Carbohydrate deacetylase, a key enzyme in oxidative chitin degradation, is evolutionarily linked to amino acid deacetylase.

The microbial oxidative cleavage of chitin, the second most abundant biopolymer in nature, generates a substantial amount of oxidized amino sugar, 2-(acetylamino)-2-deoxy-D-gluconic acid (GlcNAc1A). The catabolism of GlcNAc1A is key to the oxidative chitin degradation pathway. However, the molecular mechanism and evolution underlying this pathway remain elusive.

Metagenomic insights into the dynamic degradation of brown algal polysaccharides by kelp-associated microbiota.

Marine bacteria play important roles in the degradation and cycling of algal polysaccharides. However, the dynamics of epiphytic bacterial communities and their roles in algal polysaccharide degradation during kelp decay are still unclear. Here, we performed metagenomic analyses to investigate the identities and predicted metabolic abilities of epiphytic bacterial communities during the early and late decay stages of the kelp .