Energy requirements for microbial exopolysaccharide synthesis

Abstract

Calculations indicate that at the high specific rates of exopolysaccharide synthesis obtained in continuous cultures of Xanthomonas campestris and mucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains the ATP demand for this synthesis is a significant proportion of total cellular ATP demand. However, depending upon the proportion of polymer substituents more oxidised than the carbohydrate substrate, some, and in certain cases all of this energy can be provided via NAD(P)H2 produced during exopolysaccharide synthesis. For xanthan production by X. campestris a P/O ratio of 2.2 to 2.6, depending on the content of pyruvyl substituents, would be necessary for energy generation as a direct result of xanthan synthesis to support the ATP demand for this synthesis. In sulphur-limited cultures of X. campestris, however, energy metabolism is shown to be inefficient, the organism exhibiting either a low P/O ratio or low YATP. In such cultures the yield of exopolysaccharide from glucose was 0.62/g glucose compared with maximum theoretical yields of 0.81 to 0.87/g glucose for P/O ratio of 1 to 3.