Polysaccharide Biosynthesis (polysaccharide + biosynthesis)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


A cyclic-di-GMP receptor required for bacterial exopolysaccharide production

MOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 6 2007
Vincent T. Lee
Summary Bis-(3,,5,)-cyclic-dimeric-guanosine monophosphate (c-di-GMP) has been shown to be a global regulatory molecule that modulates the reciprocal responses of bacteria to activate either virulence pathways or biofilm formation. The mechanism of c-di-GMP signal transduction, including recognition of c-di-GMP and subsequent phenotypic regulation, remain largely uncharacterized. The key components of these regulatory pathways are the various adaptor proteins (c-di-GMP receptors). There is compelling evidence suggesting that, in addition to PilZ domains, there are other unidentified c-di-GMP receptors. Here we show that the PelD protein of Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a novel c-di-GMP receptor that mediates c-di-GMP regulation of PEL polysaccharide biosynthesis. Analysis of PelD orthologues identified a number of conserved residues that are required for c-di-GMP binding as well as synthesis of the PEL polysaccharide. Secondary structure similarities of PelD to the inhibitory site of diguanylate cyclase suggest that a common fold can act as a platform to bind c-di-GMP. The combination of a c-di-GMP binding site with a variety of output signalling motifs within one protein domain provides an explanation for the specificity for different cellular responses to this regulatory dinucleotide. [source]


Thermoregulation of the Escherichia coli O157:H7 pO157 ecf operon and lipid A myristoyl transferase activity involves intrinsically curved DNA

MOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 2 2004
Jang W. Yoon
Summary Escherichia coli O157:H7 survives in diverse environments from the ruminant gastrointestinal tract to cool nutrient-dilute water. We hypothesized that the gene regulation required for this flexibility includes intrinsically curved DNA that responds to environmental changes. Three intrinsically curved DNAs were cloned from the E. coli O157:H7 virulence plasmid (pO157), sequenced and designated Bent 1 through Bent 3 (BNT1, BNT2 and BNT3). Compared to BNT1 and BNT3, BNT2 had characteristics typical of intrinsically curved DNA including electrophoretic gel retardation at 4°C, six partially phased adenine:thymine tracts and transcriptional activation. BNT2::lacZ operon fusions showed that BNT2 activated transcription at 24°C compared to 37°C and was partially repressed by a bacterial nucleoid-associated protein H-NS. BNT2 regulated the E. coli attaching and effacing gene-positive conserved fragments 1,4 (ecf1,4) that are conserved in Shiga toxin-producing E. coli associated with human disease. Experimental analyses showed that ecf1,4 formed an operon. ecf1, 2 and 3 encoded putative proteins associated with bacterial surface polysaccharide biosynthesis and invasion and ecf4 complemented a chromosomal deletion of lpxM encoding lipid A myristoyl transferase. Mass spectrometric analysis of lipid A from ecf and lpxM single and double mutants showed that myristoylation was altered at lower temperature. [source]


Plant cell wall biosynthesis: genetic, biochemical and functional genomics approaches to the identification of key genes

PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL, Issue 2 2006
Naser Farrokhi
Summary Cell walls are dynamic structures that represent key determinants of overall plant form, plant growth and development, and the responses of plants to environmental and pathogen-induced stresses. Walls play centrally important roles in the quality and processing of plant-based foods for both human and animal consumption, and in the production of fibres during pulp and paper manufacture. In the future, wall material that constitutes the major proportion of cereal straws and other crop residues will find increasing application as a source of renewable fuel and composite manufacture. Although the chemical structures of most wall constituents have been defined in detail, the enzymes involved in their synthesis and remodelling remain largely undefined, particularly those involved in polysaccharide biosynthesis. There have been real recent advances in our understanding of cellulose biosynthesis in plants, but, with few exceptions, the identities and modes of action of polysaccharide synthases and other glycosyltransferases that mediate the biosynthesis of the major non-cellulosic wall polysaccharides are not known. Nevertheless, emerging functional genomics and molecular genetics technologies are now allowing us to re-examine the central questions related to wall biosynthesis. The availability of the rice, Populus trichocarpa and Arabidopsis genome sequences, a variety of mutant populations, high-density genetic maps for cereals and other industrially important plants, high-throughput genome and transcript analysis systems, extensive publicly available genomics resources and an increasing armoury of analysis systems for the definition of candidate gene function will together allow us to take a systems approach to the description of wall biosynthesis in plants. [source]


Improvement of ganoderic acid and Ganoderma polysaccharide biosynthesis by Ganoderma lucidum fermentation under the inducement of Cu2+

BIOTECHNOLOGY PROGRESS, Issue 2 2010
Ya-Jie Tang
Abstract The cell growth and total accumulation of bioactive metabolites were significantly improved by Cu2+ addition during the submerged fermentation of medicinal mushroom Ganoderma lucidum. A mathematical model, constructed by response surface methodology combination with full factorial design, was applied to study the synergic effect of Cu2+ addition concentration and addition time. The optimal Cu2+ inducement strategy for the cell growth were different from those for the biosynthesis of ganoderic acid (GA) and Ganoderma polysaccharide. A multiple additions strategy of Cu2+ by adding each 1 mM Cu2+ on day 2, 6, 8 and 2 mM Cu2+ on day 4 was developed to enhance total accumulation of GA and extracellular polysaccharides. The highest GA content reached 3.0 ± 0.1 mg per 100 mg DW, which was increased by 76.5% and 33.9% compared with the control without Cu2+ addition and the peak value predicted by the constructed mathematical model, respectively. While, relatively higher addition concentration of Cu2+ (i.e., 5 mM) on the culture of day 4 led to higher content and total production of intracellular polysaccharides. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2010 [source]


Purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction studies of a putative UDP- N -acetyl- d -mannosamine dehydrogenase from Pyrococcus horikoshii OT3

ACTA CRYSTALLOGRAPHICA SECTION F (ELECTRONIC), Issue 5 2007
Neratur K. Lokanath
A putative UDP- N -acetyl- d -mannosamine dehydrogenase from Pyrococcus horikoshii OT3, an essential enzyme for polysaccharide biosynthesis, has been overexpressed in Escherichia coli and purified. Crystals were obtained using the oil-microbatch method at 291,K. A native data set extending to 1.8,Å resolution has been collected and processed in space group P21. Assuming the presence of a dimer in the asymmetric unit, the VM value is calculated to be 2.3,Å3,Da,1, which is consistent with the result of a dynamic light-scattering experiment that shows a dimeric state of the protein in solution. [source]