Phase separation in calcium alginate gels

Alginates are polysaccharides consisting of beta-D-mannuronate and alpha-L-guluronate units. In the presence of bivalent cations like calcium the guluronate blocks form physically cross-linked gels. The gelation properties of alginates play an important role in the stability of extracellular polymer substances and in the food industry. When stock solutions of Ca2+ ions and alginate are mixed, the gelation starts before the Ca2+ ions are evenly distributed, which leads to non-uniform gels. In this contribution, Ca alginate gels were prepared by in situ gelation using glucono-delta-lactone and CaCO3. In this way, uniform gels could be prepared directly in the measuring cell. Below a critical concentration, highly viscous solutions were obtained, which were below the critical point of gel formation. In these solutions at low rotational speeds a Schlieren peak arose, which became smaller and steeper with increasing time until a new meniscus could be detected. This behaviour is in contrast to the peak broadening due to diffusion after a synthetic boundary was formed. Evaluation of the data leads to negative diffusion coefficients. It has been shown by others that the mutual diffusion coefficient must be negative in the spinodal region. This phenomena is known as uphill diffusion and leads to phase separation of a binary system. The formation of the gel phase in this case is therefore discussed as uphill diffusion.     

Sol–gel transition of alginate solution by the addition of various divalent cations: 13C-nmr spectroscopic study

¹³C-NMR spectroscopic studies have been made on alginate solutions undergoing sol–gel transition induced by four different divalent cations: Ca, Cu, Co, and Mn. From the analysis of nmr spectra and relaxation times, we have found different interaction modes existing between the Ca–alginate systems and the transition metal (Cu, Co, and Mn)–alginate systems. In the Ca–alginate systems, there exists a specific interaction characterized by a strong autocooperative binding between guluronate residues and calcium ions, and all functional groups in guluronate residues are considered to involve the interaction with calcium ions. On the other hand, in transition metal (Cu, Co, and Mn)–alginate systems, sol–gel transition is characterized by a complex formation in which the carboxyl groups in both mannuronate and guluronate residues are coordinated to metal ions. The other functional groups, like hydroxyl groups, do not participate in the binding to metal ions. It is suggested by relaxation time measurements that from a microscopic point of view the sol–gel transition phenomena can be explained as a dynamic process in which the low frequency molecular motions are dominant and increase their proportions with the formation of three-dimensional cross-links. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Induced circular dichroism of the interaction between pinacyanol and algal alginates

The interaction between pinacyanol chloride and sodium alginate or guluronate-rich alginate is found to effect profound changes in the visible absorbance and circular dichroism spectra. Two different types of aggregates are observed depending on the relative dye/alginate concentrations. With a dye/alginate ratio at 1:1, a complex is deduced based on an analysis of Job’s method and conductometric titrations. Another complex forms at 1:10 dye/alginate ratio and only in the presence of alginate or guluronate-rich alginate. The two aggregates are in dynamic equilibrium according to the presence of isosbestic points in the visible spectra. The effects of pH and divalent cations on the spectra are studied. The 1:10 complex is damaged by addition of hydrochloric acid and divalent cations; however, at low concentration of these agents the spectra indicate conversion of the complex into the 1:1 aggregate. Models for the two complexes are proposed taking into account the preference of guluronate binding sites for chelating ions.     

13C-NMR study of the interaction of bacterial alginate with bivalent cations

The effect of bivalent cations on solutions of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) isolated from Pseudomonas aeruginosa was monitored by means of solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance. In particular, the binding of Ca2+ and Mg2+ to the alginate in aqueous solution was studied by determining the spin-lattice relaxation rates, line widths and line shapes of 13C nuclei under variation of the ion concentration. Both cations differ strongly in their affinity towards bacterial alginate. Spectral data indicate that the strong binding capacity of calcium is connected to the formation of a chelate complex, in which binding occurs particularly with the monomer units in alternating mannuronate-guluronate blocks. In contrast to this, binding of magnesium ions was found to be much weaker and non-specific.     

