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Extracellular polysaccharides of cowpea rhizobia: compositional and functional studies

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Abstract

Polysaccharides excreted by cowpea Rhizobium strains JLn(c) and RA-1 were mixtures of complex acidic exopolysaccharides and low molecular weight neutral glucans. These polymers were fractionated using gel filtration chromatography. Purified fractions of the acidic heteropolymer reacted with peanut agglutinin to give precipitin bands when subjected to Ouchterlony gel diffusion. The acidic exopolysaccharide was found to contain mainly glucose, galactose, glucuronic acid, mannose and fucose. The non-carbohydrate substituents of the acidic heteropolymer were pyruvate, acetate and uronate which were identified by infrared and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy as well as by chemical analysis.

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Abbreviations

EPS:

Extracellular polysaccharide

YEM:

yeast extract mannitol

PNA:

peanut agglutination

1H-NMR:

proton nuclear magnetic resonance

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, M.S. University of Baroda, Baroda, India

    Bina Mody, Meena Bindra & Vinod Modi

  2. Biotechnology Centre, Faculty of Science, M.S. University of Baroda, Baroda, India

    Bina Mody, Meena Bindra & Vinod Modi

Authors
  1. Bina Mody
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  2. Meena Bindra
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  3. Vinod Modi
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Mody, B., Bindra, M. & Modi, V. Extracellular polysaccharides of cowpea rhizobia: compositional and functional studies. Arch. Microbiol. 153, 38–42 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00277538

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00277538

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