Bacterial Surface Polysaccharides: Structure and Function

Abstract

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the chemical and physical information possessed on bacterial surface polysaccharides and determines the extent to which it matches and amplifies the cytological observations of these polymeric structures. The specific groups of extracellular polysaccharides are discussed. Bacterial exopolysaccharide (EPS) are a very diverse series of macromolecules, some of which show a relatively high degree of conservation of structural features. They produce a highly hydrated and an anionic environment immediately surrounding the bacterial cell. It provides the bacteria with a means of complexing cations close to the outer surface. In some polysaccharides, there is a marked specificity for the binding of certain cations. The EPS possess various physical characteristics such as the ability to undergo transition from an ordered to a disordered conformation in solution. The transition is dependent on factors such as the ionic environment, temperature, and the chemical composition of the polymer. The polysaccharides function in adhesion, recognition, and pathogenesis, as well as in prokaryotic development.