Binding of bivalent cations by hyaluronate in aqueous solution

The interaction between sodium hyaluronate and bivalent cations was investigated by conductometry, viscosimetry, circular dichroism and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. It is shown that the hyaluronate chains (Mn approximately 4.0 x 10(5)-1.7 x 10(6)g/mol) bind various bivalent cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, Mn2+, Fe2+, Cu2+, Zn2+, Cd2+ and Pb2+) at pH 6 in aqueous solutions. Hyaluronate deriving from Streptococcus equi was studied in comparison with dextran from Leuconostoc mesenteroides which was shown to develop no specific interactions with the bivalent cations. The molar relation between the bivalent cations and the disaccharide units of the resulting complex was determined with the result that one bivalent cation is bound by approximately five disaccharide units. Heavy metal ions (Cd2+, Pb2+) seem to bind stronger to the hyaluronate chain than their lighter counterparts (Ca2+, Mg2+). Circular dichroism spectra of the hyaluronate exhibit a cation-induced change in the n-pi* transition, indicating that the acetamide group of the aminoglucane unit is involved during the complexation. NMR spectra of hyaluronic acid in presence of paramagnetic manganese cations show strong interactions between the acetamide as well as the carboxylate groups and the cations. Based on these data, a structure of the binding complex is proposed which involves two disaccharide units.     

Microbial and algal alginate gelation characterized by magnetic resonance

Advanced magnetic resonance (MR) relaxation and diffusion correlation measurements and imaging provide a means to non-invasively monitor gelation for biotechnology applications. In this study, MR is used to characterize physical gelation of three alginates with distinct chemical structures; an algal alginate, which is not O-acetylated but contains poly guluronate (G) blocks, bacterial alginate from Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which does not have poly-G blocks, but is O-acetylated at the C2 and/or C3 of the mannuronate residues, and alginate from a P. aeruginosa mutant that lacks O-acetyl groups. The MR data indicate that diffusion-reaction front gelation with Ca(2+) ions generates gels of different bulk homogeneities dependent on the alginate structure. Shorter spin-spin T(2) magnetic relaxation times in the alginate gels that lack O-acetyl groups indicate stronger molecular interaction between the water and biopolymer. The data characterize gel differences over a hierarchy of scales from molecular to system size.     

The interaction of sodium alginate with univalent cations

The M/G ratio, dyad and triad frequencies in the sodium alginate chain, were determined from ¹³C-nmr spectra. The interactions of sodium alginate in solution with the univalent cations K⁺ ion and Na⁺ ion have been investigated by viscometry and membrane osmometry. The dependencies of intrinsic viscosity, Huggins constant, and second virial coefficient on ionic strength were observed, and the maximums in reduced viscosity were obtained in low KCl and NaCl concentrations, respectively. These show that the electroviscous effects play an important role in polyelectrolyte solution, and the effect of the Na⁺ ion on aqueous solution of sodium alginate is greater than the K⁺ ion. The experimental observations are interpreted in terms of ion-pair formation with carboxyl groups of mannuronate and isolated guluronate residues and cooperation “egg-box” binding between polyguluronate chain sequence. The difference of interaction between univalent cations and alginate chains in solution is attributed to the ability of their binding with the polyion, which depends on the properties of ions itself. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biopoly 46: 395–402, 1998     

A small-angle x-ray scattering study of alginate solution and its Sol–Gel transition by addition of divalent cations

The small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) technique has been applied to investigate solution and gel structures of alginate in the absence and presence of two divalent cations: Ca(II) and Cu(II). We have observed a broad maximum in the scattering curve, a characteristic of polyelectrolyte, for the purified alginate sample. The scattering maximum disappears in excess of added simple salt and shifts toward the higher angle region with increasing alginate concentration. Concentration dependence of the position and intensity of the maximum follows power law relations with exponents close to those predicted by theory. Data analysis shows an increase in correlation length ξ and cross-sectional diameter d₀, of polymer chains upon gelation and suggests that a dimeric structure is adopted in the junction zone, consistent with the “egg-box” model previously proposed. In the Ca(II)–alginate system, the molecular parameters ξ and d₀ are found to have good correlation with the macroscopic properties of gelation, such as gel point determined by viscosity measurements. However, for the Cu(II)–alginate system there is no clearly transitional behavior observed in ξ and d₀, implying that the junction zone may be replaced by a more uniformly distributed site binding of Cu(II) ions to the carboxyl groups of both mannuronate and guluronate residues, in confirmation of previous ¹³C-nmr results. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Citric acid fermentation by the mutant strain of theAspergillus niger resistant to manganese ions inhibition

