Heterologous chitinases: advances and perspectives

Abstract

In the agriculture, food, and pharmaceutical industries, technological tools are being developed to combat pests and diseases in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner, as well as to generate healthy products and foods for human health. Therefore, recombinant DNA technology has aided in the development of genetically modified microbial strains with desirable characteristics in enzyme production. Recombinant chitinases are an example of biotechnology applied to agriculture; these are glycosyl hydrolase enzymes with sizes ranging from 20 to 90 kDa, which are present in a wide range of organisms such as bacteria, fungi, yeasts, plants, actinomycetes, arthropods, and humans. Their importance lies in their broad uses in different industries, such as agriculture in pest control, the environmental industry in waste management, and the pharmaceutical industry for the use of their derivatives. Because of this, recombinant chitinases from different sources exhibit biotechnological potential. This review discusses the heterologous systems in which these enzymes have been expressed, as well as some applications in different industries. The use of these enzymes represents the future of sustainable food production and health.