NEW ASPECTS OF THE ENZYMATIC BREAKDOWN OF CHITIN: A REVIEW

Abstract

This review focuses on the enzymatic breakdown of chitin, taking into account the latest scientific reports on the activity of lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase (LPMO). Chitin is a natural, abundant polysaccharide of great practical importance in the environment. However, the insolubility in water and the tightly packed crystalline structure of chitin pose a serious obstacle to enzymatic degradation. This substrate can be converted into soluble sugars by the action of glycosidic hydrolases (GH), also known as chitinases. LPMO could prove to be helpful in enzymatic processes that increase the rate of chitin depolymerisation by improving the availability of substrates for chitinases. The unique action of LPMO is based on the ability to catalyse the oxidative cleavage of glycosidic chains present in complex, resistant crystal networks of chitin, and this cleavage facilitates the subsequent action of glycolytic hydrolases.