A novel structure of exopolysaccharide produced by a plant-derived lactic acid bacterium Lactobacillus paracasei IJH-SONE68.

A lactic acid bacterium Lactobacillus paracasei IJH-SONE68, which was isolated from a fig leaf by our group, was found to produce both acidic and neutral exopolysaccharides (EPSs). The nuclear magnetic resonance analysis demonstrates that the former EPS is composed primarily of mannose, and the latter one consists of the α-1, 6-linked glycan chains made of N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc). The presence of α-1, 6-linked GlcNAc polysaccharide is first reported in prokaryotes. Furthermore, to reveal the EPS-biosynthetic gene organization in the IJH-SONE68 strain, in the present study, we determined the whole-genome sequence.