Chitinases (
EC3.2.1.14, chitodextrinase, 1,4-β-poly-N-acetylglucosaminidase, poly-β-glucosaminidase, β-1,4-poly-N-acetyl glucosamidinase, poly[1,4-(N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminide)] glycanohydrolase, (1→4)-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-β-D-glucan glycanohydrolase; systematic name (1→4)-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-β-D-glucan glycanohydrolase) are hydrolytic
enzymes that break down
glycosidic bonds in
chitin.[1] They catalyse the following reaction:
Random endo-hydrolysis of N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminide (1→4)-β-linkages in chitin and chitodextrins
As chitin is a component of the
cell walls of
fungi and
exoskeletal elements of some animals (including
mollusks and
arthropods), chitinases are generally found in organisms that either need to reshape their own chitin[2] or dissolve and digest the chitin of fungi or animals.
Species distribution
Chitinivorous organisms include many bacteria[3] (
Aeromonads, Bacillus, Vibrio,[4] among others), which may be
pathogenic or detritivorous. They attack living
arthropods,
zooplankton or fungi or they may degrade the remains of these organisms.
Fungi, such as Coccidioides immitis, also possess degradative chitinases related to their role as detritivores and also to their potential as arthropod pathogens.
Chitinases are also present in plants – for example
barley seed chitinase: PDB:
1CNS,
EC3.2.1.14. Barley seeds are found to produce
clone 10 in Ignatius et al 1994(a). They find clone 10, a
Class I chitinase, in the seed
aleurone during development.[5][6][7] Leaves produce several
isozymes (as well as several of
β-1,3-glucanase). Ignatius et al 1994(b) find these in the leaves, induced by
powdery mildew.[5] Ignatius et al also find these (seed and leaf isozymes) to differ from each other.[6][8] Some of these are
pathogenesis related (PR) proteins that are
induced as part of systemic acquired resistance. Expression is mediated by the NPR1 gene and the salicylic acid pathway, both involved in resistance to fungal and insect attack. Other plant chitinases may be required for creating fungal symbioses.[9]
Although mammals do not produce chitin, they have two functional chitinases, Chitotriosidase (CHIT1) and acidic mammalian chitinase (AMCase), as well as chitinase-like proteins (such as
YKL-40) that have high sequence similarity but lack chitinase activity.[10]
Classification
Endochitinases (EC 3.2.1.14) randomly split chitin at internal sites of the chitin microfibril, forming soluble, low molecular mass
multimer products. The multimer products includes di-acetylchitobiose, chitotriose, and chitotetraose, with the dimer being the predominant product.[11]
Exochitinases have also been divided into two sub categories:
Chitobiosidases (
EC3.2.1.29) act on the non-reducing end of the chitin microfibril, releasing the dimer, di-acetylchitobiose, one by one from the chitin chain. Therefore, there is no release of
monosaccharides or
oligosaccharides in this reaction.[12]
β-1,4- N-acetylglucosaminidases (
EC3.2.1.30) split the multimer products, such as di-acetylchitobiose, chitotriose, and chitotetraose, into monomers of
N-acetylglucoseamine (GlcNAc).[11]
Chitinases were also classified based on the amino acid sequences, as that would be more helpful in understanding the evolutionary relationships of these enzymes to each other.[13] Therefore, the chitinases were grouped into three
families:
18,
19, and
20.[14] Both families 18 and 19 consists of endochitinases from a variety of different organisms, including viruses, bacteria, fungi, insect, and plants. However, family 19 mainly comprises plant chitinases. Family 20 includes N-acetylglucosaminidase and a similar enzyme,
N-acetylhexosaminidase.[13]
And as the gene sequences of the chitinases were known, they were further classified into six classes based on their sequences. Characteristics that determined the classes of chitinases were the N-terminal sequence, localization of the enzyme,
isoelectric pH,
signal peptide, and
inducers.[13]
Class I chitinases had a cysteine-rich N-terminal, leucine- or valine-rich signal peptide, and
vacuolar localization. And then, Class I chitinases were further subdivided based on their acidic or basic nature into Class Ia and Class Ib, respectively.[15] Class 1 chitinases were found to comprise only plant chitinases and mostly endochitinases.
