Department of Biological and Geological Sciences, Faculty of Education, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
Protoplasma. 2021 Jul;258(4):695-710. doi: 10.1007/s00709-021-01612-6. Epub 2021 Jan 22.
Chitinases are a category of hydrolytic enzymes that catalyze chitin and are formed by a wide variety of microorganisms. In nature, microbial chitinases are primarily responsible for chitin decomposition and play a vital role in the balance of carbon and nitrogen ratio in the ecosystem. The physicochemical attributes and the source of chitinase are the main bases that determine their functional characteristics and hydrolyzed products. Several chitinases have been reported and characterized, and they obtain a wider consideration for their utilization in a large number of uses such as in agriculture, food, environment, medicine and pharmaceutical companies. The antifungal and insecticidal impacts of several chitinases have been extensively studied, aiming to protect crops from phytopathogenic fungi and insects. Chitooligosaccharides synthesized by chitin degradation have been shown to improve human health through their antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antitumor properties. This review aims at investigating chitinase production, properties and their potential applications in various biotechnological fields.
几丁质酶是一类能催化几丁质水解的水解酶，由各种微生物形成。在自然界中，微生物几丁质酶主要负责几丁质的分解，在生态系统的碳氮比平衡中起着至关重要的作用。几丁质酶的理化性质和来源是决定其功能特性和水解产物的主要依据。已经有几种几丁质酶被报道和表征，由于它们在农业、食品、环境、医药和制药公司等大量用途中的利用，引起了广泛的关注。几种几丁质酶的抗真菌和杀虫作用已被广泛研究，旨在保护作物免受植物病原菌真菌和昆虫的侵害。几丁质降解合成的壳寡糖已被证明通过其抗菌、抗氧化、抗炎和抗肿瘤特性改善人类健康。本综述旨在研究几丁质酶的生产、性质及其在各种生物技术领域的潜在应用。
