title: Osmotic adaptation by gram-negative bacteria: possible role for periplasmic oligosaccharides.
abstract: The cyclic (1----2)-beta-D-glucans produced by species of Agrobacterium and Rhizobium resemble the membrane-derived oligosaccharides of Escherichia coli in their periplasmic localization, intermediate size, and (1----2)-beta-D-glucan backbones. The regulation of the biosynthesis of cyclic (1----2)-beta-D-glucan by Agrobacterium tumefaciens is now shown to parallel the osmotic regulation of membrane-derived oligosaccharide biosynthesis in Escherichia coli. This result suggests a general role for periplasmic oligosaccharides in the osmotic adaptation of Gram-negative bacteria as ecologically diverse as enteric and soil bacteria.
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D005936:Glucans / Q000032:analysis; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000032:analysis / Q000502:physiology*; D009844:Oligosaccharides / Q000502:physiology*; D009997:Osmotic Pressure; D014882:Water-Electrolyte Balance
chemical_list: D005936:Glucans; D009844:Oligosaccharides