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Encyclopedia of Biophysics pp 1–7Cite as

Bacterial Polysaccharide Structure and Biosynthesis

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Synonyms

Carbohydrates; Exoglycan; Exopolysaccharide; Extracellular polysaccharide; Glycan; Polysaccharide

Definition

Polysaccharides are linear or branched polymers built up exclusively or mainly of monosaccharides. In glycoconjugates, a polysaccharide chain(s) is linked to a protein/peptide (glycoprotein, proteoglycan, and peptidoglycan) or a lipid (lipoglycans, glycolipids). The bacterial glycome consists of a wide repertoire of cell surface polysaccharides and glycoconjugates, including lipopolysaccharides (LPS, endotoxins) of Gram-negative bacteria, cell-wall anionic polysaccharides of Gram-positive bacteria, mycobacterial lipoglycans, capsular and extracellular polysaccharides (EPS), and S-layer glycoproteins (Seltmann and Holst 2002). A rigid protective peptidoglycan layer surrounds the cytoplasmic membrane in all bacterial groups. Specific surface polysaccharides play an important role in bacterial life and, particularly, are implicated in recognition and virulence of...

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. N.D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia

    Yuriy A. Knirel

  2. Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada

    Miguel A. Valvano

  3. Wellcome-Wolfson Institute of Experimental Medicine, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, UK

    Miguel A. Valvano

Authors
  1. Yuriy A. Knirel
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  2. Miguel A. Valvano
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yuriy A. Knirel .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University Leicester MRC Centre, Leicester, United Kingdom

    Gordon Roberts

  2. Dept Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom

    Anthony Watts

Section Editor information

  1. School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Birkbeck College, University of London, London, UK

    Elizabeth Hounsell

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© 2018 European Biophysical Societies' Association (EBSA)

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Knirel, Y.A., Valvano, M.A. (2018). Bacterial Polysaccharide Structure and Biosynthesis. In: Roberts, G., Watts, A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Biophysics. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-35943-9_91-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-35943-9_91-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-35943-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-35943-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Biomedicine and Life SciencesReference Module Biomedical and Life Sciences

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