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Genetic control and regulatory mechanisms of succinoglycan and curdlan biosynthesis in genus Agrobacterium

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Abstract

Agrobacterium is a genus of gram-negative bacteria that can produce several typical exopolysaccharides with commercial uses in the food and pharmaceutical fields. In particular, succinoglycan and curdlan, due to their good quality in high yield, have been employed on an industrial scale comparatively early. Exopolysaccharide biosynthesis is a multiple-step process controlled by different functional genes, and various environmental factors cause changes in exopolysaccharide biosynthesis through regulatory mechanisms. In this mini-review, we focus on the genetic control and regulatory mechanisms of succinoglycan and curdlan produced by Agrobacterium. Some key functional genes and regulatory mechanisms for exopolysaccharide biosynthesis are described, possessing a high potential for application in metabolic engineering to modify exopolysaccharide production and physicochemical properties. This review may contribute to the understanding of exopolysaccharide biosynthesis and exopolysaccharide modification by metabolic engineering methods in Agrobacterium.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51578179), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (No. HIT. NSRIF. 2015095) and the Postdoctoral Scientific Research Development Fund of Heilongjiang Province in 2014 (No. LBH-Q14076).

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  1. State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150090, People’s Republic of China

    Dan Wu, Ang Li, Fang Ma, Jixian Yang & Yutong **e

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  1. Dan Wu
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Correspondence to Ang Li or Jixian Yang.

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Wu, D., Li, A., Ma, F. et al. Genetic control and regulatory mechanisms of succinoglycan and curdlan biosynthesis in genus Agrobacterium . Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 100, 6183–6192 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-016-7650-1

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