title: Purification and characterization of a chitinase from Trichoderma viride.
abstract: Usukizyme, a commercial enzyme preparation from Trichoderma viride, showed multiple chitin- degrading activities. One of these was purified to homogeneity by sequential DEAE Sepharose CL-6B, Q-Sepharose FF, and Sephacryl S-100 HR column chromatographies. The purified enzyme showed optimum activity at pH 3.5 and 50 degrees -55 degrees C and was stable in the pH range of 3.5-6.0 and up to 45 degrees C. It showed higher activity toward chitosan-7B, a 62% deacetylated chitosan, as opposed to highly deacetylated chitosan substrates. Products of degradation of a 1% (w/v) solution of partially deacetylated chitin (PC-100) were purified on CM-Sephadex C-25 and analyzed by HPLC, exo-glycosidase digestion, and nitrous acid deamination. The enzyme was unable to split the GlcN-GlcN linkages in the substrate. It produced mainly (GlcNAc)(2) and (GlcNAc)(3) along with mixed oligosaccharides. When subjected to nitrous acid degradation, some of the mixed oligosaccharides produced mainly 2-deoxyglucitol, implying the presence of GlcN at the reducing end of the oligosaccharides.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Applied Biosciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Miyazaki University, Miyazaki 889-2192, Japan.
authors.forename: Crispinus A.
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Omumasaba
authors.forename: Naoto
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: Kihachiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ogawa