chitin

(noun)

A complex polysaccharide, a polymer of N-acetylglucosamine, found in the exoskeletons of arthropods and in the cell walls of fungi; thought to be responsible for some forms of asthma in humans.

Related Terms

Examples of chitin in the following topics:

  • Virus Attachment and Genome Entry

    • Plants have a rigid cell wall made of cellulose, and fungi one of chitin, so most viruses can get inside these cells only after trauma to the cell wall.

  • Overview of Gram-Positive Bacteria and Actinobacteria

    • Actinobacteria include some of the most common soil life, freshwater life, and marine life, playing an important role in the decomposition of organic materials, such as cellulose and chitin; thereby playing a vital part in organic matter turnover and carbon cycle.

  • Cell Walls of Archaea

    • Likewise, archaea do not produce walls of cellulose (as do plants) or chitin (as do fungi).

  • Actinobacteria (High G + C Gram-Positive Bacteria)

    • Actinobacteria include some of the most common soil life, freshwater life, and marine life, playing an important role in decomposition of organic materials, such as cellulose and chitin, and thereby playing a vital part in organic matter turnover and carbon cycle.

  • Phylogeny of the Eukarya

    • The last common ancestor of all eukaryotes is believed to have been a phagotrophic protist with a nucleus, at least one centriole and cilium, facultatively aerobic mitochondria, sex (meiosis), a dormant cyst with a cell wall of chitin, cellulose, and peroxisomes.

  • Purifying Proteins by Affinity Tag

    • These include chitin binding protein (CBP), maltose binding protein (MBP), and glutathione-S-transferase (GST).

  • Types of Microorganisms

    • Most fungi are multicellular and their cell wall is composed of chitin.

  • General Features of Virus Replication

    • Plants have a rigid cell wall made of cellulose, and fungi one of chitin, so most viruses can get inside these cells only after trauma to the cell wall.