The role of the tyrosine kinase Wzc (Sll0923) and the phosphatase Wzb (Slr0328) in the production of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) by Synechocystis PCC 6803.

ABSTRACT: Many cyanobacteria produce extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) mainly composed of heteropolysaccharides with unique characteristics that make them suitable for biotechnological applications. However, manipulation/optimization of EPS biosynthesis/characteristics is hindered by a poor understanding of the production pathways and the differences between bacterial species. In this work, genes putatively related to different pathways of cyanobacterial EPS polymerization, assembly, and export were targeted for deletion or truncation in the unicellular Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. No evident phenotypic changes were observed for some mutants in genes occurring in multiple copies in Synechocystis genome, namely ∆wzy (∆sll0737), ∆wzx (∆sll5049), ∆kpsM (∆slr2107), and ∆kpsM∆wzy (∆slr2107∆sll0737)

SUBMITTER: Pereira SB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6562117 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature