Levan bacterial

Polysaccharides. Part XXXIX. The Constitution of Certain Levans Formed by Bacterial Action, R. R. Lyne, S. Peat, and M. Stacey, J. Chem. Soc.. (1940) 237 -241. 

Two extracellular D-fructans, (2- 6)-linked S-D-fructofuranan or levan and the less common corresponding (2 l)-linked polysaccharide, of the inulin type, are elaborated by different bacteria. These polysaccharides are formed from sucrose by the action of sucrose fructosyltransferases. Terminal )S-D-fructofuranosyl groups are present in some bacterial heteropolysacchar-... 

One of the recent fundamental advances in carbohydrate chemistry has been enzymic synthesis in vtiro this has now been realized with dextran8 and with levan.8 However, since phosphate sugars are not involved in the enzymic syntheses of these two bacterial polysaccharides, it is obvious that phosphorylation is just one process for the natural synthesis of polysaccharides. 

Bacterial cellulose, dextran and many other bacterial polysaccharides are composed entirely of D-glucose units the levans are condensation polymers of D-fructose. Dextrans from different species of Leuconostoc... 

The occurrence of fructosans in plants is widespread (see page 253).M The formation of a bacterial fructosan, levan, by a number of different organisms has also been investigated. 

The literature contains many references to the synthesis of levulosans by bacterial action. These substances are known as levans and so far they have all been found to be polysaccharides consisting of fructofura-nose residues in which the second or reducing carbon of one is joined to the sixth carbon of an adjacent residue. The levans have been discussed in a preceding chapter (page 225). 

Fructan was harvested by precipitation from the culture broth by addition of ethanol or isopropanol. Acetone and methanol can also be used. The yield and consistency of the product varied depending on the amount of alcohol added. The fructan started to precipitate at the medium/alcohol v/v ratio of 1 1.2, and the yield peaked at about 1 1.5. Further increase in the ratio hardened the fructan and made the product less fluid. Slightly less isopropanol was needed than ethanol to precipitate levan (fructan). Although most of the bacterial cells, unfermented sugars, and other solubles remained in the aqueous alcohol phase, pre-removal of microbial cells by centrifuging was needed to obtain a pure form of fructan. The product was further purified by repeated precipitation and dissolution in water, followed by dialysis or ultrafiltration. The final product was an... 

Structure. The nmr spectra, shown in Figure 2, indicates that essentially all fructose molecules in the polymers are in the same conformation. In Table I, nmr peaks from fructan are compared to peaks from known inulin 0-(l->2) linked) and bacterial levan (P-(2->6) linked). Data clearly show the fructan to be of the p-(2- 6) type (27). (Sec Table II.)... 

With all this war work progressing, a small group was still able to carry on with the normal carbohydrate research. Papers on starch, D-glucuronolactone, bacterial levans (with Stacey), and the polysaccharide associated with beta-amylase, all appeared in the Journals. 

Myeloma proteins occur in animal tumors of various types. The synthesis of these proteins can be induced in some experimental animals by injection of mineral oil, or the implantation of plastic discs.161 Myeloma proteins were shown to possess antibody activity, with specificity for different types of substances.161 Some of these proteins were found to combine with such carbohydrates as bacterial, cell-wall polysaccharides, lipopolysaccharides, dextrans, levans, and galactans.162 Myeloma proteins that combine with galactans or dextrans possess anti-galactan activity,163,164 or anti-dextran activity,165-167 and have been studied most extensively. 

Bacterial levans, as distinct from other polyfructoses, may be molecules possessing highly branched structures and very high molecular weights. 

In order to provide access here to information about other microbial polysaccharides, there follows a short review of reviews. The Chemical Nature of Bacterial Antigens is a source of information on the earlier work, and this was followed by two reviews - in the present Series in one of these, the bacterial homopolysaccharides were discussed and some of the more complex products were mentioned. A wide review of mucopolysaccharides and mucoproteins included references to many bacterial polysaccharides, and, subsequently, an account of the specific polysaccharides of the Gram-positive Pneumococcus, and of dextrans, levans, and products of Gram-negative forms appeared. There followed a comprehensive review of pneumococcal polysaccharides, and an account restricted to products of Mycobacterium tuberculosis appeared in 1948. A broad coverage was provided in 1950, in this case the products of pathogenic species being dealt with more particularly this work encompassed the basis of the more... 

Polysaccharides that exclusively contain D-fructose are known as fructans and there are two known kinds, inulin and levan. Inulin is a polysaccharide containing -D-fructofuranose linked (2 1) [118]. Inulins are found in the roots and tubers of the family of plants known as the Compositae, which includes asters, dandelions, dahlias, cosmos, burdock, goldenrod, chicory, lettuce, and Jerusalem artichokes. Other sources are from the Liliacae family, which includes lily bulbs, onion, hyacinth, and tulip bulbs. Inulins are also produced by certain species of algae [119]. Several bacterial strains of Streptococcus mutans also produce an extracellular inulin from sucrose [120]. 

Avigad G (1968) Bacterial Levans. In Mark HE, Gaylard NG, Bikales NM (eds) Encyclopedia of Polymer Science Engineering, vol. 8. Wiley Interscience, New York, pp 71-78... 

Stacey has written an excellent review on the subject of mucopolysaccharides, which he classified on the basis of their containing both hexosamine and hexuronic acid residues, one or the other of these sugar derivatives, or neither. Hyaluronic acid, chondroitinsulfuric acid. Type I pneumococcal polysaccharides, and heparin are members of the first class. Types II, III, and VIII pneumococcal polysaccharides are examples containing hexuronic acid but no hexosamine. Chi tin and Types IV and XIV pneiuno-coccal polysaccharides contain hexosamine but no hexuronic acid and bacterial dextrans, mold polysaccharides, and levans contain neither hexosamine nor hexuronic acid. 

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