Chemical Characterization of Polysaccharide from the Slime Layer of the Cyanobacterium Microcystis flos-aquae C3-40.

Macromolecular material from the slime layer of the cyanobacterium Microcystis flos-aquae C3-40 was defined as material that adhered to cells during centrifugation in growth medium but was dislodged by washing with deionized water and retained within dialysis tubing with a molecular-weight cutoff of 3,500. At each step of this isolation procedure, the slime was observed microscopically. Cells in the centrifugal pellet were surrounded by large amounts of slime that excluded negative stain, whereas cells that had been washed with water lacked visible slime.