Structural characterization of the exopolysaccharide PS-EDIV from Sphingomonas pituitosa strain DSM 13101

• Published in: Applied microbiology and biotechnology Vol. 78; no. 6; pp. 1017 - 1024
• Main Authors: Schultheis, Ellen, Dreger, Michael A., Nimtz, Manfred, Wray, Victor, Hempel, Dietmar C., Nörtemann, Bernd
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.04.2008; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Acids; Applied Microbial and Cell Physiology; Biological and medical sciences; Biology of microorganisms of confirmed or potential industrial interest; Biopolymers; Biotechnology; Centrifugation; Chromatography, Gel; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Glucose; Ions; Lasers; Life Sciences; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Methylation; Microbial Genetics and Genomics; Microbiology; Miscellaneous; Mission oriented research; Molecular weight; Polymers; Polysaccharides, Bacterial - chemistry; Polysaccharides, Bacterial - metabolism; Rheology; Saccharides; Sphingomonas; Sphingomonas - chemistry; Sphingomonas - growth & development; Sphingomonas - metabolism; Sphingomonas pituitosa; Sucrose; Tandem Mass Spectrometry; Viscosity; Deoxyglucuronic acid; Sphingan; Exopolysaccharide; Structural characterization; Characterization; Chemical structure; Bacteria; Sphingomonas; Sphingan·Deoxyglucuronic acid; Extracellular; Polysaccharide; Sphingomonas pituitosa; Structural analysis
• ISSN: 0175-7598; 1432-0614
• DOI: 10.1007/s00253-008-1383-8

Members of the bacterial genus Sphingomonas are known to produce highly viscous polysaccharides in solution. The exopolysaccharide PS-EDIV was produced by Sphingomonas pituitosa strain DSM 13101, purified using centrifugation, and precipitation and its structure was elucidated by 1D and 2D NMR techniques and chemical microderivatization combined with various mass spectrometric techniques. The following repeating unit of the polysaccharide could be identified: In addition, the polysaccharide also contains acetyl and glyceryl groups whose exact positions were not determined. PS-EDIV is similar in structure to a known exopolysaccharide but differs in being the first bacterial polysaccharide in which two different glucuronic acids are combined. It caused a high viscosity of the culture broth after cultivation for 48 h, although a gelation was not observed.