• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.6 no.5
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• pp.321-325
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• 1996

Mutants having altered levels and/or types of EPS in exopolysaccharide biosynthesis were isolated after NTG mutagenesis of Zoogloea ramigera 115SLR. Mutant candidates were classfied with five groups based on the observed characteristics for EPS biosynthesis pattern. The recombinant plasmids pLEX3BS and pLEX3BM were constructed from pEX3B which was previously isolated from genomic DNA of Z. ramigera 115SLR. Plasmid pLEX3BM with a 7.8 kb insert DNA contains an additional 1.8kb DNA fragment which is not present in pLEX3BS containing 13 kb insert DNA. Plasmid pLEX3BM was able to complement the mutation responsible for the changes in morphology of Z. ramigera 115SLR. However, the complementation of EPS negative mutant strains was not successful with pLEX3BM. Plasmid pLEX3BS on the other hand complemented the mutation responsible for the loss of EPS biosynthesis, resulting in the restoration of Z. ramigera 115SLR phenotype. But this plasmid was not able to complement the morphological mutant strain, Z. ramigera 115SLR.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.263-268
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• 1995

A screening was performed to isolate exoploysaccharide-producing microorganisms, which synthesized specific exopolysaccharide for the substitutive of commercial polysaccharides, from natural sources. Soil bacterium, one of 378 mucoid isolates, was finally selected as potential producer of polysaccharides which made the culture broth very viscous and thus examined in detail for optimal medium composition. Isolated strain was identified as Xanthomonas sp. EPS- 1 from the results of morphological and biochemical characteristics. The composition of optimal medium for exopolysaccharide production was as follows: 50 g sucrose, 1.5 g peptone, 2 g KH$_{2}$PO$_{4}$, 2 g MgSO$_{4}$, -7H$_{2}$O, 3 g NaCl, 0.05 g CaCO$_{3}$, 0.07 g FeSO$_{4}$-7H$_{2}$O and 0.05 g MnSO$_{4}$-7H$_{2}$O in 1 liter of distilled water. From the experiments of temperature and pH dependence, the optimal conditions for exopolysaccharide biosynthesis seemed to be 30$\circ$C and 8.0, respectively. About 14.9 gram of maximum exopolysaccharide per liter was obtained at the initial pH 8.0, 30$\circ$C and 250 rpm in a flask culture. The exopolysaccharide EPS-1 had such potential as an emulsifying agent and a gelling agent in comparision with commercial exopolysaccharide.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.7
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• pp.1163-1168
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• 2006

The recombinant plasmid pLEX2FP complements the mutation in Zoogloea ramigera 115MM1, and the complemented mutant produces an exopolysaccharide that shows higher affinity for the calcofluor dye than the exopolysaccharide from Z. ramigera 115SLR, resulting in higher fluorescence intensity under UV light. A compositional and structural analysis of the exopolysaccharide from Z. ramigera 115MM1 showed that the different fluorescent properties were due to a lower content of acetyl groups when compared with Z. ramigera 115SLR exopolysaccharide. These results were in agreement with a sequence analysis of the gene carried in the plasmid pLEX2FP, which appeared to encode an O-acyltransferase highly homologous to the 3-O-acyltransferase of Streptomyces mycarofaciens. The gene encoding the acyltransferase from Z. ramigera 115SLR was expressed as a GST-fusion protein with 70,000 daltons in E. coli.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.19 no.10
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• pp.1092-1097
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• 2009

A novel exopolysaccharide named Ebosin was produced by Streptomyces sp. 139, with medicinal activity. Its biosynthesis gene cluster (ste) has been previously identified. For the functional study of the ste7 gene in Ebosin biosynthesis, it was disrupted with a double crossover via homologous recombination. The monosaccharide composition of EPS-7m produced by the mutant strain Streptomyces sp. 139 ($ste7^-$) was found altered from that of Ebosin, with fucose decreasing remarkably. For biochemical characterization of Ste7, the ste7 gene was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21. With a continuous coupled spectrophotometric assay, Ste7 was demonstrated to have the ability of catalyzing the transfer of fucose specifically from GDP-$\beta$-L-fucose to a fucose acceptor, the lipid carrier located in the cytoplasmic membrane of Streptomyces sp. 139 ($ste7^-$). Therefore, the ste7 gene has been identified to code for a fucosyltransferase, which plays an essential role in the formation of repeating sugars units during Ebosin biosynthesis.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.417-429
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• 2023

Ralstonia solanacearum species complex (RSSC) is a soil borne plant pathogen causing bacterial wilt on various important crops, including Solanaceae plants. The bacterial pathogens within the RSSC produce exopolysaccharide (EPS), a highly complicated nitrogencontaining heteropolymeric polysaccharide, as a major virulence factor. However, the biosynthetic pathway of the EPS in the RSSC has not been fully characterized. To identify genes in EPS production beyond the EPS biosynthetic gene operon, we selected the EPS-defective mutants of R. pseudosolanacearum strain SL341 from Tn5-inserted mutant pool. Among several EPSdefective mutants, we identified a mutant, SL341P4, with a Tn5-insertion in a gene encoding a putative NDP-sugar epimerase, a putative membrane protein with sugar-modifying moiety, in a reverse orientation to EPS biosynthesis gene cluster. This protein showed similar to other NDP-sugar epimerases involved in EPS biosynthesis in many phytopathogens. Mutation of the NDP-sugar epimerase gene reduced EPS production and biofilm formation in R. pseudosolanacearum. Additionally, the SL341P4 mutant exhibited reduced disease severity and incidence of bacterial wilt in tomato plants compared to the wild-type SL341 without alteration of bacterial multiplication. These results indicate that the NDP-sugar epimerase gene is required for EPS production and bacterial virulence in R. pseudosolanacearum.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2000

