Cloning, Expression and 3D Structure Prediction of Chitinase from Chitinolyticbacter meiyuanensis SYBC-H1

Two CHI genes from Chitinolyticbacter meiyuanensis SYBC-H1 encoding chitinases were identified and their protein 3D structures were predicted. According to the amino acid sequence alignment, CHI1 gene encoding 166 aa had a structural domain similar to the GH18 type II chitinase, and CHI2 gene encoding 383 aa had the same catalytic domain as the glycoside hydrolase family 19 chitinase. In this study, CHI2 chitinase were expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 cells, and this protein was purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation, DEAE-cellulose, and Sephadex G-100 chromatography. Optimal activity of CHI2 chitinase occurred at a temperature of 40 °C and a pH of 6.5. The presence of metal ions Fe(3+), Fe(2+), and Zn(2+) inhibited CHI2 chitinase activity, while Na(+) and K(+) promoted its activity. Furthermore, the presence of EGTA, EDTA, and β-mercaptoethanol significantly increased the stability of CHI2 chitinase. The CHI2 chitinase was active with p-NP-GlcNAc, with the K(m) and V(m) values of 23.0 µmol/L and 9.1 mM/min at a temperature of 37 °C, respectively. Additionally, the CHI2 chitinase was characterized as an N-acetyl glucosaminidase based on the hydrolysate from chitin. Overall, our results demonstrated CHI2 chitinase with remarkable biochemical properties is suitable for bioconversion of chitin waste.