Chitinase Producing Soil Bacteria: Prospects and Applications

Soil microorganisms synthesize an enormous variety and quantity of glycosyl hydrolytic enzymes, and chitinase is one among them. Generally, the purpose of bacterial chitinase production is supplying elemental C and N as precursors or nutrient sources and the ravenousness of chitinases play an important role in bacterial parasitism against chitinaceous host. Data from the public domain confirms that half of the soil bacterial genome for chitinase is affiliated to Actinobacteria. Bacteria releases extracellular chitinase enzyme which partially degrades chitin polymer outside the bacterial cell, producing oligomers. The chitinous waste products can be used for the production of single cell protein by the bioconversion of the chitin to its simpler forms by the enzyme chitinase. The fungal cell walls are mainly composed of chitin so the chitinase enzyme is highly essential for the enzymatic degradation of the cell wall so that the protoplast can be separated for study without causing any damage to its components.