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Chitinase: A Defense of Higher Plants Against Pathogens

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Chitin in Nature and Technology

Abstract

Higher plants often contain large amounts of chitinase (EC 3.2.1.14) activities. This is surprising in view of the fact that chitin, the substrate for these enzymes, occurs in lower animals, in fungi, and in certain algae but has never been found in higher plants. Apparently, chitinases have no function in the plant’s own metabolism and may be considered dispensable enzymes. Why, then, do they occur in higher plants?

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Botanishes Institut, Universität Basel, CH-4056, Basel, Switzerland

    T. Boller

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  1. T. Boller
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Ancona, Ancona, Italy

    Riccardo Muzzarelli

  2. University of Liège, Liège, Belgium

    Charles Jeuniaux

  3. University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland

    Graham W. Gooday

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© 1986 Plenum Press, New York

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Boller, T. (1986). Chitinase: A Defense of Higher Plants Against Pathogens. In: Muzzarelli, R., Jeuniaux, C., Gooday, G.W. (eds) Chitin in Nature and Technology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-2167-5_30

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-2167-5_30

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-9277-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4613-2167-5

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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