymerase binding sites. Further analysis of one of the promoters revealed that a single-base change within the direct repeat sequences resulted in glucose-resistant, chitin-independent expression in vivo. In addition, the promoter region that includes the direct repeat sequences was shown to interact with a sequence-specific DNA binding factor in vitro. Similar direct repeat sequences are present in other chitinase genes recently characterized, and we suggest that these repeats may be involved in repression and induction for this entire class of catabolite-controlled genes.

96 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Two open reading frames (chiA and chiB) were identified in the genome of P. furiosus, which encodes chitinases with sequence similarity to proteins from the glycosyl hydrolase family 18 in less-thermophilic organisms, indicating that these two enzymes work together to recruit chit in-based substrates for P.furiosus growth.
Abstract: Pyrococcus furiosus was found to grow on chitin, adding this polysacharide to the inventory of carbohydrates utilized by this hyperthermophilic archaeon. Accordingly, two open reading frames (chiA [Pf1234] and chiB [Pf1233]) were identified in the genome of P. furiosus, which encodes chitinases with sequence similarity to proteins from the glycosyl hydrolase family 18 in less-thermophilic organisms. Both enzymes contain multiple domains that consist of at least one binding domain and one catalytic domain. ChiA (ca. 39 kDa) contains a putative signal peptide, as well as a binding domain (ChiABD), that is related to binding domains associated with several previously studied bacterial chitinases. chiB, separated by 37 nucleotides from chiA and in the same orientation, encodes a polypeptide with two different proline-threonine-rich linker regions (6 and 3 kDa) flanking a chitin-binding domain (ChiBBD [11 kDa]), followed by a catalytic domain (ChiBcat [35 kDa]). No apparent signal peptide is encoded within chiB. The two chitinases share little sequence homology to each other, except in the catalytic region, where both have the catalytic glutamic acid residue that is conserved in all family 18 bacterial chitinases. The genes encoding ChiA, without its signal peptide, and ChiB were cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. ChiA exhibited no detectable activity toward chitooligomers smaller than chitotetraose, indicating that the enzyme is an endochitinase. Kinetic studies showed that ChiB followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics toward chitotriose, although substrate inhibition was observed for larger chitooligomers. Hydrolysis patterns on chitooligosaccharides indicated that ChiB is a chitobiosidase, processively cleaving off chitobiose from the nonreducing end of chitin or other chitooligomers. Synergistic activity was noted for the two chitinases on colloidal chitin, indicating that these two enzymes work together to recruit chitin-based substrates for P. furiosus growth. This was supported by the observed growth on chitin as the sole carbohydrate source in sulfur-free media.

96 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The results confirmed that CS and CNPs induced up-regulation of PR-proteins and antioxidant genes might play a significant role for successful biocontrol.

96 citations


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Performance
Metrics
No. of papers in the topic in previous years
YearPapers
2023186
2022337
2021148
2020172
2019154
2018152