Cohen-Kupiec R, Chet I
Otto-Warburg-Center for Agricultural Biotechnology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Faculty of Agriculture, Rehovot, Israel.
Curr Opin Biotechnol. 1998 Jun;9(3):270-7. doi: 10.1016/s0958-1669(98)80058-x.
Chitinases catalyze the hydrolysis of chitin, an unbranched polymer of beta-1,4-N-acetylglucosamine. In recent years, soil-borne microorganisms that produce chitinases are considered as potential biocontrol agents against fungi and nematodes which causes diseases of agricultural crops. Chitinases also play an important physiological and ecological role in ecosystems as recyclers of chitin, by generating carbon and nitrogen sources. Many chitinases of varied organisms have been isolated and their corresponding genes cloned.
几丁质酶催化几丁质的水解，几丁质是一种由β-1,4-N-乙酰葡糖胺组成的无分支聚合物。近年来，产生几丁质酶的土壤微生物被视为对抗导致农作物疾病的真菌和线虫的潜在生物防治剂。几丁质酶作为几丁质的循环利用者，通过产生碳源和氮源，在生态系统中也发挥着重要的生理和生态作用。多种生物的许多几丁质酶已被分离出来，其相应基因也已被克隆。
