Purification and some properties of two forms of chitinase from mycelial cells of Mucor rouxii.
Chitinase activity was measured in extracts of mycelial cells of Mucor rouxii as a function of the culture age. There was a peak of specific activity at the mid-exponential phase of growth (10 h), which paralleled chitin synthase activity. An additional peak of chitinase with higher specific activity was detected in 4 h cultures, which coincided with the onset of germination. Purification of chitinase activities from the cytoplasm revealed two enzymes, I and II, with different molecular mass and ionic charge. Antibodies induced with chitinase I did not cross-react with chitinase II. Both enzymes digested nascent chitin preferentially over preformed chitin, yielding diacetylchitobiose as the sole product of hydrolysis.
Instituto de Investigacion en Biologia Experimental, Facultad de Quimica, Universidad de Guanajuato, Mexico.
M
M
Pedraza-Reyes
E
E
Lopez-Romero
D002687:Chitin Synthase / Q000378:metabolism; D002688:Chitinases / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism; D002850:Chromatography, Gel; D002852:Chromatography, Ion Exchange; D003600:Cytosol / Q000201:enzymology; D009089:Mucor / Q000201:enzymology*; D013997:Time Factors
D002687:Chitin Synthase; D002688:Chitinases