1

Synthesis of Cellulose by Bacteria

Kenji TAJIMA (Division of Biotechnology and Macromolecular Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University,
N13W8, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-8628, Japan)

Cellulose is the most abundant biopolymer in nature and is utilized in a wide variety of industries. Although plants
produce the most cellulose, some animals and bacteria also produce cellulose. Acetobacter (=Gluconacetobacter),
which is a Gram-negative bacterium, produces cellulose called bacterial cellulose (BC) from glucose on the surface of
a culture medium. Even in plants, there is little knowledge concerning the mechanisms of cellulose biosynthesis. Due
to its ease of handling, Acetobacter xylinum (A. xylinum) has been studied as a model organism of cellulose production.
BC has exceptional physicochemical properties, such as ultrafine reticulated structure, high crystallinity, high tensile
strength, high hydrophilicity, moldability during formation, and biocompatibility, although its chemical structure is the
same as those of the cellulose produced by plants and algae. These remarkable characteristics are of interest for the
development and manufacture of a wide range of materials, such as food matrices, dietary fiber, acoustic membranes,
special biomaterials. In this article, I introduce cellulose synthesis by bacteria (features and applications) and the synthetic mechanism of BC.
Key Words Bacterial Cellulose, Acetobacter, Gluconacetobacter, Terminal Complex

1.

1,000

2.

BC

50

1,4

Acetobacter Gluconacetobacter 1

1 m 5

m Fig. 1-C1

Fig. 1-C

Fig. 1-B

BC

BC

060-8628
13 8 5
4 1
7 3 31

44

 85 12 2012

Fig. 1 Cellulose synthesis by A. xylinum: A: photograph of Nata de coco; B: SEM photograph of BC; C: TEM photograph of A. xylinum; D: alignment of TC; E: Proposed structure of TC

1994

nm 3

CMCax 31997 -

45BC

Fig. 1-A15

Acetobacter xylinumA. xylinum

ATCC23769

-BglxA

5A. xylinum ATCC23769

0.5

BC

CMCax CcpAxORF2

UV

polymerase chain reactionPCR

Fig. 2-A

6 6 Open read-

3.
3. 1

ing frameORF Basic Local

Alignment Search ToolBLASTP

1990 Wong

ORF

A. xylinum

ORFaxcesA-D
cmcax ccpAx

axcesA

ATCC53582

axcesB

axcesC

axcesD

bglxA

A
1 kbp

yhjQ

bcsA

bcsB

bcsZ

bcsC

yhjK

Fig. 2 Gene clusters of cellulose synthesis related genes fromA: A. xylinum ATCC23769 andB: Enterobacter sp. CJF-002

45

Fig. 3 Metabolic pathways in A. xylinum

AxCeSD

-6-G-6-P-1-G-1-P

3. 3

2 UDP-Glc
Fig. 3
3. 2
TC

AxCeSD

AxCeSD 8AxCeSD

Fig. 4

TC

AxCeSD

Fig. 1 TC

Fig. 1-DTC

AxCeSD N

SEF

SEF

AxCeSD N

AxCeSD

Fig. 1-D1 50 100

AxCeSD DBCD

nm 1000 1

N 2 4 2 5

2 6 AxCeSD BC

Fig. 5AxCeSD

Fig. 1-E

10%

AxCeSABCD AxCeSA

AxCeSDBC

AxCeSB cyclic-di-GMPc-

di-GMPAxCeSC

AxCeSD BC

AxCeSD

N 2 5

2 6

AxCeSA-C

BC

46

 85 12 2012

N-termini

65
90
Fig. 4 Overall structure of AxCeSD

Fig. 5 Effect of N-terminal structure of AxCeSD on cellulose production

Fig. 5 AxCeSD

3. 4

2 5 N

2 6

BC

CMCaxBglxA

AxCeSD

RT-PCR

N 4

9BglxA

CMCax

BC

47

Fig. 6 Proposed scheme for regulation of cellulose biosynthesis by hydrolyzing enzymes

teriumAlcaligenesAzotobacterEnterobacter

EscherichiaRhizobiumSalmoneraSarcina

CMCax

EnterobacterCJF-002

JOGMEC

13 6 ORF

BLASTP

4 ORFbcsA

bcsBbcsZbcsC

10 2

CeSACeSBCMCaxCeSC

4 2

Enterobacter

cesDbglxA

bcsZ

RT-PCR CMCax

Enterobacter sp. CJF-002

CMCax

14

B-Mol

BDF-B

Fig. 6

BC 2 %

w/v 10 mL

11

30 13 BC

GH-9

13 BC

Fig. 7 13Enterobacter sp. CJF-002

BC

CMCax

A. xylinum ATCC23769

12

1/5

Enterobacter sp. CJF-002 A. xylinum

Korrigan

ATCC23769

Enter-

4.

AerobacterAchromobacterAgrobac

obacter sp. CJF-002

BC

48

1.4
A

BC yield (gL-1)

1.2
1.0
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
Glucose

B-Mol

BDF-B

Maximal BC production rate [g(Lday)-1]

85 12 2012

1.2
B
1.0
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
Glucose

B-Mol

BDF-B

Fig. 7 A: BC yields and B: maximal BC production rates for Enterobacter sp. CJF-002hatched bar and A. xylinum
ATCC23769open bar. Glucose, B-Mol, and BDF-B were used as carbon sources

5.

BC
BC

BC

BC

GCOE
No.B01NEDO 23
11B12009

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