Expression of genes involved in the biosynthesis of bacterial cellulose by symbiotic culture of Medusomyces gisevii, depending on the available carbon source

Abstract

Scientific and practical interest in the design of symbiotic cultures is determined by their potential for use in biotechnological processes for the production of a wide range of biogenic molecules. We have determined the expression levels of genes involved in the biosynthesis of cellulose by the symbiotic culture Medusomyces gisevii that had been statically grown either on glucose or sucrose or fructose, considered as three most economically justified carbon sources. 16S ribosomal RNA was used as a reference gene. The PCR primers used were bcsA1, bcsA2, bcsA3, bcsA4, bcsB, DGC, PDE, UDP GT. Overall higher gene expression levels were observed when cultivating a symbiotic culture of Medusomyces gisevi on glucose or sucrose substrates compared with fructose. Furthermore, the expression of these genes in the synthesized BC gel films is significantly higher compared to that in the bacterial culture medium.