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Chitin, a homopolymer of N-acetylglucosamine, is obtained from a variety of sources. They form the structural component of fungal cell wall and plants. They are commercially obtained from shrimp and crab shell waste from the ®shing industry. Recent advances in understanding the structure and properties of chitin and its derivatives has opened a lot of new avenues for its applications. Improvements in the properties of chitin for a particular application can be easily brought about by chemical modi®cations. The applicability of chitin in many areas and its easy manipulation has resulted in a considerable amount of research being done on the possible applications of chitinase.

A range of chitinase genes from microorganisms have been cloned and the potential uses of these genetically manipulated organisms are being investigated by various researchers. Fungi and yeast are better producers of chitinase than bacteria. Since fungi grow at a slower rate, there have been efforts to clone the fungal chitinase genes into fast-growing bacteria. This review gives a brief survey of recent progress in the regulation and cloning of microbial chitinase genes. Emphasis is placed on the post-translational modification and localization of the recombinant protein in the host. Various amino acid domains are present in this protein. The mode of catalytic activity of the recombinant protein in comparison to the wild-type protein is discussed in the available literature. The different mechanisms involved in the regulation of chitinase genes from various microorganisms is discussed by the researchers. The scope of future research and conclusions yet to be obtained in this particular area are also outlined in this review.

Production of microbial chitinases have received increased attention in recent years due to its potential application in various ®elds. There has been an all around effort to increase the production of chitinases by using genetically engineered organisms and by incorporating modern fermentation techniques. This review presents a brief outline on the production of microbial chitinases which includes information on random screening and selection of chitinolytic organisms and the rationale behind the use of genetically engineered organisms. The problems and perspectives involved in large scale production of chitinases is discussed with special reference to bioreactor studies and new fermentation methods. The present limitations in the understanding of the chitinase fermentation process is also discussed and the scope for future investigation is outlined in this communication.

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