Chitinolytic enzymes of microbial origin and ways of their application in biotechnology

In nature modification and degradation of chitin happens because of the action of chitinolytic enzymes. Chitinolytic enzymes, or chitinases, represent a group of glycosylhydrolases, which eventually disintegrate chinin to N-acetylglucosamine. Chitinases are widespread among most of living organisms, starting from bacteria and ending with humans, where they perform different biological functions. Great attention is paid to chitinases because of their wide application in biocontrol, biomedicine, waste management and pharmaceutics, and due to application in these spheres the demand for chitinases is constantly growing at the moment. In this article the occurrence and structure of chitin, types and sources of chitinases and also their mechanism of action are discussed, and potential spheres of chitinase application are considered as well. Particular attention is paid to chitinase application in the field of agriculture pest control, because chitinases are convenient insecticides and have nematicidal activity.