title: Transglycosylation reaction of a chitinase purified from Nocardia orientalis.
abstract: Chitinase from the culture filtrates of Nocardia orientalis IFO 12806 was purified to apparent homogeneity by precipitation with ammonium sulfate followed by successive chromatography on CM-Sephadex and Bio-Gel P-60, and finally by affinity chromatography on a phenyl-Sepharose CL-4B column. The enzyme, which is essentially a hydrolase, also catalyzed a transglycosylation reaction on tetra-N-acetyl-chitotetraose (GlcNAc)4 and penta-N-acetyl-chitopentaose (GlcNAc)5. The enzyme converted the tetrasaccharide into hexa-N-acetyl-chitohexaose (GlcNAc)6 (21%) and di-N-acetyl-chitobiose (GlcNAc)2 (63%) as the major products. The corresponding values for penta-N-acetyl-chitopentaose (GlcNAc)5 were hepta-N-acetyl-chitoheptaose (GlcNAc)7 23% and tri-N-acetyl-chitotriose (GlcNAc)3 59%. The rate of the transglycosylation depended on the temperature, the concentration of substrate and the pH.
mesh_terms: D002688:Chitinases / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism; D002845:Chromatography / Q000379:methods; D006031:Glycosylation; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D006868:Hydrolysis; D009615:Nocardia / Q000201:enzymology*; D009844:Oligosaccharides / Q000378:metabolism; D013379:Substrate Specificity; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D009844:Oligosaccharides; D002688:Chitinases