PERTANIKA JOURNAL OF TROPICAL AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE

In the present study, chitinolytic thermophilic bacteria were collected from Cangar hot spring, East Java, Indonesia and screened. The 16S rRNA gene sequencing was used to identify the isolated bacterium which showed highest chitinolytic activity. The identified isolate was then characterised based on morphological and physiological analyses. The results showed the isolated bacterium belonged to Bacillus licheniformis. This isolate produced large amounts of chitinase on 0.9% (w/v) colloidal chitin (pH 7.0) at 52°C in a very short time (24 hours). Two pairs of primer were designed to detect the presence of glycosyl hydrolase (GH) 18 chitin domain sequences in the isolated bacterium. Two amplicons sized ~250 bp and ~1000 bp were obtained from PCR process. Then the amplicons were sequenced and analysed. The sequencing results showed the isolated Bacillus licheniformis was proven to have genes encoding ChiA and ChiC domain.