A Broad-Specificity Chitinase from Penicillium oxalicum k10 Exhibits Antifungal Activity and Biodegradation Properties of Chitin

• Published in: Marine drugs Vol. 19; no. 7; p. 356
• Main Authors: Xie, Xing-Huan, Fu, Xin, Yan, Xing-Yu, Peng, Wen-Fang, Kang, Li-Xin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 23.06.2021; MDPI
• Subjects: Ammonium; Ammonium compounds; Ammonium sulfate; Antifungal activity; Bioactive compounds; Biodegradation; Carbon; Chitin; Chitinase; chitinous biodegradation; Colloid chitin; Column chromatography; Copper converters; Dietary supplements; Environmental impact; Enzymatic activity; Enzyme activity; Enzymes; Fungi; fungicide; Fungicides; Investigations; Mycelia; N-Acetylglucosamine; P. oxalicum; Penicillium oxalicum; Phytopathogenic fungi; Potassium; production; Proteins; Reagents; Silver; Specificity; Zinc
• ISSN: 1660-3397; 1660-3397
• DOI: 10.3390/md19070356

Penicillium oxalicum k10 isolated from soil revealed the hydrolyzing ability of shrimp chitin and antifungal activity against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. The k10 chitinase was produced from a powder chitin-containing medium and purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation and column chromatography. The purified chitinase showed maximal activity toward colloidal chitin at pH 5 and 40 °C. The enzymatic activity was enhanced by potassium and zinc, and it was inhibited by silver, iron, and copper. The chitinase could convert colloidal chitin to N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc), (GlcNAc)2, and (GlcNAc)3, showing that this enzyme had endocleavage and exocleavage activities. In addition, the chitinase prevented the mycelial growth of the phytopathogenic fungi S. sclerotiorum and Mucor circinelloides. These results indicate that k10 is a potential candidate for producing chitinase that could be useful for generating chitooligosaccharides from chitinous waste and functions as a fungicide.