Purification and some properties of two forms of chitinase from mycelial cells of Mucor rouxii |
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Authors: | M Pedraza-Reyes E Lopez-Romero |
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Institution: | Instituto de Investigacion en Biologia Experimental, Facultad de Quimica, Universidad de Guanajuato, Mexico. |
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Abstract: | 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. |
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