Despite extensive studies over several decades, many factors related to the biosynthesis of cellulose remain unclear. In particular, the cellulose-synthesizing machinery of higher plants is known to be especially complicated, working under limited space and involving simultaneous production of other polysaccharides. For this reason, understanding the function of more primitive cellulose-synthesizing systems will be useful. Cellulose-producing bacteria, such as the Gluconacetobacter xylinus (Gx), have been widely used to understand the basic requirements and key components of cellulose biosynthesis. In the past, this approach has enabled for instance the identification of the genes necessary for synthesizing cellulose, allowing later recognition of their equivalents in higher plants. However, even in the case of bacteria, the factors underlying the formation of supermolecular ordered structures, like the cellulose microfibril, still remain to be elucidated. In this work, cellulose was synthesized in vitro by cellulose syntheses extracted from Gx. The effects of reaction conditions, such as temperature and physical stimulation, on the quantity and structure of the cellulosic products were studied. Cellulose structures synthesized under different conditions were characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and FT-IR spectroscopy. Special care was taken to minimize the effects of washing on the reaction products prior to the analyses. The results are expected to contribute to our understanding on how the activity of bacterial cellulose syntheses is changed under different conditions and on their working mechanism in general. This kind of information could eventually enable the in vitro synthesis of desired cellulosic structures, in particular the native-like cellulose I microfibril.

In vitro synthesis of cellulose under various conditions

249th National Meeting (2015)

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