Bacterial alginate biosynthesis – recent progress and future prospects

The extracellular polysaccharide alginate has been widely associated with chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections in the cystic fibrosis lung. However, it is clear that alginate biosynthesis is a more widespread phenomenon. Alginate plays a key role as a virulence factor of plant-pathogenic pseudomonads, in the formation of biofilms and with the encystment process of Azotobacter spp.