CHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF AN EXTRACELLULAR POLYSACCHARIDE PRODUCEDBY A BACTERIUM KLEBSIELLA SP ISOLATED FROM RIVER WATER

Klebsiella sp. isolated from water of the Sumida River produced an ext racellular polysaccharide ''BS-1''. The BS-1 was prepared by an additi on of ethanol to the culture broth containing 3% lactose. It was furth er purified for chemical analyses. Its homogeneity was confirmed by bo th ultracentrifugal and electrophoretic analyses. Color reactions, thi n layer chromatography, gas-liquid chromatography, and elementary anal ysis indicated that the BS-1 was an acidic heteropolysaccaharide compo sed of galactose and glucuronic acid in the molar ratio of 4:1. The or der of its molecular weight was estimated to be more than 10(6) by gel permeation chromatography. Pyruvic acid and acetyl group were not fou nd as structural components. By the comparison of these results with t hose of the reported polysaccharides produced by some known strains of Klebsiella, the BS-1 was considered to be a new heteropolysaccharide.