• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.38-42
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• 2002

A chitinase gene (pCHi58) encoding a 58 kDa chitinase was isolated from the Serratia marcescens KCTC 2172 cosmid library. The chitinase gene consisted of a 1686 bp open reading frame that encoded 562 amino acids. Escherichia coil harboring the pChi58 gene secreted a 58 kDa chitinase into the culture supernatant. The 58 kDa chitinase was purified using a chitin affinity column and mono-S column. A nucleotide and N-terminal amino acid sequence analysis showed that the 58 kDa chitinase had a leader peptide consisting of 23 amino acids which was cleaved prior to the 24th alanine. The 58 KDa chitinase exhibited a $98\%$ similarity to that of S. marcescens OMB 1466 in its nuclotide sequence. The chitinolytic patterns of the 58 kDa chitinase released N,N'-diacetyl chitobiose (NAG2) as the major hydrolysis end-product with a trace amount of N-acetylglucosamine. When a 4-methylumbellyferyl-N-acetylglucosamin monomer, dimmer, and tetramer were used as substrates, the 58 kDa chitinase did not digest the 4-Mu-NAG monomer $(analogue\;of\;NAG_2)$, thereby indicating that the 58 kDa chitinase was likely an endochitinase. The optimum reaction temperature and pH of the enzyme were $50^{\circ}C$ and 5.0, respectively.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.344-351
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• 2009

A biocontrol bacterium Bacillus licheniformis N1 grown in nutrient broth showed no chitinolytic activity, while its genome contains a gene which encodes a chitinase. The gene for chitinase from B. licheniformis N1 was amplified by PCR and the deduced amino acid sequence analysis revealed that the chitinase exhibited over 95% identity with chitinases from other B. licheniformis strains. Escherichia coli cells carrying the recombinant plasmid displayed chitinase activity as revealed by the formation of a clear zone on chitin containing media, indicating that the gene could be expressed in E. coli cells. Chitinase gene expression in B. licheniformis N1 was not detected by RT-PCR analysis. The protein was over-expressed in E. coli BL21 (DE3) as a glutathione S-transferase fusion protein. The protein could also be produced in B. subtilis 168 strain carrying the chitinase gene of N1 strain. The crude protein extract from E. coli BL21 carrying GST fusion protein or culture supernatant of B. subtilis carrying the chitinase gene exhibited enzyme activity by hydrolyzing chitin analogs, 4-methylumbelliferyl-$\beta$-D-N,N'-diacetylchitobioside and 4-methylumbelliferyl-$\beta$-D-N,N',N"-triacetylchitotrioside. These results indicated that even though the chitinase gene is not expressed in the N1 strain, the coding region is functional and encodes an active chitinase enzyme. Furthermore, B. subtilis 168 transformants expressing the chitinase gene exhibited antifungal activity against Fulvia fulva by suppressing spore germination. Our results suggest that the proper engineering of the expression of the indigenous chitinase gene, which will lead to its expression in the biocontrol strain B. licheniformis N1, may further enhance its biocontrol activity.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.259-264
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• 2009

The AvChit gene encodes for a chitinase from the spider, Araneus ventricosus. This spider, A. ventricosus, is an abundant species in Korea. Arabidopsis thaliana plants were transformed with the AvChit gene using Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Thirteen transgenic lines expressing the AvChit gene were obtained. Functional expression of the AvChit gene in transgenic Arabidopsis was confirmed by Southern, northern and western blot analysis. The AvChit cDNA was expressed as a 61 kDa polypeptide in baculovirus-infected insect Sf9 cells. AvChit protein extracted from transgenic Arabidopsis exhibited high levels of chitinase activity. Phytopathological tests showed that two transgenic Arabidopsis lines expressing the AvChit gene displayed high levels of resistance to gray mold disease (Botrytis cinerea).

• Proceedings of the Microbiological Society of Korea Conference
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• 2006.05a
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• pp.97-99
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• 2006

A chitinase-producing bacterium strain KCTC10714 was isolated from sea sand around the King Sejong Station, King George Island in Antarctica. It was identified as Sanguibacter sp., based on the biochemical properties and 16S rRNA gene sequence. KCTC10714 chitinase showed enzyme activity in broad range of temperature from 0 to $70^{\circ}C$. At $0^{\circ}C$, it showed 70.9% of relative activity in comparison with 100%. The chitinase gene of KCTC10714 was cloned using inverse PCR cloning method. KCTC10714 chitinase gene was designated as chi21702. The ORF of chi21702 consisted of 1,449 bp (482 amino acid), and contained ChtBD3 (a chitin/cellulose binding domain) and an active site for chitinase family 18.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.85-90
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• 1999

In order to protect fungal diseases, leaf disc explants of Solanum tuberosum cultivar, Belchip, was infected with an Agrobacterium MP90 strain containing chimeric gene construct, consisting of antibiotic resistance and chitinase gene driven by the CaMV 35S promoter, for transformation. Regenerated multiple shoots were selected on a medium containing kanamycin and carbenicillin after exposure to Agrobacterium. The presence and integration of the npt II and chitinase gene were confirmed by polymerase chain reaction(PCR). Northern blot analysis indicated that the genes coding for the enzyme could be expressed in potato plants. The chitinase activity of transgenic potato plants was higher than the control potato.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.252-258
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• 2015

