Table 1.
EPSs produced by microorganisms isolated from marine hot springs and hydrothermal vents.
| Microorganisms | Source Environment | Description of EPS and Chemical Composition | Suggested Ecological Role and Biotechnological Application | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pseudoalteromonas strain 721 | Deep-sea hydrothermal vent | Octasaccharide repeating unit with two side chains, (Figure 1) | Gelling properties | [39,40] |
| Alteromonas macleodii subsp. fijiensis | Deep-sea hydrothermal vent, North Fijian Basin | Sulfated heteropolysaccharide, high uronic acids with pyruvate. The repeating unit is a branched hexasaccharide containing Glc, Man, Gal, GlcA, GalA, pyruvated mannose | Thickening agent in food- processing industry, biotoxification and waste- water treatment, bone healing, treatment of cardiovascular diseases | [16,17,37,41–43] |
| Thermococcus litoralis | Shallow submarine thermal spring | Man is the only monosaccharide | Biofilm formation | [47] |
| Geobacillus sp. strain 4004 | Sediment in marine hot spring near the seashore of Maronti, Ischia Island, Italy | A pentasaccharide repeating unit (two of them with a gluco-galacto configuration and three with a manno configuration. Gal:Man:GlcN:Arab (1.0:0.8:0.4:02) | Pharmaceutical application | [48] |
| Bacillus thermodenitrificans strain B3-72 | Water of a shallow hydrothermal vent, Vulcano Island, Italy | Trisaccharide repeating unit and a mannopyranosidic configuration. Man:Glc (1:0.2) | Immunomodulatory and antiviral activities | [49,53] |
| Bacillus licheniformis strain B3-15 | Water of a shallow marine hot spring, Vulcano Island, Italy | Man is the main monosaccharide. Tetrasaccharide repeating unit and a mannopyranosidic configuration | Antiviral activity | [35,54] |