Lesson plan
Curdlan
Curdlan is a water-insoluble linear beta-1,3-glucan, a high-molecular-weight polymer of glucose. Curdlan consists of β-(1,3)-linked glucose residues and forms elastic gels upon heating in aqueous suspension. It was initially reported to be produced by "Alcaligenes faecalis var. myxogenes" strain 10C3-K in 1966. This classification for the strain and its descendants is now understood to be inaccurate, giving rise to the new name "Agrobacterium fabrum". The modern industrial strain "A. fabrum" ATCC 31749 had its genome sequenced in 2011. Some sources prefer the open nomenclature Agrobacterium sp. Extracellular and capsular polysaccharides are produced by a variety of pathogenic and soil-dwelling bacteria. Curdlan is a neutral β-(1,3)-glucan, perhaps with a few intra- or interchain 1,6-linkages, produced as an exopolysaccharide by soil bacteria of the family Rhizobiaceae. It is also produced by Cellulomonas flavigena, which belongs to a different phylum.
Article summary
Curdlan is a water-insoluble linear beta-1,3-glucan, a high-molecular-weight polymer of glucose. Curdlan consists of β-(1,3)-linked glucose residues and forms elastic gels upon heating in aqueous suspension. It was initially reported to be produced by "Alcaligenes faecalis var. myxogenes" strain 10C3-K in 1966. This classification for the strain and its descendants is now understood to be inaccurate, giving rise to the new name "Agrobacterium fabrum". The modern industrial strain "A. fabrum" ATCC 31749 had its genome sequenced in 2011. Some sources prefer the open nomenclature Agrobacterium sp. Extracellular and capsular polysaccharides are produced by a variety of pathogenic and soil-dwelling bacteria. Curdlan is a neutral β-(1,3)-glucan, perhaps with a few intra- or interchain 1,6-linkages, produced as an exopolysaccharide by soil bacteria of the family Rhizobiaceae. It is also produced by Cellulomonas flavigena, which belongs to a different phylum.
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
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