Special Issue "Macromolecules: Chemistry, Medicinal and Functional Materials"

Guest Editor
Prof. Russell Crawford
Dean, Faculty of Life and Social Sciences, Swinburne University of Technology, Mail 31, P.O. Box 218, Hawthorn 3122, Australia
E-mail:

Guest Editor
Prof. Elena Ivanova
Faculty of Life and Social Sciences, Swinburne University of Technology, Mail 31, P.O. Box 218, Hawthorn 3122, Australia
E-mail:

• Polysaccharides
• Extracellular polymeric substances
• Antibacterial compound

Manuscript ID: Molecules-Macro-20081224-jp-Eshita
Type of the paper: Article
Title: Mechanism of Introducing Exogenous Genes into Cultured Cells Using DEAE-Dextran-MMA Graft Copolymer as Non-Viral Gene Carrier
Author: Yuki Eshita
Abstract: Comparative investigations were carried out regarding the introduction efficiency of exogenous genes into cultured cells using a cationic polysaccharide DEAE-dextran-MMA (methyl methacrylate ester) graft copolymer (2-diethylaminoethyl-dextran-methyl methacrylate graft copolymer; DDMC) as a nonviral carrier for gene introduction. The results confirmed that the gene introduction efficiency was improved with DDMC relative to DEAE-dextran. Comparative investigations were carried out using various concentrations of DDMC and DNA in the introduction of DNA encoding luciferase (pGL3 control vector; Promega) into COS-7 cells derived from African green monkey kidney cells. The complex formation reaction is thought to be directly proportional to the transformation rate, but the complex formation reaction between DDMC and DNA is significantly influenced by hydrophobic bonding strength along with hydrogen bonding strength and Coulomb forces due to the hydrophobicity of the grafted MMA sections. It is thought that the reaction is a Michaelis-Menten type complex formation reaction described by the following equation: Complex amount = K1 (DNA concentration)(DDMC concentration). In support of this equation, it was confirmed that the amount of formed complex was proportional to the RLU value.
Keywords: Transfection efficiency; DEAE-dextran-MMA graft copolymer; Non-viral gene carrier; Exogenous genes

Manuscript ID: molecules-macrochem-20090114-au-Ivanova
Title: Extracellular Polysaccharides Involved in Bacterial Attachment
Authors: Barbara Vu^1,2, Miao Chen ², Russell J. Crawford¹, Elena P. Ivanova¹
Affiliations: ¹Faculty of Life and Social Science, Swinburne University of Technology, PO Box 218, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122, Australia
² CSIRO Minerals, Bayview Avenue, Clayton, Victoria 3168, Australia
Abstract: Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) produced by microorganisms are a complex mixture of biopolymers primarily consisting of polysaccharides. The key functions of EPS are to mediate the initial attachment of cells to different substrates followed by biofilm formation and to provide protection against environmental stress and dehydration to communities of microorganisms embedded in an EPS matrix. The latter has a profound impact on an array of biomedical, biotechnology and industrial fields including pharmaceutical and surgical applications, food engineering, bioremediation and biohydrometallurgy. The aim of this review is to present a summary of the current status of the research into the role of EPS in bacterial attachment. The diverse structural variations of EPS produced by bacteria of different taxonomic lineages are construed. The EPS produced by Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa as examples of the more intensely studied and characterised biopolymers, the EPS produced by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, typically applied in bioleaching processes, as an example of less studied biopolymers are considered. Lastly, a battery of novel techniques useful in the studies of biofilm-specific polysaccharides is outlined.