Effects of Linker Length and Flexibility on the Activity of GH18 Chitinases in Bacteria

ChiC variants with different rigidities demonstrated that the TP-linker variant outperformed the wild-type, flexible (GS9), and rigid (EK) variants, exhibiting rapid substrate association as revealed by HS-AFM. These findings highlight the critical role of linker design in optimizing chitinase function and provide a foundation for engineering enhanced glycoside hydrolases.