Function
Chitinases (Chi) cleave the beta-1-4-glycosidic bond between the N-acetyl-D-glucosamine units of which chitin is comprised. Chitinases are present in plants, bacteria and fungi. The first chitinase structures were solved in 1994, from a bacterium (1ctn) and a plant (2hvm). A mechanism for chitin cleavage was proposed based on several structures and was later confirmed. [1].
- Chitinase I is found in plants.
- Chitinase II is found in plants, fungi and bacteria.
- Chitinase III has no sequence similarity to class I or II.
- Chitinase IV has similar characteristics to class I but are smaller than it.
Disease
Chi is related to allergies and asthma[2].
Structural highlights
The of Chitinase A. [3] Water molecules are shown as red spheres.
3D Structures of Chitinase
Chitinase 3D structures
