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. 1982 Jul;44(1):121–127. doi: 10.1128/aem.44.1.121-127.1982

Pullulan Elaboration by Aureobasidium pullulans Protoplasts

Malcolm A J Finkelman 1, Alexander Vardanis 1
PMCID: PMC241978  PMID: 16346047

Abstract

Protoplasts of Aureobasidium pullulans are capable of producing pullulan. Biosynthesis of the polymer pullulan required induction with kinetics similar to those of whole cells. The protoplasts also produced a heteropolysaccharide component containing mannose, glucose, and galactose. The relative proportions of the pullulan and heteropolysaccharide fractions were a function of glucose concentration, with the pullulan content of the total polysaccharide rising from 20% at 2.5 mM glucose to 45% at 20 mM glucose. Elaboration of pullulan by both cells and protoplasts was sensitive to 0.6 M KCl, which was present as the osmotic stabilizer in protoplast experiments. The presence of KCl resulted in a shift in the pH optimum to a more acidic value. The molecular weight of the protoplast-derived pullulan was sharply reduced from the molecular weight of the whole-cell-derived product. Exposure of the protoplasts to proteolytic enzymes had no effect on polysaccharide elaboration.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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