Title
Anionic extracellular polymeric substances extracted from seawater-adapted aerobic granular sludge
Author
Chen, L.M. (TU Delft BT/Environmental Biotechnology)
Beck, Paula (Student TU Delft)
van Ede, J.M. (TU Delft BT/Environmental Biotechnology)
Pronk, M. (TU Delft BT/Environmental Biotechnology; Royal HaskoningDHV) 
van Loosdrecht, Mark C.M. (TU Delft BT/Environmental Biotechnology)
Lin, Y. (TU Delft Environmental Fluid Mechanics)
Date
2024
Abstract
Abstract: Anionic polymers, such as heparin, have been widely applied in the chemical and medical fields, particularly for binding proteins (e.g., fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2) and histones). However, the current animal-based production of heparin brings great risks, including resource shortages and product contamination. Recently, anionic compounds, nonulosonic acids (NulOs), and sulfated glycoconjugates were discovered in the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) of aerobic granular sludge (AGS). Given the prevalence of anionic polymers, in marine biofilms, it was hypothesized that the EPS from AGS grown under seawater condition could serve as a raw material for producing the alternatives to heparin. This study aimed to isolate and enrich the anionic fractions of EPS and evaluate their potential application in the chemical and medical fields. The AGS was grown in a lab-scale reactor fed with acetate, under the seawater condition (35 g/L sea salt). The EPS was extracted with an alkaline solution at 80 °C and fractionated by size exclusion chromatography. Its protein binding capacity was evaluated by native gel electrophoresis. It was found that the two highest molecular weight fractions (438– > 14,320 kDa) were enriched with NulO and sulfate-containing glycoconjugates. The enriched fractions can strongly bind the two histones involved in sepsis and a model protein used for purification by heparin-column. These findings demonstrated possibilities for the application of the extracted EPS and open up a novel strategy for resource recovery. Key points: • High MW EPS from seawater-adapted AGS are dominant with sulfated groups and NulOs • Fifty-eight percent of the EPS is high MW of 68–14,320 kDa • EPS and its fractions can bind histones and fibroblast growth factor 2 Graphical Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]
Subject
EPS
Granular sludge
Nonulosonic acids
Protein binding
Sulfated glycoconjugates
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http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:c450abb3-38bd-4f3b-9600-909b67c29d8a
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-023-12954-x
Embargo date
2024-07-17
ISSN
0175-7598
Source
Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 108 (1)
Part of collection
Institutional Repository
Document type
journal article
Rights
© 2024 L.M. Chen, Paula Beck, J.M. van Ede, M. Pronk, Mark C.M. van Loosdrecht, Y. Lin