bacteria Marine sediment samples were collected from the Chinese Bohai Sea (123◦371E, 39◦6972N) at a depth less than 100 m and stored at −20◦C until use.
For screening of chitinolytic bacteria, allisolates were incubated on Bacto Marine Broth agar 2216E (Difco)containing 0.5% colloidal chitin [12] at 15◦C.
The size of the clearedzone was monitored as an indication of chitinase activity.
As a fur-ther confirmation of chitinase activity, the selected strains werecultured in 2216E liquid medium containing 0.5% colloidal chitinat 15◦C with agitation at 160 rpm.
Selected chitinase-producingstrains were preserved as cell suspensions in 20% glycerol at −80◦C.The isolated chitin-degrading bacterium was identified based onphylogenetic analysis of its 16S rRNA sequence.