ABSTRACT
Chitin, a linear polymer of β(1, 4)-linked N-acetyl glucosamine (NAG), is one of the most abundant polysaccharides in nature. It occurs in a large number of species, most prominently as a principal structural component of the exoskeleton of insects and crustaceans, as well as in the cell walls of a variety of fungi (1, 2). Thus, it is not surprising that chitinolytic enzymes are abundant in nature, occurring in a large variety of organisms varying from prokaryotes to man. Chi tin-containing organisms need chitinases during their normal life cycles, whereas other organisms (mainly bacteria) use these enzymes to exploit chitin as an energy source. Plants produce chitinolytic enzymes as part of their defense against chitin-containing pathogens. Interestingly, the malariacausing Plasmodium falciparum depends on chitinases during its life cycle (3, 4).
