Regensburg 2016 – wissenschaftliches Programm
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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 14: Posters - Biotechnology and Bioengineering
BP 14.2: Poster
Montag, 7. März 2016, 17:30–19:30, Poster C
Exploring the secondary structure of xanthan by atomic force microscopy — •Julia Teckentrup1, Orooba Al-Hamood1, Tim Steffen2, Hanna Bednarz2, Volker Walhorn1, Karsten Niehaus2, and Dario Anselmetti1 — 1Experimental Biophysics, Bielefeld University, Germany — 2Proteome and Metabolome Research, Bielefeld University, Germany
The polysaccharide xanthan which is secreted by the γ-proteobacterium Xanthomonas campestris is an industrial scale used food thickening agent and rheologic modifier. Its great commercial importance calls forth to optimize the xanthan production. By targeted genetic modification the metabolism of Xanthomonas can be modified in such a way that the xanthan production efficiency or the shear-thickening potency is optimized.
Using atomic force microscopy (AFM) we analyzed the secondary structure of single xanthan polymers produced by wild-type Xanthomonas campestris B100 and several genetically modified variations. We found a wide variation of characteristic differences between xanthan molecules produced by different stems ranging from single linear polymers to branched xanthan double strands.
These results can help to get a better understanding of the metabolic pathways that are relevant for xanthan synthesis. Furthermore, variations of the xanthan secondary structure can explain its viscosifying properties.