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Detection and characterization of chitinases and other chitin-modifying enzymes

  • Review Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology

Abstract

Multiple industrial and medical uses of chitin and its derivatives have been developed in recent years. The demand for enzymes with new or desirable properties continues to grow as additional uses of chitin, chitooligosaccharides, and chitosan become apparent. Microorganisms, the primary degraders of chitin in the environment, are a rich source of valuable chitin-modifying enzymes. This review summarizes many methods that can be used to isolate and characterize chitin-modifying enzymes including chitin depolymerases, chitodextrinases, chitin deacetylases, N-acetylglucosaminidases, chitin-binding proteins, and chitosanases. Chitin analogs, zymography, detection of reducing sugars, genomic library screening, chitooligosaccharide electrophoresis, degenerate PCR primer design, thin layer chromatography, and chitin-binding assays are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland , Microbiology Bldg, College Park, MD 20742, USA

    Michael B. Howard, Nathan A. Ekborg, Ronald M. Weiner & Steven W. Hutcheson

  2. Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA 22230, USA

    Ronald M. Weiner

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  1. Michael B. Howard
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  2. Nathan A. Ekborg
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  3. Ronald M. Weiner
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  4. Steven W. Hutcheson
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Correspondence to Steven W. Hutcheson.

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Howard, M.B., Ekborg, N.A., Weiner, R.M. et al. Detection and characterization of chitinases and other chitin-modifying enzymes. J IND MICROBIOL BIOTECHNOL 30, 627–635 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10295-003-0096-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10295-003-0096-3

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