title: 1H-NMR analysis of water mobility in cultured phototrophic biofilms.
abstract: The present work reports on the first attempt to study water mobility in phototrophic biofilms, applying the (1)H-NMR relaxometry technique to closely monitored microbial communities grown in a microcosm under controlled ambient conditions. Longitudinal water proton relaxation times exhibited a bi-exponential behavior in all biofilm samples, indicating two types of water molecules with diverging dynamic properties, confined to different compartments of the biofilm. The fast-relaxing component can be attributed to water molecules tightly bound to the intracellular matrix, while the slow-relaxing component could reflect the behavior of water embedded in the biopolymer matrix, confined into matrix pores and channels. The results are discussed with respect to a possible key role of exopolysaccharides and uronic acids in water binding in phototrophic biofilms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Di Pippo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bohn
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cavalieri
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Albertano
mesh_terms: D018441:Biofilms; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D019906:Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular; D011522:Protons; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D011522:Protons; D014867:Water