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Peculiarities of extracellular polymeric substances produced by Antarctic bacteria and their possible applications

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Abstract

Extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) possess diversified ecological role, including the cell adhesion to surfaces and cell protection, and are highly involved in the interactions between the bacterial cells and the bulk environments. Interestingly, EPSs find valuable applications in the industrial field, due to their chemical versatility. In this context, Antarctic bacteria have not been given the attention they deserve as producers of EPS molecules and a very limited insight into their EPS production capabilities and biotechnological potential is available in literature to date. Antarctic EPS-producing bacteria are mainly psychrophiles deriving from the marine environments (generally sea ice and seawater) around the continent, whereas a unique thermophilic bacterium, namely Parageobacillus thermantarcticus strain M1, was isolated from geothermal soil of the crater of Mount Melbourne. This mini-review is aimed at showcasing the current knowledge on EPS-producing Antarctic bacteria and the chemical peculiarities of produced EPSs, highlighting their biotechnological potential and the yet unexplored treasure they represent for biodiscovery.

Key Points

• The exploration of Antarctic bacteria as EPS producers is still scarcely developed

• EPSs are produced by psychrophilic and thermophilic Antarctic bacteria

• The presence of mannose and glucose is frequently observed in Antarctic EPSs

• To date, marine matrices have been mainly used to isolate Antarctic EPS-producers

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Funding

This research was supported by grants from the PNRA (Programma Nazionale di Ricerche in Antartide), Italian Ministry of Education and Research (Research Project PNRA16_00020).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Research Council (CNR-ISP), Institute of Polar Sciences, Spianata S. Raineri 86, 98122, Messina, Italy

    Angelina Lo Giudice

  2. National Research Council (CNR-ICB), Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry, Via Campi Flegrei 34, 80078, Pozzuoli, Naples, Italy

    Annarita Poli & Ilaria Finore

  3. Department BIOTECH, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn,, National Institute of Biology, Villa Pace, Contrada Porticatello 29, 98167, Messina, Italy

    Carmen Rizzo

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  1. Angelina Lo Giudice
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  2. Annarita Poli
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  4. Carmen Rizzo
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All authors conceived and wrote the manuscript, and approved the final version.

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Correspondence to Angelina Lo Giudice.

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Lo Giudice, A., Poli, A., Finore, I. et al. Peculiarities of extracellular polymeric substances produced by Antarctic bacteria and their possible applications. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 104, 2923–2934 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-020-10448-8

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