• KSBB Journal
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.237-242
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• 1993

Chitin-based fibers have low mechanical strength and hence cannot be used as surgery fiber due to fast degradation In tissues. A new fiber Chitulose was made by mixing chitin with cellulose, both of which have similar structure. A mixture of dimethylacetamide (DMAc) and 6% lithium chloride (LiCl) was found to be an effective solvent system for dissolvoing chitin and cellulose. The Chitulose fiber made by wet spinning of a mixture of chitin and cellulose resulted in the highest degree of strength and flexibility when the ratio of chitin to cellulose was 1.5; 0.2. The fiber maintained mechanical structure even after autoclaving, indicating thermal stability. A biodegradability test of the Chitulose fiber by imbeding in a rat showed that degradation was initiated in 14 days and completely done in 40 days.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.149-159
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• 1997

Chitin, a linked polysaccharide composed of 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-$\beta$-D-glucopytanose residues, is distributed widely in nature. It has been utilized on various application field due to the development of chitin derivatives such as chitosan, partial deacetylated chitin, carboxylmethyl chitin, sulfated chitin, and so on. Chitin and chitosan have been recently interested in antitumor and antimicrobial activities, because of a powerful tumor inhibitory effect against experimental mouse tumors. Especially, the oligosaccharides obtained by partial degradation of them exhibited a remarkable antitumor effect against sarcoma 180, MM 48 and Meth Asolid tumors and antimetastatic effect against Lewis lung carcinoma in mice. This review describes on antitumor effects of chitin, chitosan and their oligosaccharides by their mechanism of action involving enhancement of immunological system.

• Journal of Industrial Technology
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• v.30 no.B
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• pp.61-68
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• 2010

Three chitinase genes (chiA, chiB, and chiC) were cloned into E. coli by PCR amplification from Serratia marcescens KFRI314. The sizes of cloned chitinase genes were 1692 bp, 1500 bp, and 1443 bp which correspond to 563, 499, and 480 amino acids, respectively. Recombinant chitinases were overexpressed using pHCEIA expression vector and purified to homogenity. The molecular weights of chitinases were about 60kDa, 50 kDa, 52 kDa, respectively. Optimum pHs were around pH 5~6 and optimum temperatures were $45{\sim}50^{\circ}C$ while 90% of enzyme activities were stable up to $50^{\circ}C$. The specific activities of ChiA, ChiB, and ChiC were 233.1, 278.8, $111.3{\mu}mol\;(min)^{-1}\;mg^{-1}$ against colloidal chitin. From experiments using TLC and fluorescent substrate analogues, it was demonstrated that ChiA was endo-chitinase while ChiB and ChiC were chitobiosidase.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.197-201
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• 2005

A novel chitinase-producing bacterial strain of Pantoea dispersa was isolated from the sea near Bhavnagar, India for efficient disposal of chitinous waste from the seafood processing industry. The medium components were optimized by using a cubic model in the central composite design for increasing chitinase production. The optimal concentrations for higher production of chitinase were (g l-1) chitin, 10.0; urea, 0.35; MgSO4 7H2O, 0.08, and CaCl2, 0.15. Here, peptone (0.05 g l-1) was used as a constant variant in all trials. Using a statistical optimization method, the chitinase production was found to increase from 108 to 486.4 units ml-1. Chitin was prepared from the crustacean waste, and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy was used to characterize the isolated chitin. Chitinous waste degradation was studied in terms of chitinase production.

