This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Degeest, B.
Right arrow Articles by De Vuyst, L.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Degeest, B.
Right arrow Articles by De Vuyst, L.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by Degeest, B.
Right arrow Articles by De Vuyst, L.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, August 2000, p. 3519-3527, Vol. 66, No. 8
0099-2240/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Correlation of Activities of the Enzymes alpha -Phosphoglucomutase, UDP-Galactose 4-Epimerase, and UDP-Glucose Pyrophosphorylase with Exopolysaccharide Biosynthesis by Streptococcus thermophilus LY03

Bart Degeest and Luc De Vuyst*

Research Group of Industrial Microbiology, Fermentation Technology and Downstream Processing, Department of Applied Biological Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium

Received 18 February 2000/Accepted 30 May 2000

The effects of different carbohydrates or mixtures of carbohydrates as substrates on bacterial growth and exopolysaccharide (EPS) production were studied for the yoghurt starter culture Streptococcus thermophilus LY03. This strain produces two heteropolysaccharides with the same monomeric composition (galactose and glucose in the ratio 4:1) but with different molecular masses. Lactose and glucose were fermented by S. thermophilus LY03 only when they were used as sole energy and carbohydrate sources. Fructose was also fermented when it was applied in combination with lactose or glucose. Both the amount of EPS produced and the carbohydrate source consumption rates were clearly influenced by the type of energy and carbohydrate source used, while the EPS monomeric composition remained constant (galactose-glucose, 4:1) under all circumstances. A combination of lactose and glucose resulted in the largest amounts of EPS. Measurements of the activities of enzymes involved in EPS biosynthesis, and of those involved in sugar nucleotide biosynthesis and the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas pathway, demonstrated that the levels of activity of alpha -phosphoglucomutase, UDP-galactose 4-epimerase, and UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase are highly correlated with the amount of EPS produced. Furthermore, a weaker relationship or no relationship between the amounts of EPS and the enzymes involved in either the rhamnose nucleotide synthetic branch of the EPS biosynthesis or the pathway leading to glycolysis was observed for S. thermophilus LY03.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Research Group of Industrial Microbiology, Fermentation Technology and Downstream Processing (IMDO), Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium. Phone: 32 2 6293245. Fax: 32 2 6292720. E-mail: ldvuyst{at}vub.ac.be.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, August 2000, p. 3519-3527, Vol. 66, No. 8
0099-2240/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Chen, W. Y., Marcellin, E., Hung, J., Nielsen, L. K. (2009). Hyaluronan Molecular Weight Is Controlled by UDP-N-acetylglucosamine Concentration in Streptococcus zooepidemicus. J. Biol. Chem. 284: 18007-18014 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Mozzi, F., Vaningelgem, F., Hebert, E. M., Van der Meulen, R., Foulquie Moreno, M. R., Font de Valdez, G., De Vuyst, L. (2006). Diversity of heteropolysaccharide-producing lactic Acid bacterium strains and their biopolymers.. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 72: 4431-4435 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Carpinelli, J., Kramer, R., Agosin, E. (2006). Metabolic Engineering of Corynebacterium glutamicum for Trehalose Overproduction: Role of the TreYZ Trehalose Biosynthetic Pathway.. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 72: 1949-1955 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • de Vin, F., Radstrom, P., Herman, L., De Vuyst, L. (2005). Molecular and Biochemical Analysis of the Galactose Phenotype of Dairy Streptococcus thermophilus Strains Reveals Four Different Fermentation Profiles. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71: 3659-3667 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Barreto, M., Jedlicki, E., Holmes, D. S. (2005). Identification of a Gene Cluster for the Formation of Extracellular Polysaccharide Precursors in the Chemolithoautotroph Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71: 2902-2909 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Vaillancourt, K., LeMay, J.-D., Lamoureux, M., Frenette, M., Moineau, S., Vadeboncoeur, C. (2004). Characterization of a Galactokinase-Positive Recombinant Strain of Streptococcus thermophilus. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 70: 4596-4603 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Kornmann, H., Duboc, P., Marison, I., von Stockar, U. (2003). Influence of Nutritional Factors on the Nature, Yield, and Composition of Exopolysaccharides Produced by Gluconacetobacter xylinus I-2281. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 69: 6091-6098 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Boels, I. C., Kleerebezem, M., de Vos, W. M. (2003). Engineering of Carbon Distribution between Glycolysis and Sugar Nucleotide Biosynthesis in Lactococcus lactis. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 69: 1129-1135 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Broadbent, J. R., McMahon, D. J., Welker, D. L., Oberg, C. J., Moineau, S. (2003). Biochemistry, Genetics, and Applications of Exopolysaccharide Production in Streptococcus thermophilus: A Review. J DAIRY SCI 86: 407-423 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • De Vuyst, L., Schrijvers, V., Paramithiotis, S., Hoste, B., Vancanneyt, M., Swings, J., Kalantzopoulos, G., Tsakalidou, E., Messens, W. (2002). The Biodiversity of Lactic Acid Bacteria in Greek Traditional Wheat Sourdoughs Is Reflected in Both Composition and Metabolite Formation. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 68: 6059-6069 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Levander, F., Svensson, M., Radstrom, P. (2002). Enhanced Exopolysaccharide Production by Metabolic Engineering of Streptococcus thermophilus. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 68: 784-790 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Degeest, B., Vaningelgem, F., Laws, A. P., De Vuyst, L. (2001). UDP-N-Acetylglucosamine 4-Epimerase Activity Indicates the Presence of N-Acetylgalactosamine in Exopolysaccharides of Streptococcus thermophilus Strains. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 67: 3976-3984 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Levander, F., Rådström, P. (2001). Requirement for Phosphoglucomutase in Exopolysaccharide Biosynthesis in Glucose- and Lactose-Utilizing Streptococcus thermophilus. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 67: 2734-2738 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»