The effect of pH on the production of chitinolytic enzymes of Verticillium fungicola in submerged cultures.

Chitinase and N-acetylhexosaminidase activities in submerged cultures of Verticillium fungicola increased up to 5-fold and 2.5-fold, respectively when the pH of the culture medium was raised from 5 to 8. SDS-PAGE and zymograms of the freeze-dried crude enzyme obtained from the cultures indicated four chitin degrading proteins of M(w) 24, 40, 55 and 63 kDa, whereas isoelectric focusing displayed the separation of three chitin degrading enzymes with isoelectric points of 4.