Multiple chitinases as well as lectins closely related to them have been characterized previously from many insect species and the corresponding genes/cDNAs have been cloned. However, the identification of the entire assortment of genes for chitinase family proteins and their differences in biochemical properties have not been carried out in any individual insect species. The completion of the entire DNA sequence of Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly) genome and identification of open reading frames presents an opportunity to study the structures and functions of chitinase-like proteins, and also to identify new members of this family in Drosophila. We are, therefore, interested in studying the functional genomics of chitinase-like gene families in insects.