To identity the genes responsible for the biosynthesis of exopolysaccharide, recombinant plasmids pUEX10 and pLEX10 were constructed from plasmid pLEX3 which was isolated from the recombinant cosmid library of Zoogloea ramigera 115. The complete nucleotide sequence of the 1.7 kb genomic DNA insert in plasmid pUEX10 was determined. Its analysis identified two open reading frames (ORF3 & ORF4) which could encode two proteins. The amino acid sequence derived from ORF3 showed the homology with gumC protein in Xanthomonas campestris as well as exoP protein in Rhizobium melizoti. The partial amino acid sequence of ORF4 showed the homology with polysaccharide export protein in Thermotoga maritima. Z. ramigera 115SLR and Z. ramigera 115SLR/pLEX10 showed the similar pattern for EPS production. Yield of exopolysaccharides produced by Z. ramigera 115SLR and Z. ramigera 115SLR/pLEX10 was 0.26% (w/v) and 0.16% (w/v), respectively.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.415-422
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• 1996

A gene coding for a pyruvyl transferase enzyme involved in exopolysaccharide biosynthesis of Zoogloea ramigera 115SLR was isolated and sequenced. A 4.5 kb of BamHI DNA fragment was isolated from chromosomal DNA using a probe derived from ketal pyruvyl transferase gene of Xanthomonas campestris. The nucleotide sequence of 2.66 kb Pst1/HindIII DNA fragment which was homology with a probe revealed the existence of two complete open reading frames (ORF2 and ORF3) and two partial open reading frames (ORFI and ORF4). The deduced amino acid sequence of ORF3 was homologous to the ketalase (GumL product) of X campestris with 49.5% of similarity and 21.6% of identity. ORF2 on the other hand showed the higher identity with the ketalase (ExoV product) of Rhizobium meliloti (36%) as well as the ketalase of X campestris (23%) than that of ORF3. A gene product of ORF2 was determined with a bacteriophage T7 RNA polymerase/promoter system in E. coli. The molecular weight of protein was 33,500 dalton.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.23 no.11
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• pp.1500-1508
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• 2013

Ebosin, a novel exopolysaccharide produced by Streptomyces sp. 139, has obvious antirheumatic arthritis activity in vivo, and its biosynthesis gene cluster (ste), consisting of 27 open reading frames, has been identified. This paper reports our study of the gene functionality of ste8, the predicted protein product of which is homologous to some bacterial chain length determinant Wzz proteins. For characterization of Ste8, ste8 was cloned and expressed in the mutant strain E. coli 086:H2 (${\Delta}wzz$). The functional complementation of wzz by ste8 was demonstrated by the restoration of wild-type lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis and increased levels of serum resistance of E. coli 086:H2 (${\Delta}wzz$) (pET30a-ste8). To examine the function of ste8 in ebosin biosynthesis, the gene was knocked out with a double crossover via homologous recombination. The molecular weight of the ebosin derivative EPS-8m produced by the mutant Streptomyces sp. 139 ($ste8^-$) was much lower than that of ebosin, and the binding activity of EPS-8m for IL-1R decreased significantly compared with ebosin. These results demonstrate that ste8 encodes a chain length determinant (Wzz) that functions in ebosin biosynthesis.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.91-101
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• 2018

The aim of this study was to transfer the 18.5 kb gene clusters coding for 17 genes from Lactobacillus rhamnosus to Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris MG1363 in order to determine the effect of host on exopolysaccharide (EPS) production and to provide a model for studying the phosphorylation of proteins which are proposed to be involved in EPS polymerization. Lactobacillus rhamnosus RW-9595M and ATCC 9595 have 99% identical operons coding for EPS biosynthesis, produced different amounts of EPS (543 vs 108 mg/l). L. lactis subsp. cremoris MG1363 transformed with the operons from RW-9595M and ATCC 9595 respectively, produced 326 and 302 mg/l EPS in M17 containing 0.5% glucose. The tyrosine protein kinase transmembrane modulator (Wzd) was proposed to participate in regulating chain elongation of EPS polymers by interacting with the tyrosine protein kinase Wze. While Wzd was found in phosphorylated form in the presence of the phosphorylated kinase (Wze), no phosphorylated proteins were detected when all nine tyrosines of Wzd were mutated to phenylalanine. Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris could produce higher amounts of EPS than other EPS-producing lactococci when expressing genes from L. rhamnosus. Phosphorylated Wzd was essential for the phosphorylation of Wze when expressed in vivo.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.15-27
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• 2023

The incidence of melioidosis cases caused by the gram-negative pathogen Burkholderia pseudomallei (BP) is seeing an increasing trend that has spread beyond its previously known endemic regions. Biofilms produced by BP have been associated with antimicrobial therapy limitation and relapse melioidosis, thus making it urgently necessary to understand the mechanisms of biofilm formation and their role in BP biology. Microbial cells aggregate and enclose within a self-produced matrix of extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) to form biofilm. The transition mechanism of bacterial cells from planktonic state to initiate biofilm formation, which involves the formation of surface attachment microcolonies and the maturation of the biofilm matrix, is a dynamic and complex process. Despite the emerging findings on the biofilm formation process, systemic knowledge on the molecular mechanisms of biofilm formation in BP remains fractured. This review provides insights into the signaling systems, matrix composition, and the biosynthesis regulation of EPSs (exopolysaccharide, eDNA and proteins) that facilitate the formation of biofilms in order to present an overview of our current knowledge and the questions that remain regarding BP biofilms.