Characterization and applications of chitinases from Trichoderma harzianum - A review

Chitinases help degradation of cell walls containing chitin and thus accelerates protoplast formation. It indirectly helps strain improvement and development of new strains which are economically viable for industrial use. Chitinases consist of endochitinase, exochitinase, β-N-acetylglucosaminidases and chitobiases. The endochitinases can be further characterized for better understanding of mechanism of the enzyme reaction. This review covers the recent advances in isolation and characterization of endochitinases and its components, gene encoding sequences and cloning.