Class II chitinases did not have the cysteine-rich N-terminal but had a similar sequence to Class I chitinases. Class II chitinases were found in plants, fungi, and bacteria and mostly consisted of exochitinases.[13]
Class III chitinases did not have similar sequences to chitinases in Class I or Class II.[13]
Class IV chitinases had similar characteristics, including the immunological properties, as Class I chitinases.[13] However, Class IV chitinases were significantly smaller in size compared to Class I chitinases.[16]
Class V and Class VI chitinases are not well characterized. However, one example of a Class V chitinase showed two chitin
binding domains in tandem, and based on the gene sequence, the cysteine-rich N-terminal seemed to have been lost during evolution, probably due to less selection pressure that caused the catalytic domain to lose its function.[13]
Function
Like cellulose, chitin is an abundant biopolymer that is relatively resistant to degradation.[17] Many mammals can digest chitin and the specific chitinase levels in vertebrate species are adapted to their feeding behaviours.[18] Certain fish are able to digest chitin.[19] Chitinases have been isolated from the stomachs of mammals, including humans.[20]
Chitinase activity can also be detected in human
blood[21][22] and possibly
cartilage.[23] As in plant chitinases this may be related to pathogen resistance.[24][25]
Clinical significance
Chitinases production in the human body (known as "human chitinases") may be in response to
allergies, and
asthma has been linked to enhanced chitinase expression levels.[26][27][28][29][30]
Human chitinases may explain the link between some of the most common allergies (
dust mites, mold spores—both of which contain chitin) and
worm (
helminth) infections, as part of one version of the
hygiene hypothesis[31][32][33] (worms have chitinous mouthparts to hold the intestinal wall). Finally, the link between chitinases and salicylic acid in plants is well established[further explanation needed]—but there is a hypothetical link between salicylic acid and allergies in humans.[34][non sequitur]
May be used to monitor enzymotherapy supplementation in Gaucher's disease.
[1]
Regulation in fungi
Regulation varies from species to species, and within an organism, chitinases with different physiological functions would be under different regulation mechanisms. For example, chitinases that are involved in maintenance, such as remodeling the cell wall, are constitutively expressed. However, chitinases that have specialized functions, such as degrading exogenous chitin or participating in cell division, need
spatio-temporal regulation of the chitinase activity.[35]
The regulation of an endochitinase in Trichodermaatroviride is dependent on a N-acetylglucosaminidase, and the data indicates a feedback-loop where the break down of chitin produces N-acetylglucosamine, which would be possibly taken up and triggers up-regulation of the chitinbiosidases.[36]
In Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the regulation of ScCts1p (S. cerevisiae chitinase 1), one of the chitinases involved in cell separation after
cytokinesis by degrading the chitin of the
primary septum.[37] As these types of chitinases are important in
cell division, there must be tight regulation and activation. Specifically, Cts1 expression has to be activated in daughter cells during late
mitosis and the protein has to localize at the daughter site of the septum.[38] And to do this, there must be coordination with other networks controlling the different phases of the cell, such as
Cdc14 Early Anaphase Release (FEAR),
mitotic exit network (MEN), and regulation of Ace2p (transcription factor) and cellular morphogenesis (RAM)[39] signalling networks. Overall, the integration of the different regulatory networks allows for the cell wall degrading chitinase to function dependent on the cell's stage in the cell cycle and at specific locations among the daughter cells.[35]
Presence in food
Chitinases occur naturally in many common foods. Phaseolus vulgaris,[40] bananas, chestnuts, kiwifruit, avocados, papaya, and tomatoes, for example, all contain significant levels of chitinase, as defense against fungal and invertebrate attack. Stress, or environmental signals like
ethylene gas, may stimulate increased production of chitinase.
Some parts of chitinase molecules, almost identical in structure to
hevein or other proteins in rubber latex due to their similar function in plant defense, may trigger an allergic cross-reaction known as
latex-fruit syndrome.[41]
Possible future applications of chitinases are as food additives to increase shelf life, therapeutic agent for asthma and chronic
rhinosinusitis, as an anti-fungal remedy, an anti-tumor drug and as a general ingredient to be used in
protein engineering.[42]
^Waniska RD, Venkatesha RT, Chandrashekar A, Krishnaveni S, Bejosano FP, Jeoung J, et al. (October 2001). "Antifungal proteins and other mechanisms in the control of sorghum stalk rot and grain mold". Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 49 (10).
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^Harman GE (1993). "Chitinolytic Enzymes of Trichoderma harzianum: Purification of Chitobiosidase and Endochitinase". Phytopathology. 83 (3): 313.
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^Zhao J, Zhu H, Wong CH, Leung KY, Wong WS (July 2005). "Increased lungkine and chitinase levels in allergic airway inflammation: a proteomics approach". Proteomics. 5 (11): 2799–807.
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^Elias JA, Homer RJ, Hamid Q, Lee CG (September 2005). "Chitinases and chitinase-like proteins in T(H)2 inflammation and asthma". The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 116 (3): 497–500.
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^Palmas C, Gabriele F, Conchedda M, Bortoletti G, Ecca AR (June 2003). "Causality or coincidence: may the slow disappearance of helminths be responsible for the imbalances in immune control mechanisms?". Journal of Helminthology. 77 (2): 147–53.
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abLangner T, Göhre V (May 2016). "Fungal chitinases: function, regulation, and potential roles in plant/pathogen interactions". Current Genetics. 62 (2): 243–54.
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^Brunner K, Peterbauer CK, Mach RL, Lorito M, Zeilinger S, Kubicek CP (July 2003). "The Nag1 N-acetylglucosaminidase of Trichoderma atroviride is essential for chitinase induction by chitin and of major relevance to biocontrol". Current Genetics. 43 (4): 289–95.
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