Open AccessExtracellular polysaccharides and polysaccharide‐containing biopolymers from Azospirillum species: properties and the possible role in interaction with plant roots
Author(s) -
Skvortsov Igor M.,
Ignatov Vladimir V.
Publication year - 1998
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.1574-6968.1998.tb13150.x
Subject(s) - polysaccharide , extracellular polysaccharide , extracellular , context (archaeology) , biochemistry , biology , bacteria , chemistry , microbiology and biotechnology , paleontology , genetics
Abstract This paper reviews the results obtained in studies of the extracellular polysaccharides, lipopolysaccharide‐protein complexes, polysaccharide‐lipid complexes, lipopolysaccharides, and O‐specific polysaccharides from bacteria of the genus Azospirillum . On the basis of present knowledge, the possible roles of the extracellular polysaccharides and polysaccharide‐containing complexes of azospirilla in interaction with the roots of plants are discussed. Some pieces of evidence are considered in light of the lectin hypothesis originally proposed for the legume‐ Rhizobium symbiosis. In the context of these views of Azospirillum ‐cereal associative pairs, a key process at the early stages of the interaction is the specific reaction of cereal root lectins with the extracellular polysaccharide components, containing N ‐acetyl‐ d ‐glucosamine as part of their structure.