You can use acommercial chitinase, adjusting pH conditions according chitinase requirements, However if you use a Proteinase at the same time than a Chitinase, the last one could be digested,reducing the chitin hidrolysis. You can do first chitin hydrolysis, and after protein hydrolysis,

Hector Nolasco

CIBNOR

Hi Dawson,

For better understanding of chitinase digestion mechanism please follow these 2 publications

http://www.nature.com/articles/srep14395

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25895958

The chitinase assay is very simple using chitin as substrate. Our group is focused on the digestion C.elegen and root knot nematodes using bacterial chitinase.

In crustaceans which one is your model organism?

Hope it will help you.

Good luck with your research.

Ashok

For proteinase follow this paper

http://tmw.wzw.tum.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Methodendatenbank/Literatur/Soluble__dye-labelled_substrates_for_a_micro-plate_assay.pdf

and 

Chitinase assay can be done as per the protocol given in this paper

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1472-765X.2007.02117.x/pdf

Thanks,

Best luck with your research

Ashok

Thanks all :) My model organism is Antarctic krill. 

I ended up finding this protocol online. http://openwetware.org/wiki/20.109(S13):DNA_extraction_(Day2)

I am trying it out today but if doesn't work i will try your suggestions. 

Thanks all :) My model organism is Antarctic krill. 

I ended up finding this protocol online. http://openwetware.org/wiki/20.109(S13):DNA_extraction_(Day2)

I am trying it out today but if doesn't work i will try your suggestions. 

Hello Amanda,

These articles will be helpful for your study.

Please see

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/311668087_Improvement_of_chitinase_Pachi_with_nematicidal_activities_by_random_mutagenesis

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282153514_Enhanced_nematicidal_potential_of_the_chitinase_pachi_from_Pseudomonas_aeruginosa_in_association_with_Cry21Aa

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/275278845_Effects_of_domains_modification_on_the_catalytic_potential_of_chitinase_from_Pseudomonas_aeruginosa

Thanks regards

Article Improvement of chitinase Pachi with nematicidal activities b...

Article Enhanced nematicidal potential of the chitinase pachi from P...

Article Effects of domains modification on the catalytic potential o...