Bovine serum chitinase.

1. A glycol-chitin-splitting enzyme without lysozyme (muramidase) activity has been found in calf serum. The enzyme also degrades colloidal chitin and is thus a true chitinase, 1,4-beta-poly-N-acetylglucosaminidase, without exo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase effect. 2. The enzyme is purified 1000-fold by ion-exchange chromatography and gel filtration. Its optimal activity is between pH 1.5-2.0 with glycol chitin and between pH 3-6 in a rather broad optimum with colloidal chitin as substrate. The optimal stability of the enzyme is in the pH interval 3.0-6.5 when tested by incubation with glycol chitin at 50 degrees C for 60 min. The optimal temperature for the degradation of glycol chitin is 40 degrees C when assayed at pH 1.5 and 51 degrees C when assayed at pH 3.5. 3. The enzyme is activated by moderate heating at pH 6.5. The highest relative activity, 135% is reached after 45 min incubation at 30 degrees C, pH 5 or after 30 min at 40, pH 2.4. By incubation with small amounts of trypsin at pH 6.5 at 3m degrees C the enzyme was temporarily activated. 4. The isoelectric point, pH 5.3, and the molecular weight, 47,000 +/- 3,000 were determined by respectively isoelectric focusing and gel filtration. 5. The Michaelis-Menten constant, Km = 0.76 +/- 0.05 (S.E.) mg/ml, was measured with glycol chitin as substrate.