Chitinase



Chitinase (barley seed chitinase:, ) is a digestive enzyme that breaks down glycosidic bonds in chitin. It is found in chitinivorous bacteria (bacteria that are able to digest chitin), a few kinds of fungi, such as Coccidioides immitis, and, according to the Protein Data Bank, in quite a few plants as well. Some plant chitinases are members of the pathogenesis related (PR) proteins which are induced after systemic acquired resistance induction (biotic and abiotic). Expression is mediated by the NPR1 gene and the salicylic acid pathway