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Updated: Jan 2, 2026

Measurement of Chitinase Activity in Biological Samples
Published on: August 22, 2019
Glucanases and Chitinases
César Roncero1, Carlos R Vázquez de Aldana2
1Instituto de Biología Funcional Y Genómica (IBFG), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas/Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain.
Abstract:
In many yeast and fungi, β-(1,3)-glucan and chitin are essential components of the cell wall, an important structure that surrounds cells and which is responsible for their mechanical protection and necessary for maintaining the cellular shape. In addition, the cell wall is a dynamic structure that needs to be remodelled along with the different phases of the fungal life cycle or in response to extracellular stimuli. Since β-(1,3)-glucan and chitin perform a central structural role in the assembly of the cell wall, it has been postulated that β-(1,3)-glucanases and chitinases should perform an important function in cell wall softening and remodelling. This review focusses on fungal glucanases and chitinases and their role during fungal morphogenesis.
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