title: Xanthan production by Xanthomonas albilineans infecting sugarcane stalks.
abstract: Xanthomonas albilineans is the causal organism of leaf scald, a bacterial vascular disease of sugarcane. Xanthomonas may invade the parenchyma between the bundles and cause reddened pockets of gum, identified as a xanthan-like polysaccharide. Since xanthan contains glucuronic acid, the ability of Xanthomonas to produce an active UDP glucose dehydrogenase is often seen as a virulence factor. X. albilineans axenically cultured did not secrete xanthans to Willbrink liquid media, but the use of inoculated sugarcane tissues for producing and characterizing xanthans has been required. A hypothesis about the role of sugarcane polysaccharides to assure the production of bacterial xanthan is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Physiology, Faculty of Biology, Complutense University, José Antonio Novais, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: María
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Blanch
authors.forename: María-Estrella
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Legaz
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vicente
mesh_terms: D005591:Chemical Fractionation; D004586:Electrophoresis; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000378:metabolism; D006868:Hydrolysis; D008970:Molecular Weight; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases / Q000378:metabolism; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D031786:Saccharum / Q000382:microbiology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014974:Xanthomonas / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D006023:Glycoproteins; D010940:Plant Proteins; D011134:Polysaccharides; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases; C002563:xanthan gum