Chitin deacetylase () is an enzyme characterised from Mucor rouxii that catalyzes a chemical reaction which hydrolyses the amide bonds in the polymer, chitin, to give chitosan:
The enzyme is found in a wide range of organisms including bacteria, fungi, insects, and crustaceans. It has been studied as a means to produce chitosan, a biocompatible polymer for medical applications, and for processing waste from the industrial production of fish products.
This enzyme is a hydrolase, one acting on carbon-nitrogen bonds other than peptide bonds, specifically in linear amides. The systematic name of this enzyme class is chitin amidohydrolase.
Structural studies As of late 2007, only one structure has been solved for this class of enzymes, with the PDB accession code .
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