Studying slimy substances for a cleaner environment
Tuesday, March 20, 2012 - 07:31
in Biology & Nature
Extracellular polymeric substances, or EPS, are the slimy material that bacteria excrete and surround themselves with as they form biofilms. EPS are mostly water (up to 95%), but the remaining ingredients include a complex mixture of lipids, saccharides (sugars), and bacterial debris such as cell fractions, DNA, and proteins. Because of the crucial role microbial communities can play in the health of both humans and ecosystems, EMSL scientist Alice Dohnalkova has been working with a team of researchers to uncover new discoveries about EPS and their unknown role in governing molecular interactions.