Detection of chitinase activity after polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis

Commercial Streptomyces griseus and Serratia marcescens chitinases and purified wheat germ W1A and hen egg white lysozymes were subjected to polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis under native conditions at pH 4.3. After electrophoresis, an overlay gel containing 0.01% (W/V) glycol chitin as substrate was incubated in contact with the separation gel. Lytic zones were revealed by uv illumination with a transilluminator after staining for 5 min with 0.01% (W/V) Calcofluor white M2R. As low as 500 ng of purified hen egg lysozyme could be detected after 1 h incubation at 37 degrees C. One band was observed with W1A lysozyme and several bands with the commercial microbial chitinases. The same system was also used with native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis at pH 8.9. Several bands were detected with the microbial chitinases. The same enzymes were also subjected to denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in gradient gels containing 0.01% (W/V) glycol chitin. After electrophoresis, enzymes were renatured in buffered 1% (V/V) purified Triton X-100. Lytic zones were revealed by uv after staining with Calcofluor white M2R as for native gels. The molecular weights of chitinolytic enzymes could thus be directly estimated. In denaturing gels, as low as 10 ng of purified hen egg white lysozyme could be detected after 2 h incubation at 37 degrees C. Estimated molecular weights of St. griseus and Se. marcescens were between 24,000 and 72,000 and between 40,500 and 73,000, respectively. Some microbial chitinases were only resistant to denaturation with sodium dodecyl sulfate while others were resistant to sodium dodecyl sulfate and beta-mercaptoethanol.