Summary A new mutant strain,Aspergillus niger GS-III, showing resistance to manganese ions inhibition of citric acid fermentation on a sugarcane molasses containing medium was induced fromAspergillus niger KCU 520, a high citric acid-yielding strain. In submerged, surface or continuous cultures in the presence of manganese ions concentration upto 1.5 ppm the mutant strain yielded citric acid about 90 KgM^–3 . The citric acid yield was comparable to that obtained with the parental strain KCU 520 in the absence of manganese ions, but it was atleast 3-fold higher than that obtained by the latter in the presence of manganese ions. The mutant strain immobilized in calcium alginate beads was used in combination with surface-stabilized cultures for about 36-days in a continuous flow horizontal fermenter without any apparent loss in citric acid productivity. These results indicate that the manganese-resistant mutant is stable and may be used in the presence of sufficient manganese ions concentration (1.5 ppm) in the fermentation medium. This capability of the mutant strainA. niger GS-III has been correlated with greatly reduced levels (about one-thirds) of the NADP⁺ -isocitric dehydrogenase, one of the control points for citric acid accumulation.     

Culture of chondrocytes in alginate gel: Variations in conditions of Gelation influence the structure of the alginate gel, and the arrangement and morphology of proliferating chondrocytes

Summary Sodium alginate, which gels in the presence of calcium ions, is commonly used for culture of anchorage-independent cells, such as chondrocytes. Normally, the gel appears microscopically homogeneous but, depending on the conditions of gelation, it may contain a varying number of small channels that extend inward from the surface. We have examined the influence of these channels on the morphology of cultured chondrocytes entrapped in alginate beads. Growth-plate or articular chondrocytes cultured in alginate normally proliferate and form rounded cell clusters but, in alginate beads containing numerous channels, many chondrocytes become aligned and form columns similar to those in the growth plate in vivo. As the pattern of cellular growth and morphology in alginate is profoundly influenced by the presence of channels in the gel, further studies were conducted to determine what specific conditions of gelation affect their formation. The channels are especially numerous when both the alginate and the gelling solutions lack sodium ions or other monovalent cations. The channels are cavities in the gel formed by particulate blocking of the rapid diffusion of calcium ions from the gelling solution into the boundary of the calcium alginate solution, and hence they extend inward from cells at the surface of the alginate gel. An understanding of the conditions under which these channels develop makes it possible either to avoid their formation or, alternatively, to enhance the number of channels in order to encourage proliferating cells to grow in radial columns, rather than in a less organized pattern characteristic of most culture systems.     

Influence of oligoguluronates on alginate gelation, kinetics, and polymer organization

Structural polysaccharides of the alginate family form gels in aqueous Ca2+-containing solutions by lateral association of chain segments. The effect of adding oligomers of alpha-l-guluronic acid (G blocks) to gelling solutions of alginate was investigated using rheology and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Ca-alginate gels were prepared by in situ release of Ca2+. The gel strength increased with increasing level of calcium saturation of the alginate and decreased with increasing amount of free G blocks. The presence of free G blocks also led to an increased gelation time. The gel point and fractal dimensionalities of the gels were determined based on the rheological characterization. Without added free G blocks the fractal dimension of the gels increased from df = 2.14 to df = 2.46 when increasing [Ca2+] from 10 to 20 mM. This increase was suggested to arise from an increased junction zone multiplicity induced by the increased concentration of calcium ions. In the presence of free G blocks (G block/alginate = 1/1) the fractal dimension increased from 2.14 to 2.29 at 10 mM Ca2+, whereas there was no significant change associated with addition of G blocks at 20 mM Ca2+. These observations indicate that free G blocks are involved in calcium-mediated bonds formed between guluronic acid sequences within the polymeric alginates. Thus, the added oligoguluronate competes with the alginate chains for the calcium ions. The gels and pregel situations close to the gel point were also studied using AFM. The AFM topographs indicated that in situations of low calcium saturation microgels a few hundred nanometers in diameter develop in solution. In situations of higher calcium saturation lateral association of a number of alginate chains are occurring, giving ordered fiber-like structures. These results show that G blocks can be used as modulators of gelation kinetics as well as local network structure formation and equilibrium properties in alginate gels.     

Purification and characterization of bifunctional alginate lyase from Alteromonas sp. strain no. 272 and its action on saturated oligomeric substrates

