Skip to main content
Biochemical Journal logoLink to Biochemical Journal
. 1975 Dec;152(3):617–622. doi: 10.1042/bj1520617

The biosynthesis of alginic acid by Azotobacter vinelandii.

D F Pindar, C Bucke
PMCID: PMC1172516  PMID: 179528

Abstract

The sequence of reactions by which alginic acid is biosynthesized from sucrose in Azotobacter vinelandii was determined both by feeding radioactive individual enzymes involved. Results indicate that the first polymeric substance formed in the synthesis is polymannuronic acid and that mannuronic acid units are epimerized to guluronic acid at the polymer level. Guluronic acid does not appear to be formed at the monomer level, either free or in combination with GDP.

Full text

PDF
617

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Bucke C. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of alginic acid. J Chromatogr. 1974 Feb 13;89(1):99–102. doi: 10.1016/s0021-9673(01)84167-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. COHEN G. H., JOHNSTONE D. B. EXTRACELLULAR POLYSACCHARIDES OF AZOTOBACTER VINELANDII. J Bacteriol. 1964 Aug;88:329–338. doi: 10.1128/jb.88.2.329-338.1964. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Claus D. 2-keto-3-deoxygalactonic acid as a constituent of an extra-cellular polysaccharide of Azotobacter vinelandii. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1965 Sep 22;20(6):745–751. doi: 10.1016/0006-291x(65)90080-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Couperwhite I., McCallum M. F. The influence of EDTA on the composition of alginate synthesized by Azotobacter vinelandii. Arch Mikrobiol. 1974 Apr 10;97(1):73–80. doi: 10.1007/BF00403047. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Haug A., Larsen B. Biosynthesis of alginate. II. Polymannuronic acid C-5-epimerase from Azotobacter vinelandii (Lipman). Carbohydr Res. 1971 Apr;17(2):297–308. doi: 10.1016/s0008-6215(00)82537-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Hök M., Lindahl U., Iverius P. H. Distribution of sulphate and iduronic acid residues in heparin and heparan sulphate. Biochem J. 1974 Jan;137(1):33–43. doi: 10.1042/bj1370033. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. LOWRY O. H., ROSEBROUGH N. J., FARR A. L., RANDALL R. J. Protein measurement with the Folin phenol reagent. J Biol Chem. 1951 Nov;193(1):265–275. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Larsen B., Haug A. Biosynthesis of alginate. 1. Composition and structure of alginate produced by Azotobacter vinelandii (Lipman). Carbohydr Res. 1971 Apr;17(2):287–296. doi: 10.1016/s0008-6215(00)82536-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Larsen B., Haug A. Biosynthesis of alginate. 3. Tritium incorporation with polymannuronic acid 5-epimerase from Azotobacter vinelandii. Carbohydr Res. 1971 Dec;20(2):225–232. doi: 10.1016/s0008-6215(00)81375-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Larsen B., Smidsrod O., Haug A., Painter T. Determination by a kinetic method of the nearest-neighbour frequencies in a fragment of alginic acid. Acta Chem Scand. 1969;23(7):2375–2388. doi: 10.3891/acta.chem.scand.23-2375. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Lin T. Y., Hassid W. Z. Isolation of guanosine diphosphate uronic acids from a marine brown alga, Fucus gardneri Silva. J Biol Chem. 1966 Jul 25;241(14):3283–3293. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Lin T. Y., Hassid W. Z. Pathway of algnic acid synthesis in the marine brown alga, Fucus gardneri Silva. J Biol Chem. 1966 Nov 25;241(22):5284–5297. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Madgwick J., Haug A., Larsen B. Polymannuronic acid 5-epimerase from the marine alga Pelvetia canaliculata (L.) Dcne. et Thur. Acta Chem Scand. 1973;27(9):3592–3594. doi: 10.3891/acta.chem.scand.27-3592. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. NEWTON J. W., WILSON P. W., BURRIS R. H. Direct demonstration of ammonia as an intermediate in nitrogen fixation by Azotobacter. J Biol Chem. 1953 Sep;204(1):445–451. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. PREISS J., ASHWELL G. Alginic acid metabolism in bacteria. I. Enzymatic formation of unsaturated oligosac-charides and 4-deoxy-L-erythro-5-hexoseulose uronic acid. J Biol Chem. 1962 Feb;237:309–316. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Penman A., Sanderson G. R. A method for the determination of uronic acid sequence in alginates. Carbohydr Res. 1972 Dec;25(2):273–282. doi: 10.1016/s0008-6215(00)81637-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. WARREN L. The thiobarbituric acid assay of sialic acids. J Biol Chem. 1959 Aug;234(8):1971–1975. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Biochemical Journal are provided here courtesy of The Biochemical Society

RESOURCES