A naturally modified cellulose Cellulose is the most abundant biopolymer on Earth and an important component of bacterial biofilms. Thongsomboon et al. used solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to identify a naturally derived, chemically modified cellulose, phosphoethanolamine cellulose (see the Perspective by Galperin and Shalaeva). They went on to identify the genetic basis and molecular signaling involved in introducing this modification in bacteria, which regulates biofilm matrix architecture and function. This discovery has implications for understanding bacterial biofilms and for the generation of new cellulosic materials. Science, this issue p. 334; see also p. 276 Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy identifies naturally produced, chemically modified cellulose crucial for bacterial biofilm architecture. Cellulose is a major contributor to the chemical and mechanical properties of plants and assumes structural roles in bacterial communities termed biofilms. We find that Escherichia coli produces chemically modified cellulose that is required for extracellular matrix assembly and biofilm architecture. Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of the intact and insoluble material elucidates the zwitterionic phosphoethanolamine modification that had evaded detection by conventional methods. Installation of the phosphoethanolamine group requires BcsG, a proposed phosphoethanolamine transferase, with biofilm-promoting cyclic diguanylate monophosphate input through a BcsE-BcsF-BcsG transmembrane signaling pathway. The bcsEFG operon is present in many bacteria, including Salmonella species, that also produce the modified cellulose. The discovery of phosphoethanolamine cellulose and the genetic and molecular basis for its production offers opportunities to modulate its production in bacteria and inspires efforts to biosynthetically engineer alternatively modified cellulosic materials.

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磷酸乙醇胺纤维素：一种天然产生的化学改性纤维素

天然改性纤维素 纤维素是地球上最丰富的生物聚合物，也是细菌生物膜的重要组成部分。通松本等人。使用固态核磁共振光谱来鉴定天然衍生的化学改性纤维素磷酸乙醇胺纤维素（参见 Galperin 和 Shalaeva 的观点）。他们继续确定在细菌中引入这种修饰所涉及的遗传基础和分子信号传导，从而调节生物膜基质结构和功能。这一发现对理解细菌生物膜和产生新的纤维素材料具有重要意义。科学，这个问题 p。334; 另见第。276 固态核磁共振波谱确定了对细菌生物膜结构至关重要的天然产生的化学改性纤维素。纤维素是植物化学和机械特性的主要贡献者，并在称为生物膜的细菌群落中发挥结构作用。我们发现大肠杆菌产生细胞外基质组装和生物膜结构所需的化学改性纤维素。完整和不溶性材料的固态核磁共振波谱阐明了两性离子磷酸乙醇胺的修饰，这些修饰躲过了常规方法的检测。磷酸乙醇胺基团的安装需要 BcsG，一种提议的磷酸乙醇胺转移酶，具有通过 BcsE-BcsF-BcsG 跨膜信号通路促进生物膜的环状二鸟苷酸单磷酸输入。bcsEFG 操纵子存在于许多细菌中，包括沙门氏菌，它们也产生改性纤维素。