Hoang Kim-Chi, Lai Tzu-Hsuan, Lin Chung-Sheng, Chen Ying-Tsong, Liau Chun-Yi
General Education Center, Ta Hwa Institute of Technology, HsinChu 307, Taiwan; E-Mail:
Int J Mol Sci. 2010 Dec 27;12(1):56-65. doi: 10.3390/ijms12010056.
Chitin is an abundant biopolymer composed of units of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine linked by β-1,4 glycosidic bonds. Chitin is the main component of the shells of mollusks, the cell wall of fungi and yeast and of the exoskeleton of crustaceans and insects. The degradation of chitin is catalyzed by chitinases that occur in a wide range of organisms. Among them, the chitinases from microorganisms are extremely important for the degradation and recycling of the carbon and nitrogen trapped in the large amount of insoluble chitin in nature. Streptomyces sp. TH-11 was isolated from the sediment of the Tou-Chien River, Taiwan. The chitinolytic enzyme activities were detected using a rapid in-gel detection method from the cell-free preparation of the culture medium of TH-11. The chitinolytic enzyme activity during prolonged liquid culturing was also analyzed by direct measurement of the chitin consumption. Decomposition of the exoskeleton of shrimps was demonstrated using electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy.
几丁质是一种丰富的生物聚合物，由通过β-1,4糖苷键连接的N-乙酰-D-葡萄糖胺单元组成。几丁质是软体动物外壳、真菌和酵母细胞壁以及甲壳类动物和昆虫外骨骼的主要成分。几丁质的降解由广泛存在于各种生物体中的几丁质酶催化。其中，微生物来源的几丁质酶对于自然界中大量不溶性几丁质中碳和氮的降解及循环利用极为重要。链霉菌属TH-11是从台湾头前溪的沉积物中分离出来的。使用快速凝胶内检测方法从TH-11培养基的无细胞制剂中检测几丁质分解酶活性。还通过直接测量几丁质消耗量来分析长时间液体培养过程中的几丁质分解酶活性。使用电子显微镜和原子力显微镜证明了虾外骨骼的分解。
