title: Chitin biosynthesis enhancement by the endochitinase inhibitor allosamidin.
abstract: Membrane preparations of Artemia salina synthetize radiolabelled chitin from UDP-[U-14C]GlcNAc at a low rate (Horst, M.N. (1981) J. Biol. Chem. 256, 1412-1419). We now report that, when the specific endochitinase inhibitor allosamidin is present in addition to the established activators trypsin and GlcNAc, incorporation of [U-14C]GlcNAc into chitin is increased up to 58-fold over the basic synthesis rate. Thus, a greatly enhanced apparent chitin synthase activity is observed in membranes from an arthropod species when simultaneous degradation of chitin is inhibited.
authors: Institut für Organische Chemie und Biochemie, Rheinischen Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn.
authors: M G
authors: MG
authors: Peter
authors: F
authors: F
authors: Schweikart
mesh_terms: D000117:Acetylglucosamine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D001156:Artemia; D002240:Carbohydrate Sequence; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology; D002686:Chitin / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D002687:Chitin Synthase / Q000378:metabolism*; D002688:Chitinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D005944:Glucosamine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D005964:Glucosyltransferases / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D014312:Trisaccharides
chemical_list: D014312:Trisaccharides; C054851:allosamidin; D002686:Chitin; D005964:Glucosyltransferases; D002687:Chitin Synthase; D002688:Chitinases; D005944:Glucosamine; D000117:Acetylglucosamine