A marine bacterium (strain No. 272) isolated from sea mud in Omura Bay produced an alginate lyase and was classified as an Alteromonas species. The enzyme was purified from the culture medium of the bacterium by DEAE-Cellulofine, Sephadex G-100 gel chromatography to an electrophoretically homogeneous state in the presence and absence of SDS. The molecular mass of the enzyme was 23 and 33.9 kDa on Sephadex G-100 column chromatography and SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, respectively, with an isoelectric point of 3.8. The predominant secondary structure of the enzyme was found to be most likely beta-structure by circular dichroism. The enzyme was most active at pH 7.5-8.0 and stable around pH 5-11. The enzyme was more labile in Tris-HCI buffer (pH 7.0) to heat treatment, than in phosphate buffer (pH 7.0). No of metal ions significantly affected the enzyme activity. The enzyme acted on sodium alginate in an endo-type manner and on two components of alginate, poly-alpha1,4-L-guluronate and poly-beta1,4-D-mannuronate, as judged by routine ultraviolet assay (235 nm) and circular dichroic spectral changes of the substrates. However, the coexisting poly-alpha1,4-L-guluronate and poly-beta1,4-D-mannuronate apparently interacted with the enzyme in a competitive manner. Although the enzyme depolymerized alginate in an endo-type, it did not act on trimeric guluronate and mannuronate, but on the tetramers or more. The kinetic analyses showed that kcat/Km for each oligomer was larger for the guluronate oligomers than for the mannuronate ones, and that the subsite structure of the enzyme most likely consisted of six binding sites from the intrinsic reaction rate constant (kint) and intrinsic substrate binding constant (Kint).     

Aerobic digestion of Ca-alginate gels studied as a model system of seaweed tissue degradation

The Ca-crosslinked alginate matrix of brown seaweeds may present a limiting factor when microbes decompose algal tissue. Ca-alginate gels made from Ascophyllum nodosum and Laminaria hyperborea stipe alginates were digested in aerated batch reactors at 35 °C and pH 7 using an alginate decomposing inoculum harvested during aerobic degradation of L. hyperborea stipe. The mineralisation of Ca-alginate gels was independent of the substrate source, with consumption rates of alginate similar to those of algal alginates in L. hyperborea stipe. Despite a high guluronate lyase activity, the fractional content of guluronate in the remaining Ca-alginate gels increased during digestion as observed earlier for algal tissue. Thus, the Ca-crosslinked guluronate residues were the most recalcitrant material in both gels and algal tissue.Since the access for enzymes to the Ca-crosslinked guluronate residues probably is restricted, ionic washout may represent an important factor for the degradation process. In total, the alginate in algal tissue and Ca-alginate gels behaved similarly during biodegradation. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

FTIR spectroscopy of NH3 on acidic and ionotropic alginate aerogels

The acidity of alginate aerogel films has been investigated by infrared spectroscopy of adsorbed NH(3). Supercritical drying of the alginate provided samples with a surface area of several hundred square meters per gram, in which the probe molecule could reach all acidic sites. Free carboxylic groups were studied on acid-gelled alginates and were found to behave as effective Br?nsted acid sites. Ionotropic alginate gels formed by alkaline earth cations presented only the Lewis acidity of the cations. Ionotropic gels formed by transition metal cations presented both Lewis and Br?nsted sites, because of the presence of a fraction of free carboxylic groups. The incomplete salification was correlated to the pH of the gelling solutions.     

Formation of effective channels in alginate gel for immobilization of anchorage-dependent animal cells

Summary The conditions for formation of effective channels in alginate gels for growth of anchorage-dependent animal cells were examined. Many channels were formed in the gels by adding a low concentration solution of a high molecular weight polymer of alginate to a high concentration solution of divalent cations. It is recommended that an alginate with a high molecular weight and a low mannuronic acid/guluronic acid ratio be gelled by contact with strontium ions for the cultivation of immobilized anchorage-dependent cells because the gels produced have many channels and are mechanically strong.     

