Cellulose biosynthesis in Acetobacter xylinum

Thesis/Dissertation · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1988

OSTI ID:5719029

Lin, F C

Time-lapse video microscopy has shown periodic reversals during the synthesis of cellulose. In the presence of Congo Red, Acetobacter produces a band of fine fibrils. The direction of cell movement is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of cell, and the rate of movement was decreased. A linear row of particles, presumably the cellulose synthesizing complexes, was found on the outer membrane by freeze-fracture technique. During the cell cycle, the increase of particles in linear row, the differentiation to four linear rows and the separation of the linear rows have been observed. A digitonin-solubilized cellulose synthase was prepared from A. xylinum, and incubated under conditions known to lead to active in vitro synthesis of 1,4-{beta}-D-glucan polymer. Electron microscopy revealed that clusters of fibrils were assembled within minutes. Individual fibrils are 17 {plus minus} 2 angstroms in diameter. Evidence for the cellulosic composition of newly synthesized fibrils was based on incorporation of tritium from UDP-({sup 3}H) glucose binding of gold-labeled cellobiohydrolase, and an electron diffraction pattern identified as cellulose II polymorph instead of cellulose I.

• Research Organization: Texas Univ., Austin, TX (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5719029
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

550201* -- Biochemistry-- Tracer Techniques
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
ALDEHYDES
BACTERIA
BIOSYNTHESIS
CARBOHYDRATES
CELL CONSTITUENTS
CELL CYCLE
CELL MEMBRANES
CELLULOSE
ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
ENZYMES
GLUCOSE
GOLD ISOTOPES
HEXOSES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
ISOTOPE APPLICATIONS
ISOTOPES
LIGASES
MEMBRANES
MICROORGANISMS
MICROSCOPY
MONOSACCHARIDES
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
POLYSACCHARIDES
SACCHARIDES
SYNTHESIS
TRACER TECHNIQUES
TRITIUM COMPOUNDS