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Background:The biological role(s) of chitinases other than hydrolysis/metabolism of chitin is currently not well understood. Results: A Salmonella chitinase binds N-acetyllactosamine (LacNAc), a common component of mammalian glycoconjugates. Furthermore, five bacterial and eukaryotic chitinases hydrolyze terminal LacNAc and LacdiNAc from model substrates. Conclusion: LacdiNAc and LacNAc-glycans are substrates for chitinases. Significance: Vertebrate and invertebrate molecules carrying LacNAc and LacdiNAc motifs are potential chitinase targets.

Salmonella contain genes annotated as chitinases; however, their chitinolytic activities have never been verified. We now demonstrate such an activity for a chitinase assigned to glycoside hydrolase family 18 encoded by the SL0018 (chiA) gene in Salmonella enterica Typhimurium SL1344. A C-terminal truncated form of chiA lacking a putative chitin-binding domain was amplified by PCR, cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) with an N-terminal (His)(6) tag. The purified enzyme hydrolyzes 4-nitrophenyl N,N'-diacetyl-β-D-chitobioside, 4-nitrophenyl β-D-N,N',N″-triacetylchitotriose and carboxymethyl chitin Remazol Brilliant Violet but does not act on 4-nitrophenyl N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminide, peptidoglycan or 4-nitrophenyl β-D-cellobioside. Enzyme activity was also characterized by directly monitoring product formation using (1)H-nuclear magnetic resonance which showed that chitin is a substrate with the release of N,N'-diacetylchitobiose. Hydrolysis occurs with the retention of configuration and the enzyme acts on only the β-anomers of chitooligosaccharide substrates. The enzyme also released N-acetyllactosamine disaccharide from Galβ1 → 4GlcNAcβ-O-(CH(2))(8)CONH(CH(2))(2)NHCO-tetramethylrhodamine, a model substrate for LacNAc terminating glycoproteins and glycolipids.