The
extracellular polysaccharide
Polysaccharides (), or polycarbohydrates, are the most abundant carbohydrates found in food. They are long chain polymeric carbohydrates composed of monosaccharide units bound together by glycosidic linkages. This carbohydrate can react with wa ...
colanic acid is produced by
species of the family
Enterobacteriaceae
Enterobacteriaceae is a large family (biology), family of Gram-negative bacteria. It was first proposed by Rahn in 1936, and now includes over 30 genera and more than 100 species. Its classification above the level of family is still a subject ...
. In ''
Escherichia coli'' strain K12 the colanic acid cluster comprises 19
genes. The wzx gene encodes a
protein with multiple
transmembrane segments that may function in export of the colanic acid
repeat
Repeat may refer to:
* Rerun, a rebroadcast of an episode of a radio or television program
* Repeated sequence (DNA), a pattern of nucleic acid (DNA or RNA) that occurs in multiple copies throughout the genome
** CRISPR
* The smallest rectangle ...
unit from the
cytoplasm into the
periplasm in a process analogous to
O-unit export. The colanic acid
gene clusters may be involved in the export of polysaccharide from the
cell.
References
{{biochem-stub
Outer membrane proteins
Protein families