Chitin valorisation via enzymatic deacetylation

甲壳素是一种线性均聚物，其特征在于-（1，4）-连接的N-乙酰基-D-葡糖胺残基（图1）。它是继纤维素之后最天然存在的多糖，是节肢动物外骨骼刚性和许多真菌和酵母物种细胞壁生物发生的基础。在固态下，由于其微纤维晶体结构使其不溶于大多数溶剂，甲壳素的工业应用受到限制;因此，其脱乙酰化的对应物壳聚糖作为可生物降解、抗微生物、无毒和易处理的生物材料在工业生物技术和生物医学研究领域内引起了新的兴趣。我们的目的是确定，然后应用，甲壳素脱乙酰基酶（CDAs）作为多功能的生物催化剂的绿色转化壳衍生甲壳素到高价值的壳聚糖。

Chitin is a linear homopolymer characterised by -(1,4)-linked N-acetyl-D-glucosamine residues (Fig. 1). It is the most naturally occurring polysaccharide after cellulose and is fundamental to exoskeletal rigidity in arthropods and cell wall biogenesis in many fungal and yeast species. In the solid state, industrial applications of chitin are limited due to its microfibril crystalline structures making it insoluble in most solvents; thus, its deacetylated counterpart, chitosan, has generated renewed interest within areas of industrial biotechnology and biomedical research as a biodegradable, antimicrobial, non-toxic and tractable biomaterial. Our aims are to identify, then apply, chitin deacetylases (CDAs) as versatile biocatalysts for the greener conversion of shell-derived chitin into high value chitosan.