Research progress in fungal chitinases

Abstract:

Chitin is a polysaccharide that is polymerized by N-acetylglucosamine through β-1,4 glycosidic linkages and ubiquitous in the global terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Chitin is one of the most abundant organic macromolecular polymers on earth. Chitinases are a class of enzymes that catalyze the degradation of chitin. Chitinases are not only the focus of basic research but also have shown broad application potential in a variety of fields such as agriculture, medicine, and environmental science. This paper systematically reviewed the research progress in fungal chitinases in terms of the classification, distribution characteristics in different fungal taxa, biological functions in yeasts and filamentous fungi, enzymatic characteristics, and applications in agricultural pest and disease control, disease treatment, and production of chitooligosaccharides. Furthermore, we discussed the future research directions of fungal chitinases. This paper provides new perspectives for the study of fungal chitinases.