A rapid test to detect exo-chitinase activity for soil microorganisms using 4-methylumbelliferyl-N-acetyl-B-D-glucosaminide

Fungi and bacteria represent important functional components of terrestrial ecosystems, they are essential for a variety of bio-geochemical processes such as C, N, S and Fe cycles (Murphy et al. 2007), and some of them represent powerful tools for biological crop protection. There are microorganisms that have the ability of controlling the growth of some plant pathogens by producing different substances that inhibit their development (Dennis and Webster 1974). Several of these substances are enzymes such as chitinases, proteases, peroxidases, etc. In this study we propose a rapid and economical method to evaluate exo-chitinase activity using 4-methylumbelliferyl-N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminide (4-MUF.GlcNAc). This method was tested in vitro for the evaluation of the enzyme activity in a system composed of a soil pathogen (Armillaria mellea) and 12 different soil microorganisms.