title: Isolation and characterization of a novel fucoidan-degrading microorganism.
abstract: A bacterium utilizing fucoidan from the brown alga Cladosiphon okamuranus as sole carbon source was isolated and identified as Flavobacterium sp. F-31. The strain produced intracellular enzymes involved in fucoidan degradation and desulfation, but desulfation activity was not detected until the molecular weight of fucoidan fell to less than several tens of thousands due to enzymatic degradation. Only fucoidan proved to be an inducible substance for the production of the degrading enzymes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, Tottori University, Tottori, Japan. ohshiro@bio.tottori-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohshiro
authors.forename: Yoshiyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ohmoto
authors.forename: Yoshihisa
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ono
authors.forename: Ryo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ohkita
authors.forename: Yasunari
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Miki
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kawamoto
authors.forename: Yoshikazu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Izumi
mesh_terms: D001711:Biotransformation; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D005417:Flavobacterium / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism*; D000459:Phaeophyceae / Q000737:chemistry; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D013431:Sulfates / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D011134:Polysaccharides; D013431:Sulfates; C007789:fucoidan