Genome-Wide Mining of Chitinase Diversity in the Marine Diatom <i>Thalassiosira weissflogii</i> and Functional Characterization of a Novel GH19 Enzyme
Chitin represents a globally abundant marine polymer with significant ecological and biotechnological value. β-chitin is an important carbon fixation product of diatoms and has a greater range of applications than α- and γ-chitin. However, there has been a paucity of research on the characterization...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Marine Drugs |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/23/4/144 |
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| Summary: | Chitin represents a globally abundant marine polymer with significant ecological and biotechnological value. β-chitin is an important carbon fixation product of diatoms and has a greater range of applications than α- and γ-chitin. However, there has been a paucity of research on the characterization of chitin-related enzymes from β-chitin producers. In this study, we performed a genome-wide identification of 38 putative chitinase genes in <i>Thalassiosira weissflogii</i>, a key producer of β-chitin. Through comprehensive analyses of phylogenetic relationships, conserved motifs, structural domains, and subcellular localization predictions, we revealed that <i>T. weissflogii</i> possesses evolutionarily distinct GH18 and GH19 chitinase families exhibiting unique motif and domain configurations. Subcellular localization predictions showed that most TwChis were presumed to be located in the chloroplast, with a few being present in the nucleus and extracellular. The enzymatic activity of TwChi2, a GH19 chitinase, showed that TwChi2 was a member of exochitinase (EC 3.2.1.201) with strong thermal stability (40 °C) and broad substrate adaptability of hydrolyzing bipolymer, 1% and 5% colloidal chitin, α-chitin and β-chitin. Altogether, we analyzed the chitinase gene family and characterized a highly active exochitinase from <i>T. weissflogii</i>, which can catalyze the degradation of both chitin polymers and chitin oligosaccharides. The relevant results lay a foundation for the internal regulation mechanism of chitin metabolism in diatoms and provide a candidate enzyme for the green industrial preparation of high-value chitin oligosaccharides. |
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| ISSN: | 1660-3397 |