SOLUTION PROPERTIES OF EXOCELLULAR POLYSACCHARIDES OF RHIZOBIUM-LEGUMINOSARUM - STATIC AND DYNAMIC LIGHT-SCATTERING - CHARACTERIZATION IN DILUTE-SOLUTION

Three polysaccharides, Rhizobium leguminosarum 8002 EPS(I), Rhizobium trifolii TA1-EPS (II), Rhizobium leguminosarum 127K87 EPS (III), produced by bacteria of Rhizobium genus have been investigated by static and dynamic light scattering combined with chirooptical measurements. All three polymers have the same backbone but differ in the length of the side chains and in the content of minor substituents. An isothermal conformational transition coil --> helix was observed with I and II by adding salt (NaCl). The molecular parameters of the polysaccharides in the ordered state were determined by light-scattering data. Increasing the ionic strength a shrinking of the helix was observed accompanied by a corresponding decrease in the radius of gyration. An extraordinary chain stiffness in terms of Kuhn segment lengths was found in both cases, similar to that already observed for other microbial polysaccharides. In the case of III no disorder --> order transition was induced by the salt, and the scattering behavior corresponds to that of a rather flexible polymer with a characteristic ratio C-infinity = 24. The incapability of III to form a helical structure is attributed to the effect of the very long side chain. The analysis of the time correlation functions revealed typical flexible chain behavior for all three polysaccharides. This behavior for the two ordered polymers is in agreement with a recent theory by Maggs and is due to bending modes of the rods. (C) 1995 John Wiley and Sons, Inc.