Abstract
Lectin binding, endo-chitinase binding and enzymatic degradation studies show that the epidermal cuticle of the bony fishParalipophrys trigloides (Blenniidae) is chitinous. This is the first evidence that a vertebrate species possesses a chitinous tissue. Recently aXenopus gene has been identified which has significant sequence similarity to the catalytic domain of yeast chitin synthase III, a chitin producing enzyme1,2. Taken together these two findings imply that chitin synthesis capability may be a basic vertebrate feature.
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Wagner, G.P., Lo, J., Laine, R. et al. Chitin in the epidermal cuticle of a vertebrate (Paralipophrys trigloides, Blenniidae, Teleostei). Experientia 49, 317–319 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01923410
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01923410