Capsulan

Capsulan is the exopolysaccharide which makes up the thick capsule surrounding the unicellular alga Prasinococcus capsulatus.[1]

Extraction

Capsulan is extracted from cell cultures of P. capsulatus using the French press method to burst the cells. Alternatively the cells may be boiled.[2]

Composition

Capsulan has been found to be mostly carbohydrate (70%) with some protein and sulfur. The main sugars making up the carbohydrate are galactose and glucose while other sugars such as xylose, arabinose and mannose are also present in smaller quantities.[3] Sugar acids are common in plant and algal polysaccharide but there is disagreement in the literature concerning capsulan's sugar acid content. Kurano[2] claims that capsulan contains none, while Myklestad[3] maintains that both galacturonic and glucuronic acids are present.

Notes
  1. Sieburth et al. 1999 Widespread occurrence of the oceanic ultraplankter Prasinococcus capsulatus (Prasinophyceae), the diagnostic "Golgi-Decapore complex" and the newly discovered polysaccharide "capsulan"
  2. Kurano, 1995, Fixation and Utilization of Carbon Dioxide by Microalgal Photosynthesis
  3. Myklestad, 1999, Phytoplankton extracellular production and leakage with considerations on the polysaccharide accumulation
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