ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF A CHITINASE FROM THE 9-BANDED ARMADILLO, DASYPUS-NOVEMCINCTUS

The insectivorous diet of the nine-banded armadillo, Dasypus novemcinc tus, is abundant in the polysaccharide chitin. To determine if armadil los produce a chitinase that aids in digestion of chitinous exoskeleto ns, armadillos were collected, and samples of their gastric and pancre atic tissues were removed. Tissues were lyophilized and stored at -20 degrees C until resuspended in appropriate buffers for studies of pH a nd temperature optima. Extract from resuspended tissues was assayed fo r chitinase activity using a colorimetric procedure that detected N-ac etyl-D-glucosamine (NAG), the monomeric unit in chitin. Chitinase acti vity was present only in gastric tissues. Optimal pH for chitinase act ivity from gastric tissues of armadillo was 5.0, and optimal temperatu re was 50-60 degrees C. This chitinase was purified five-fold.