Chitin-Degrading Enzymes, Breaking Barriers in Life and Material Sciences
A special issue of Biology (ISSN 2079-7737). This special issue belongs to the section "Biochemistry and Molecular Biology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2023) | Viewed by 9080
Special Issue Editors
Interests: cuticle biology; chitinases; epithelial barrier formation; animal genetics
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Chitinases belong to the large family of glycoside hydrolases that includes non-chitinolytic proteins and chitinolytic enzymes. The family members have been identified in prokaryotes, among the animal kingdom from yeasts to humans and also in plants and, importantly, cover a wide range of functions.
Chitin-producing organisms require enzymatic chitinases to degrade chitin as part of their cell/body wall and during chitin matrix formation. In contrast, organisms that do not produce chitin use chitinases as part of their immune response to fight invading pathogens and microbes, but also arthropods use specific chitinases for their cellular immune response. In addition, chitinases promote cell proliferation and division, are associated with human diseases, such as obstructive lung diseases, and have been linked to cancer growth.
Since chitin is the second most abundant biopolymer in nature and provides the barrier-forming body wall of many pathogens, chitinases are extremely promising candidate genes as a target for pest control in crop science and food production. Furthermore, chitin-based materials possess antimicrobial, antioxidant, anticarcinogenic and anti-inflammatory properties, therefore contributing to an increasing number of applications in materials science, including biomedical and pharmaceutical applications. Therefore, the enzymatic activity of chitinases will support the production of future eco-friendly biomaterials.
We encourage you to contribute your latest research and knowledge of chitinases and other chitin-degrading enzymes. We will establish a comprehensive scientific overview of chitin-degrading enzymes, their biological functions, and translational usage in pest science, materials science, and associated biomedicine.
Dr. Matthias Behr
Prof. Dr. Bernard Moussian
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- biomaterial
- chitin
- chitinase
- chitotriosidase
- chitin degradation
- glycoside hydrolase
- extracellular matrix
- imaginal disc growth factor
- immune response
- molting
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