Alginate degradation during anaerobic digestion of Laminaria hyperborea stipes

Polyphenols and divalent metal ions present in the tissue may seriously affect the degradation of alginate during anaerobic digestion of brown seaweeds. Laminaria hyperborea stipes, harvested at 59 °N off the Norwegian coast in the autumn, were degraded at different concentrations of polyphenols in anaerobic batch reactors at 35 °C and pH 7. This was done by removing or adding the mechanically peeled outer phenolic layer of the algae, and using methanogenic and alginate degrading inocula already adapted to L. hyperborea degradation. Initial alginate released from the algal particles was affected by NaOH titrations because the Ca/Na-ratio was reduced. After a rapid consumption of the mannitol, alginate lyases were induced, and guluronate lyases showed the highest extracellular activity. Then the microbes digested 0.12–0.23 g Na-alginate L⁻¹ h⁻¹. Later the degradation rate of alginates declined almost to zero, and 13–50% of the alginate remained insoluble. The total solubilisation of alginates was apparently limited by both Ca-crosslinked guluronate residues and complexation with compounds such as polyphenols. The methane production had a lag phase that increased at higher amounts of soluble polyphenols, and the total fermentation probably also became product inhibited if soluble compounds such as acetate, ethanol and butyrate were accumulated. This revised version was published online in September 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Monomer composition and sequence of alginates from Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Alginates from four strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, one mucoid strain isolated from a technical water system, one strain isolated from a patient with cystic fibrosis and two mutants of this strain with a defect which affects the O-acetylation of the extracellular alginate, have been isolated and analysed for monomer composition and sequence by 13C-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The detected contributions of different monomer triplets (triads) were compared with values expected from a statistical chain constitution based on the given monomer ratio. While a typical algal alginate presents a nearly statistical distribution of uronic acids in the polymer chain, a strong deviation from the statistical arrangement of mannuronate (M) and guluronate (G) was found in the alginate of the mucoid strains of P. aeruginosa, being most expressed for the triad MMM. This feature is partially lost in the alginate from the mutant strains, indicating that the O-acetylation is linked to a mechanism which takes influence on the chain sequence. The strong preference for MG-pairs in the parent strain of P. aeruginosa may be connected to a stronger binding of cations in the MG-vicinity.     

Viscoelastic properties of alginate aqueous solutions in the presence of salts

The influence of added salts on the dynamic viscoelastic properties are investigated for aqueous solutions of alginates that have various molecular weights and mannuronate/guluronate (M/G) ratios. The dynamic moduli of the systems increase with increasing concentration of the added salt in the low-frequency region. The effect is notable in the order of KCl < NaCl < MgCl₂ ? CaCl². The values of the dynamic moduli in the rubbery plateau are independent of the addition of the salts, irrespective of the M/G ratio of the alginate. These facts strongly suggest that the structure that is formed by the interaction between the alginates and the metal ions does not work as cross-linking points but as heterogeneous relaxation units having a relatively long relaxation time from a rheological viewpoint.     

Novel Alginate Lyase (Aly5) from a Polysaccharide-Degrading Marine Bacterium,Flammeovirga sp. Strain MY04: Effects of Module Truncation on Biochemical Characteristics,Alginate Degradation Patterns,and Oligosaccharide-Yielding Properties

Alginate lyases are important tools for oligosaccharide preparation, medical treatment, and energy bioconversion. Numerous alginate lyases have been elucidated. However, relatively little is known about their substrate degradation patterns and product-yielding properties, which is a limit to wider enzymatic applications and further enzyme improvements. Herein, we report the characterization and module truncation of Aly5, the first alginate lyase obtained from the polysaccharide-degrading bacterium Flammeovirga. Aly5 is a 566-amino-acid protein and belongs to a novel branch of the polysaccharide lyase 7 (PL7) superfamily. The protein rAly5 is an endolytic enzyme of alginate and associated oligosaccharides. It prefers guluronate (G) to mannuronate (M). Its smallest substrate is an unsaturated pentasaccharide, and its minimum product is an unsaturated disaccharide. The final alginate digests contain unsaturated oligosaccharides that generally range from disaccharides to heptasaccharides, with the tetrasaccharide fraction constituting the highest mass concentration. The disaccharide products are identified as ΔG units. While interestingly, the tri- and tetrasaccharide fractions each contain higher proportions of ΔG to ΔM ends, the larger final products contain only ΔM ends, which constitute a novel oligosaccharide-yielding property of guluronate lyases. The deletion of the noncatalytic region of Aly5 does not alter its M/G preference but significantly decreases the enzymatic activity and enzyme stability. Notably, the truncated protein accumulates large final oligosaccharide products but yields fewer small final products than Aly5, which are codetermined by its M/G preference to and size enlargement of degradable oligosaccharides. This study provides novel enzymatic properties and catalytic mechanisms of a guluronate lyase for potential uses and improvements.     

New insights into the protective effect of manganese against oxidative stress

Manganese has emerged as an important trace element in bacterial physiology. The correlation between manganese accumulation and resistance to oxidative stress has led to the suggestion that, in addition to a role as a prosthetic group in superoxide dismutase, manganese could exert its antioxidant effect via non-enzymatic redox reactions. The article by Anjem et al. in the current issue of Molecular Microbiology investigates the role of manganese ions in the defence against hydrogen peroxide in Escherichia coli . The results indicate that the redox activity of manganese is not linked to its protective effect. Instead, it is suggested that manganese replaces ferrous iron in enzymes that contain divalent cations at their active site. This enables the cell to avoid oxidative stress associated with iron release in the presence of hydrogen peroxide.