title: The importance of chitin in the marine environment.
abstract: Chitin is the most abundant renewable polymer in the oceans and is an important source of carbon and nitrogen for marine organisms. The process of chitin degradation is a key step in the cycling of nutrients in the oceans and chitinolytic bacteria play a significant role in this process. These bacteria are autochthonous to both marine and freshwater ecosystems and produce chitinases that degrade chitin, an insoluble polysaccharide, to a biologically useful form. In this brief review, a description of the structure of chitin and diversity of chitinolytic bacteria in the oceans is provided, in the context of the significance of chitin degradation for marine life.
authors: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, 1374, Prof. Lineu Prestes Av., 05508-000, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors: Claudiana P
authors: CP
authors: Souza
authors: Bianca C
authors: BC
authors: Almeida
authors: Rita R
authors: RR
authors: Colwell
authors: Irma N G
authors: IN
authors: Rivera
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