The present work reports on the first attempt to study water mobility in phototrophic biofilms, applying the 1H-NMR relaxometry technique to closely monitored microbial communities grown in a microcosm under controlled ambient conditions. Longitudinal water proton relaxation times exhibited a bi-exponential behavior in all biofilm samples, indicating two types of water molecules with diverging dynamic properties, confined to different compartments of the biofilm. The fast-relaxing component can be attributed to water molecules tightly bound to the intracellular matrix, while the slow-relaxing component could reflect the behavior of water embedded in the biopolymer matrix, confined into matrix pores and channels. The results are discussed with respect to a possible key role of exopolysaccharides and uronic acids in water binding in phototrophic biofilms.
Di Pippo, F., Cavalieri, F., Bohn, A., Albertano, P.b. (2011). 1H-NMR analysis of water mobility in cultured phototrophic biofilms. BIOFOULING, 27, 327-336 [10.1080/08927014.2011.565123].
1H-NMR analysis of water mobility in cultured phototrophic biofilms.
CAVALIERI, FRANCESCA;ALBERTANO, PATRIZIA BEATRICE
2011-01-01
Abstract
The present work reports on the first attempt to study water mobility in phototrophic biofilms, applying the 1H-NMR relaxometry technique to closely monitored microbial communities grown in a microcosm under controlled ambient conditions. Longitudinal water proton relaxation times exhibited a bi-exponential behavior in all biofilm samples, indicating two types of water molecules with diverging dynamic properties, confined to different compartments of the biofilm. The fast-relaxing component can be attributed to water molecules tightly bound to the intracellular matrix, while the slow-relaxing component could reflect the behavior of water embedded in the biopolymer matrix, confined into matrix pores and channels. The results are discussed with respect to a possible key role of exopolysaccharides and uronic acids in water binding in phototrophic biofilms.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.