What are Bacterial Extracellular Polymeric Substances?

Extraction of Structural Extracellular Polymeric Substances from Aerobic Granular Sludge

“…Although EPS contains various classes of organic macromolecules such as polysaccharides, proteins, nucleic acids, (phospho)lipids, humic substances and some intercellular polymers 7,5,8 , not all of them form a gel. Only those gel-forming polymers are here considered as structural polymers in EPS.…”

“…In AGS, like in biofilms, microorganisms produce a significant amount of highly hydrated extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) 5 to form a hydrogel matrix in which they are self-immobilized [4][5][6] . EPS are a complex mixture, consisting of polysaccharides, proteins, nucleic acids, (phospho)lipids, humic substances and some intercellular polymers 5,7,8 . These polymeric substances interact with each other through electrostatic forces, hydrogen bonds, attractive ionic forces and/or biochemical reactions, etc.…”

FTIR Spectroscopic Study of Biogenic Mn-Oxide Formation byPseudomonas putidaGB-1

“…The favorability of these various interactions is governed to a large degree by the respective surface chemistries. The charge and hydrophobicity of bacterial cells are affected by the composition of surficial macromolecules including extracellular polymeric substances (EPS; i.e., extracellular polysaccharides, proteins, and nucleic acids) (Wingender et al 1999), lipopolysaccharides (LPS) (Williams and Fletcher 1996), and surface appendages such as fimbrae (Scannapieco et al 1983). The degree to which biomolecular composition may be altered in response to environmental cues-such as availability of dissolved Mn(II) and the formation of MnO x -is not well known, but it is expected to influence the molecular-scale mechanisms of mineral-microbe interaction.…”

Transparent Exopolymer Particles (TEP): an overlooked factor in the process of biofilm formation in aquatic environments

“…Researchers of biofilm have long known that these layers consist of diverse populations of microorganisms, mostly bacteria, held together within a matrix of predominantly mucopolysaccharide, extracellular polymeric substances, EPS (Wigender et al 1999). Almost all previous studies of biofilm initiation have concentrated on following the complex physical, chemical and biological interactions between biofilm forming bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Caulobacter crescentus, Legionella pneumophila (Strathmann et al 2002, Encheva-Dimitrov and Sporman 2004, Kirisitis & Parsek 2006, Lucas et al 2006) and the substrate surface.…”