This is the first study reporting the evaluation of transgenic lines of tomato harboring rice chitinase (RCG3) gene for resistance to two important fungal pathogens Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici (Fol) causing fusarium wilt and Alternaria solani causing early blight (EB). In this study, three transgenic lines TL1, TL2 and TL3 of tomato Solanum lycopersicum Mill. cv. Riogrande genetically engineered with rice chitinase (RCG 3) gene and their R1 progeny was tested for resistance to Fol by root dip method and A. solani by detached leaf assay. All the R0 transgenic lines were highly resistant to these fungal pathogens compared to nontransgenic control plants. The pattern of segregation of three independent transformant for Fol and A. solani was also studied. Mendelian segregation was observed in transgenic lines 2 and 3 while it was not observed in transgenic line 1. It was concluded that introduction of chitinase gene in susceptible cultivar of tomato not only enhanced the resistance but was stably inherited in transgenic lines 2 and 3.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.87-91
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• 1995

The chitinase gene was cloned from Acinetobacter sp. WC-17 for investigating the genetic control and enzymatic properties of bacterial chitinase. A genomic library of Acinetobacter sp. WC-17 was prepared in E.coli JM109 by using pUC18 as a vector. The chitinase-positive clone containing 3.2kb insert fragment was obtained from 5, 000 insert-bearing transformants. The optimum pH and temperature of cloned enzyme were 6.0 and $55^{\circ}C$, respectively. Almost all the chitinase activity of E.coli recombinant was localized in the periplasmic fraction, while most of the enzyme activity of Acinetobacter sp. WC-17 was found in the extracellular fraction.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.37-42
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• 2003

For study about introduce of gene connected with disease and transformation system of gingseng, chitinase gene cloned from soybene and disease resistant gene were carried out for expression and transformation of plant using Agrobacterium. The disease resistance gene(DR-49), 35S-35S-AMV, has been constructed. The disease resistance gene and chitinase gene were introduced into the binary vector pRD 400, which were mobilized into Agrobacterium tumefaciens faciens strain MP 90 and LBA 4404 harboring disarmed Ti-plasmid. As a result of induce transformants using ginseng embryo and petiole, multi shoots were formed on MS medium supplemented 1 mg/ι 2,4-D and 0.5 mg/ι kinetin. Also transformation by cotyledonwas effective on MS medium supplemented 1 mg/ι 2,4-D and 0.5 mg/ι kinetin, transformation percent of disease resistant gene and chitinase gene were showed 18%, 14% respectively. As transformed tissue is under pre-embryoid condition, normal shoot is required through the process of matured embryo.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.31-37
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• 2010

Chitinases (EC 3.2.1.14) hydrolyze the ${\beta}$-1,4-linkages in chitin, the second most abundant polymer of N-acetyl-${\beta}$-D-glucosamine which is a structural component of protective biological matrices such as fungal cell walls and insect exoskeletons. The glycosyl hydrolases 18 family including chitinases is an ancient gene family widely expressed in archea, prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Since earthworms live in the soil with a lot of microbial activities and fungi are supposed to be a major component of the diet of earthworm, it has been reported that there would be appropriate immune system to protect themselves from microorganisms attacks. In this study, the novel chitinase, EaChi, from the midgut of earthworm, Eisenia andrei, were identified and characterized. To obtain full-length cDNA sequence of chitinase, RT-PCR and RACE-PCR analyses were carried out by using the previously identified EST sequence amongst cDNA library established from the midgut of E. andrei. EaChi, a partial chitinase gene, was composed of 927 nucleotides encoding 309 amino acids. By the multiple sequence alignments of amino acids with other different species, it was revealed that EaCHI is a member of glycosyl hydrolases 18 family, which has two highly conserved domains, substrate binding and catalytic domain.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.341-347
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• 1999

Insects use chitinolytic enzyme to digest chitin in the exoskelton during the molting process. We have isolated and sequenced a chitinase-encoding cDNA from the silkworm, Bombyx mandarina, compared its sequenced with genes encoding chitinolytic enzymes from other sources. The insert DNA in the clone is 2,675 nucleotides long with an open reading frame of 1,695 uncletides that encodes a protein of 565 amino acids with a molecuar weight of 63.4 kDa. The 3' -untranslated region of 889 nucleotides is AT-rich and contains two putative polyadenylation signals. The N-terminal sequence of the encoded protein contains numerous hydrophobic residues characteristic of a leader peptide. The amino acid alignment revealed that the endo-$\beta$-N-acetylglucosaminidase had 83% and 97% homology with M. sexta and B. mori, respectively. The deduced amino acid had two highly conserved region at the amino acid residues 97-111 and 139-148 that were related to the existing chitinase.