The structure of a novel polysaccharide isolated from Zymomonas mobilis determined by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

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Abstract
A novel polysaccharide was observed in vivo by 13C NMR spectroscopy of the gram-negative bacterium, Zymomonas mobilis. The polysaccharide, which was not removed from the Z. mobilis cell by washing with 0.86% saline, was extracted by mild acid treatment. The structure was elucidated by a combination of NMR techniques, including proton and proton-carbon 2-dimensional methods. The structure was determined to be -.alpha.-fructofuranosyl-(2-1)-.beta.-fructofuranosyl-(2-6)-. The polysaccharide is unlike levan, a .beta.-(2-6)-fructose polymer which is produced by many bacteria, including Z. mobilis, when grown on sucrose. The polysaccharide isolated here is produced by cells cultured on glucose, fructose or sucrose.