Chitin utilization by marine picocyanobacteria and the evolution of a planktonic lifestyle.

ABSTRACT: Marine picocyanobacteria Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus, the most abundant photosynthetic cells in the oceans, are generally thought to have a primarily single-celled and free-living lifestyle. However, while studying the ability of picocyanobacteria to supplement photosynthetic carbon fixation with the use of exogenous organic carbon, we found the widespread occurrence of genes for breaking down chitin, an abundant source of organic carbon that exists primarily as particles. We show that cells that encode a chitin degradation pathway display chitin degradation activity, attach to chitin particles, and show enhanced growth under low light conditions when exposed to chitosan, a partially deacetylated soluble form of chitin. Marine chitin is largely derived from arthropods,

SUBMITTER: Capovilla G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10194020 | biostudies-literature | 2023 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature