Structure and properties of a bacterial polysaccharide named Fucogel

The chemical structure of a polysaccharide named Fucogel was characterized and the position of acetylation was identified by NMR. A conformational analysis was performed on this 3-sugar repeating unit. From this, the persistence length, characterizing the stiffness of the polysaccharide, was determined and the role of the presence of acetyl group, reducing the stiffness, was pointed out. The helical conformations were also predicted, one of these being in agreement with X-ray data obtained on a similar polysaccharide. Experimental characterization of the native and deacetylated polysaccharides was developed. SEC experiments allowed us to determine the molar mass and the persistence length on the deacetylated polysaccharide. The value is in good agreement with that predicted from the molecular modeling. Microcalorimetry, rheology, and fluorescence spectroscopy demonstrated respectively that no helical conformation exists in solution but that loose interchain interactions due to the acetyl substituents exist in dilute solutions.     

Structure and hydrodynamic properties of the extracellular polysaccharide from a mutant strain (RA3W) of Erwinia chrysanthemi RA3

The structure of the extracellular polysaccharide (EPS) produced by Erwinia chrysanthemi strain RA3W, a mutant strain of E. chrysanthemi RA3, has been determined using low pressure size-exclusion and anion-exchange chromatographies, high pH anion-exchange chromatography, glycosyl linkage analysis, and 1D 1H NMR spectroscopy. The polysaccharide is structurally similar, if not identical, to the family of EPS produced by such as E. chrysanthemi strains Ech9, Ech9Sm6, and SR260. The molecular weight of EPS RA3W by ultracentrifugation (sedimentation equilibrium) and light scattering is compared with those of other E. chrysanthami EPSs, as are the viscometric properties.     

Genome sequence of the cycloprodigiosin-producing bacterial strain Pseudoalteromonas rubra ATCC 29570(T)

The cycloprodigiosin biosynthetic gene cluster has not been reported. We sequenced the genome of a cycloprodigiosin-producing bacterial strain, Pseudoalteromonas rubra ATCC 29570(T). Analysis revealed a probable cycloprodigiosin biosynthetic cluster, providing a good model for the study of cycloprodigiosin synthesis and regulation.     

Structure of the extracellular polysaccharide produced by the bacterium Alcaligenes (ATCC 31555) species

The extracellular anionic polysaccharide produced by the bacterium Alcaligenes (ATCC 31555) contains l-mannose, l-rhamnose, d-glucose, and d-glucuronic acid in the molar ratios 1.0:4.5:3.1:2.3. Analysis of the methylated and methylated, carboxyl-reduced polysaccharide indicated terminal non-reducing rhamnose and mannose, (1→4)-linked rhamnose, (1→3)- and (1→3,1→4)-linked glucose, and (1→4)-linked glucuronic acid to be present in the ratios 1.0:0.8:2.1:2.2:2.0:2.2. Partial acid hydrolysis and base-catalysed β-elimination gave a series of oligosaccharides that were isolated as their alkylated alditol derivatives by reverse-phase h.p.l.c. and characterised by f.a.b.-m.s., e.i.-m.s., and ¹H-n.m.r. spectroscopy. The repeating unit 1, excluding O-acyl groups, is proposed.

     

Iron-binding characterization and polysaccharide production by Klebsiella oxytoca strain isolated from mine acid drainage

Aims:  To investigate Klebsiella oxytoca strain BAS-10 growth on ferric citrate under anaerobic conditions for exopolysaccharide (EPS) production and localization on cell followed by the purification and the EPS determination of the iron-binding stability constant to EPS or biotechnological applications.
Methods and Results:  Klebsiella oxytoca ferments ferric citrate under anaerobic conditions and produces a ferric hydrogel, whereas ferrous ions were formed in solution. During growth, cells precipitate and a hydrogel formation was observed: the organic material was constituted of an EPS bound to Fe(III) ions, this was found by chemical analyses of the iron species and transmission electron microscopy of the cell cultures. Iron binding to EPS was studied by cyclic voltammetric measurements, either directly on the hydrogel or in an aqueous solutions containing Fe(III)-citrate and purified Fe(III)-EPS. From the voltammetric data, the stability constant for the Fe(III)-EPS complex can be assumed to have values of approx. 10¹²–10¹³. It was estimated that this is higher than for the Fe(III)-citrate complex.
Conclusions:  The production of Fe(III)-EPS under anaerobic conditions is a strategy for the strain to survive in mine drainages and other acidic conditions. This physiological feature can be used to produce large amounts of valuable Fe(III)-EPS, starting from a low cost substrate such as Fe(III)-citrate.
Significant and Impact of the Study:  The data herein demonstrates that an interesting metal-binding molecule can be produced as a novel catalyst for a variety of potential applications and the EPS itself is a valuable source for rhamnose purification.     

Isolation of a mutant strain of Pseudomonas sp ATCC 31461 exhibiting elevated polysaccharide production

A mutant strain of the bacterium Pseudomonas sp. ATCC 31461 that exhibited elevated production of the polysaccharide gellan on glucose or corn syrup as a carbon source was isolated. Gellan production by the mutant strain was about twofold higher than its parent strain on glucose or corn syrup after 48 h of growth, and about 1.4-fold higher after 72 h. An increase in biomass production was not correlated with enhanced gellan synthesis by the mutant strain. The increased gellan production by the mutant strain on either carbon source resulted in an increase in its culture medium viscosity and the viscosity of the isolated polysaccharide produced by glucose-grown cells. No differences in the glucuronic acid content of the polysaccharides produced by the mutant and parent strains were observed. Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology (2002) 29, 185–188 doi:10.1038/sj.jim.7000278 Received 13 February 2002/ Accepted in revised form 20 May 2002     

Structure of O-specific polysaccharide from Pseudoalteromonas nigrifaciens strain KMM 161

On mild acid degradation of the lipopolysaccharide of the marine microorganism Pseudoalteromonas nigrifaciens KMM 161 an O-specific polysaccharide containing D-galactose, 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-glucose, 3,6-dideoxy-3-(4-hydroxybutyramido)-D-galactose, and 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-L-guluronic acid residues was obtained. From the results of Smith degradation, O-deacetylation of the polysaccharide, and NMR spectroscopy the following structure of the tetrasaccharide repeating unit of the O-specific polysaccharide was established [see reaction]. It should be noted that the same structure occurs in the antigenic polysaccharide of Pseudoalteromonas nigrifaciens KMM 158 described earlier as Alteromonas macleodii 2MM6.     

Structure and functional properties of ulvan, a polysaccharide from green seaweeds

With today's interest in novel renewable chemicals and polymers, the underexploited marine green algae belonging to species of Ulva and Entermorpha stimulated interest as sources of polysaccharides with innovative structure and functional properties. These algae are common on all seashores and can produce in time an important amount of biomass in nutrient-enriched waters. The major water-soluble polysaccharide, ulvan, extracted from the cell wall represents about 8-29% of the algae dry weight. The original physicochemical, rheological, and biological properties recently unraveled for this complex sulfated aldobiouronan open the way for novel potential applications.     

Characterization of a polysaccharide component of lipopolysaccharide from Pseudomonas aeruginosa IID 1008 (ATCC 27584) as D-rhamnan

Structural studies were carried out on a rhamnose-rich polysaccharide isolated from the O-polysaccharide fraction of lipopolysaccharide in Pseudomonas aeruginosa IID 1008 (ATCC 27584) after destruction of the major O-specific chain by alkaline treatment. The isolated polysaccharide contained rhamnose, 3-O-methyl-6-deoxyhexose, glucose, xylose, alanine, galactosamine and phosphorus in a molar ratio of 67:6.9:4.3:2.1:1.1:1.0:4.1. Data from analysis involving Smith degradation, methylation, 1H-NMR spectroscopy and optical rotation measurement showed that the polysaccharide was built up of three moieties, a rhamnan chain composed of about 70 D-rhamnose residues, the core chain and an oligosaccharide chain comprising 3-O-methyl-6-deoxyhexose, xylose, rhamnose and probably glucose. The repeating unit of the rhamnan chain was indicated to have the following structure:----3)D-Rha(alpha 1----3)D-Rha(alpha 1----2)D-Rha(alpha 1----. This structure is identical with that proposed previously for the repeating unit of the side chain of lipopolysaccharide from plant pathogenic bacteria Pseudomonas syringae pv. morsprunorum C28 [Smith, A.R.W., Zamze, S.E., Munro, S.M., Carter, K. J. and Hignett, R.C. (1985) Eur. J. Biochem. 149, 73-78].     

Structure of a phosphoethanolamine-containing O-polysaccharide of Citrobacter freundii strain PCM 1443 from serogroup O39 and its relatedness to the Klebsiella pneumoniae O1 polysaccharide

Lipopolysaccharide was extracted from cells of Citrobacter freundii PCM 1443 from serogroup O39 and degraded by mild acid hydrolysis to give an O-polysaccharide. Based on enzymatic and methylation analyses, along with 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, it was found that the lipopolysaccharide studied has two different linear polysaccharide chains of d-galactan type containing 3-substituted galactose residues. One of the galactans has the disaccharide repeating units of alpha-D-galactopyranose and beta-D-galactofuranose and the other is comprised of alpha-D-galactopyranose and beta-D-galactopyranose, the latter being substituted in 25% repeats with PEtN at O-6. An immunoblotting assay demonstrated that the lipopolysaccharide of C. freundii PCM 1443 is serologically related to that of Klebsiella pneumoniae O1, which contains the same galactan chains but is devoid of phosphoethanolamine.     