• Journal of Industrial Technology
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• v.30 no.B
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• pp.69-74
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• 2010

Chitinolytic activity was enhanced by coexpression of endo-chitinase gene (chiA) and chitobiosidase gene (chiB) from Serratia marcescens KFRI314 using constitutive expression vector, pHCEIA, in E. coli. Coexpression vector was constructed by inserting ribosome binding site (RBS) into junction between two chitinase genes. SDS-PAGE analyses showed that two chitinase were constitutively expressed while E. coli clones expressing two chitinases simultaneously increased halo size on colloidal chitin plate. Furthermore, the chitinolytic activities were much enhanced in coexpressed clones when degradation patterns of substrate analogues such as 4-MU-(NAG), $4-MU-(NAG)_2$,$4-MU-(NAG)_3$ were used. Consequently, the combined use of endochitinase and chitobiosidase greatly increased overall chitinolytic activities on recombinant E. coli clones.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.246-249
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• 2000

We investigated the production of chitin oligosaccharides using food grade papain. A solution of commercial food grade papain (FGP) was dialyzed for 12 h before measuring its chitinolytic activity. The effects of enzyme concentration, reaction temperature, and pH on the endochitinase and $\beta$-N-acetylglucosaminidase activities and the thermostability of these enzymes were investigated. In adddition, the reaction products were analyzed with gel filtration on a Bio-Gel P2. The endochitinase activity was twentyfold higher than that of $\beta$-N-acetylglucosaminidase. The optimal endochitinase activity was at pH 3.0, while the maximal $\beta$-N-acetylglucosaminidase activity was at pH 6.0. The reaction product consisted mainly of the dimer of N -acetylglucosamine, with a small amount of its trimer. Under the experimental conditions, $120{\mu}g$ of chitin oligomers were obtained with 1 mg of FGP protein after an incubation of 2 h.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Plant Pathology Conference
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• 1999.10a
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• pp.17.2-17
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• 1999

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Plant Pathology Conference
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• 1999.10a
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• pp.66.1-66
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• 1999

• KSBB Journal
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.92-98
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• 1996

A chitinase-producing bacterium was isolated from seashore mud around Beobseongpo in Chunnam province by selective enrichment culture, and among it, one isolate which was the best in producing of chitinase was selected. Nutrient or MacConkey medium was confirmed with secreting of prodigiosin pigment by Serratia sp. JM, and it was performed by the production of clear zone on medium containing chitin. Serratia sp. JM was almost same compared with Serratia marcescens ATCC 27117 in respect of its morphological, physiological and biochemical characteristics except succinic, urea and pyruvic acid. Serratia sp. JM was resistant to tetracycline but was not resistant to kanamycin and chloramphenicol. The optimal temperature and pH for the production of chitinase from Serratia sp. JM were $30^{\circ}C$ and 7.5, respectively. Production of chitinase and pH in the medium increased until the cultivation of 120 hours, but after 120 hours, they were decreased due to the acetic acid accumulated from degradation of chitin by Serratia sp. JM.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.24 no.11
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• pp.1495-1502
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• 2014

Metarhizium anisopliae is a widely studied model to understand the virulence factors that participate in pathogenicity. Proteases such as subtilisin-like enzymes (Pr1) and trypsin-like enzymes (Pr2) are considered important factors for insect cuticle degradation. In four M. anisopliae strains (798, 6342, 6345, and 6347), the presence of pr1 and pr2 genes, as well as the enzymatic activity of these genes, was correlated with their virulence against two different insect pests. The 11 pr1 genes (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, and K) and pr2 gene were found in all strains. The activity of individual Pr1 and Pr2 proteases exhibited variation in time (24, 48, 72, and 96 h) and in the presence or absence of chitin as the inductor. The highest Pr1 enzymatic activity was shown by strain 798 at 48 h with chitin. The highest Pr2 enzymatic activity was exhibited by the 6342 and 6347 strains, both grown with chitin at 24 and 48 h, respectively. Highest mortality on S. exigua was caused by strain 6342 at 48 h, and strains 6342, 6345, and 6347 caused the highest mortality 7 days later. Mortality on Prosapia reached 30% without variation. The presence of subtilisin and trypsin genes and the activity of these proteases in M. anisopliae strains cannot be associated with the virulence against the two insect pests. Probably, subtilisin and trypsin enzyme production is not a vital factor for pathogenicity, but its contribution is important to the pathogenicity process.