title: Effect of the C-terminal domain of Vibrio proteolyticus chitinase A on the chitinolytic activity in association with pH changes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To reveal the cause of the difference in activity of chitinase A from Vibrio proteolyticus and chitinase A from a strain of Vibrio carchariae (a junior synonym of Vibrio harveyi), we investigated the pH-dependent activity of full-length V. proteolyticus chitinase A and a truncated recombinant corresponding to the V. harveyi form of chitinase A.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After overexpression in Escherichia coli strain DH5α, the full-length and truncated recombinant chitinases were purified by ammonium sulphate precipitation and anion exchange column chromatography. Chitinase activity was measured at various pH values using α-crystal and colloidal chitins as the substrate. The pH-dependent patterns of the relative specific activities for α-crystal chitin differed between the full-length and truncated recombinant chitinases, whereas those for colloidal chitin were similar to each other.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The difference in the activity of V. proteolyticus chitinase A and V. harveyi chitinase A might be partly due to a change in the pH dependence of the chitinase activities against α-crystal chitin, resulting from C-terminal processing.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present results are important findings for not only ecological studies on the genus Vibrio in association with survival strategies, but also phylogenetic studies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Marine Science and Resources, Nihon University, Fujisawa, Kanagawa, Japan. sitoi@nihon-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Itoi
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kanomata
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Uchida
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kadokura
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nishio
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Oku
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sugita
mesh_terms: D002686:Chitin / Q000378:metabolism*; D002688:Chitinases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000378:metabolism; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D010802:Phylogeny; D014733:Vibrio / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D002686:Chitin; D002688:Chitinases