XAS analysis of a nanostructured iron polysaccharide produced anaerobically by a strain of Klebsiella oxytoca

A strain of Klebsiella oxytoca, isolated from acid pyrite-mine drainage, characteristically produces a ferric hydrogel, consisting of branched heptasaccharide repeating units exopolysaccharide (EPS), with metal content of 36 wt%. The high content of iron in the EPS matrix cannot be explained by a simple ferric ion bond to the sugar skeleton. The bio-generated Fe-EPS is investigated by X-ray absorption spectroscopy. Fe K-edge XANES analysis shows that iron is mostly in trivalent form, with a non-negligible amount of Fe(2+) in the structure. The Fe EXAFS results indicate that iron in the sample is in a mineralized form, prevalently in the form of nano-sized particles of iron oxides/hydroxides, most probably a mixture of different nano-crystalline forms. TEM shows that these nanoparticles are located in the interior of the EPS matrix, as in ferritin. The strain produces Fe-EPS to modulate Fe-ions uptake from the cytoplasm to avoid iron toxicity under anaerobic conditions. This microbial material is potentially applicable as iron regulator.     

Production, characterization and properties of polysaccharide depolymerizing enzymes from a strain ofCurvularia inaequalis

Xylanase, β-glucosidase, β-xylosidase, endoglucanase and polygalacturonase production fromCurvularia inaequalis was carried out by means of solid-state and submerged fermentation using different carbon sources. β-Glucosidase. β-xylosidase, polygalacturonase and xylanase produced by the microorganisms were characterized. β-Glucosidase presented optimum activity at pH 5.5 whereas xylanase, poly-galacturonase and β-xylosidase activities were optimal at pH 5.0. Maximal activity of β-glucosidase was determined at 60°C, β-xylosidase at 70°C, and polygalacturonase and xylanase at 55°C. These enzymes were stable at acidic to neutral pH and at 40–45 °C. The crude enzyme solution was studied for the hydrolysis of agricultural residues.     

The respiratory responses to cyanide of a cyanide-resistant Klebsiella oxytoca bacterial strain

The respiratory system of a cyanide-resistant Klebsiella oxytoca was analyzed by monitoring the changes in the cytochrome contents in response to various inhibitors in the presence of various concentrations of cyanide. The cells grown in the medium without cyanide (KCN) have two terminal oxidases, cytochrome d (Ki = 10(-5) M KCN) and o (Ki = 10(-3) M KCN). When cells were grown on medium with 1 mM KCN, the expression of both b-type cytochrome and cytochrome d in the plasma membranes of the cell decreased by more than 50%, while cytochrome o increased by 70%, as compared with the cells grown in the absence of KCN. Two terminal oxidases with Ki values of about 10(-3) M and 1.7 x 10(-2) M KCN were observed in the plasma membrane fractions of the cells growing on KCN enriched medium. 2-n-Heptyl-4-hydroxyquinoline-N-oxide markedly inhibited the oxidation of NADH by the plasma membranes from the cells grown in the medium without KCN, but not in those plasma membranes from KCN-grown cells. The NADH oxidases in plasma membranes of K. oxytoca grown with and without KCN were equally sensitive to UV irradiation. Adding freshly isolated quinone to the UV-damaged plasma membranes restored the NADH oxidase activity from both types of plasma membranes. From these results, we propose the presence of a non-heme type of terminal oxidase to account for the KCN resistance in K. oxytoca.     

Structure and transcription analysis of the gene encoding a cellobiase from Agrobacterium sp. strain ATCC 21400

The DNA sequence was determined for the cloned Agrobacterium sp. strain ATCC 21400 beta-glucosidase gene, abg. High-resolution nuclease S1 protection studies were used to map the abg mRNA 5' and 3' termini. A putative abg promoter was identified whose sequence shows similarities to the consensus promoter of Escherichia coli and with the nif promoter regions of Klebsiella. The abg coding sequence was 1,374 nucleotides long. The molecular weight of the enzyme, based on the predicted amino acid sequence, was 51,000. The observed Mr was 50,000 to 52,000. A region of deduced protein sequence was homologous to a region from two other beta-glucosidase sequences. This region of homology contained a putative active site by analogy with the active site of hen egg white lysozyme.     

Structure of the phenol-soluble polysaccharide from Shewanella putrefaciens strain A6

The structure of the phenol-soluble polysaccharide from Shewanella putrefaciens strain A6 has been elucidated. Chemical modifications of the polymer in conjunction with 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy, including 2D techniques, were employed in the analysis. It is concluded that the repeating unit is composed of two nine-carbon sugars as follows: -->4)-alpha-NonpA-(2-->3)-beta-Sugp-(1--> where alpha-NonpA is 5-acetamido-7-acetamidino-8-O-acetyl-3,5,7,9-tetradeoxy-L-glycero-alpha-D-galacto-non-2-ulosonic acid (8eLeg) and beta-Sugp is 2-acetamido-2,6-dideoxy-4-C-(3'-carboxamide-2',2'-dihydroxypropyl)-beta-D-galactopyranose, with the proposed name Shewanellose (She).     

Structure and radioprotective properties of a non-toxic polysaccharide from Heliantnus tuberosus L.

The data confirming non-toxicity of polysaccharide from Heliantnus tuberosus L. were gained in experimental studies on acute toxicity, the mass and cellularity of the immune system and cell viability of the lymphoid organs. The assumption of the absence of allergenicity was confirmed in the experiment of delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction. Dose reduction factor was specified in the experiment of absolute survival rates. The effectiveness of the substance as a radioprotector was confirmed. NMR spectrum was established, with the use of it a presumptive structure of a matter is restored.