Open AccessTurnover of poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) and its influence on the molecular mass of the polymer accumulated by Alcaligenes eutrophus during batch culture
Author(s) -
Taidi Behnam,
Mansfield David A.,
Anderson Alistair J.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.1995.tb07580.x
Subject(s) - molecular mass , polymer , chemistry , polyhydroxybutyrate , fractionation , alcaligenes , biochemistry , bacteria , chromatography , organic chemistry , biology , enzyme , pseudomonas , genetics
Radiolabelled glucose was added to a batch culture of Alcaligenes eutrophus during the accumulation of poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) to label newly synthesized polymer. The specific radioactivity of the polymer continued to increase, by approximately 30%, after the cessation of PHB accumulation, indicating that turnover of PHB was occurring. Fractionation of PHB showed that high molecular mass polymer was gradually replaced by PHB of lower molecular mass. Turnover of PHB is the cause of the slow decline in the molecular mass of PHB following the cessation of polymer accumulation but is unlikely to be the sole reason for the more rapid decrease in the molecular mass of PHB during the accumulation phase.