ABSTRACT
Chitin, the unbranched homopolymer of 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-Dglucopyranoside (N-acetylglucosamine, GlcNAc) in a -1,4 linkage (Flach et al., 1992), occurs as a structural component in the cuticles and shells of arthropods, in the cell walls of fungi and some algae, in nematodes, in mollusks, and in many other types of organisms (Cabib, 1987; Gooday, 1990; Kramer and Koga, 1986). This polysaccharide ranks among the most abundant biopolymers. Because of the importance of chitin and chitinolytic enzymes in insect growth and development, the latter are receiving attention in regard to their development as biopesticides or chemical defense proteins in transgenic plants and microbial biological control agents.
