Characterisation of bacterial cellulose from diverse Komagataeibacter strains and their application to construct plant cell wall analogues

This study investigated cellulose production and microstructure variation from six Komagataeibacter strains (ATCC 53524, ATCC 10245, ATCC 23769, ATCC 700178, NBRC 13693 and KTH 5655). Strain KTH 5655 produced the highest cellulose yields (10.39 g/l) after 9 days cultivation. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction revealed that strain ATCC 23769 synthesised cellulose with the lowest crystallinity and decreased ratio of I alpha/I beta allomorph, whilst strain KTH 5655 produced a relatively ordered cellulose structure. However, the average widths of cellulose ribbons were similar (30-50 nm) for all types of cellulose. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene indicated that these strains shared a high level of genetic similarity (ranging from 88 to 98%). All strains were used to produce cellulose in the presence of arabinoxylan or xyloglucan as simplified cell wall analogues. Our results provide guidance for the selection of cellulose-producing strains for specific biotechnological and research applications.