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An extracellular polysaccharide produced by Palmella mucosa Kütz.

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Summary

An extracellular polysaccharide composed of glucose, fucose, arabinose and glucuronic acid in a molar proportion of 11:6:3:1 is a major end-product of photosynthesis by Palmella mucosa Kütz.

The liberation of polysaccharide is related to the age of the culture. Glucose can substitute efficiently for CO2 as the source of carbon for polysaccharide synthesis. Nitrate-nitrogen from sodium, potassium and calcium salts can be used in the mineral salts medium with little differences in carbon metabolism of the alga. Ammonium nitrate produces an acidic medium which limits polysaccharide production.

The incorporation of C14 into the polysaccharide from NaHC14O3 shows initially a trend toward intracellular synthesis. The C14 appears in the extracellular polysaccharide after prolonged exposure. Glucose-C14 is actively transformed to polysaccharide material which is an indication that glucose may play an important role in the synthesis of polysaccharide by Palmella mucosa Kütz.

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Tischer, R.G., Moore, B.G. An extracellular polysaccharide produced by Palmella mucosa Kütz.. Archiv. Mikrobiol. 49, 158–166 (1964). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00422139

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