{
  "abstract": "Xanthan gum is one of the most important industrial microbial polysaccharides, yet comprehensive molecular-level structural characterization remains limited because of its high molecular weight, conformational rigidity, and severe spectral overlap in nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Here, we present a near-complete 1H/13C NMR chemical shift assignment of the xanthan repeating unit by combining multidimensional NMR spectroscopy with targeted glycosyltransferase knockout strains and controlled enzymatic depolymerization. Comparative analysis of wild-type xanthan and{Delta} gumI and{Delta} gumK variants enabled the unambiguous assignment of {beta}-mannose and glucuronic acid resonances, and, by extension, of the remaining sugars, supporting future structural studies of engineered xanthan variants. In addition, we investigated how side-chain composition affects xanthan properties by analyzing genetically modified variants lacking specific acetyl, pyruvyl, or sugar residues. Temperature-dependent 1H NMR determined order-disorder transition temperatures and revealed that removing pyruvate or negatively charged side-chain components increased thermal stability, whereas losing the terminal {beta}-mannose destabilized the ordered conformation. Together, these results establish a robust NMR assignment for xanthan and provide new insights into how individual side-chain substituents influence the structural stability of this polysaccharide, facilitating the rational characterization of engineered xanthan variants and structurally closely related polysaccharides.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Norwegian University of Science and Technology"
  ],
  "article_type": "New results",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 7,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "J. Wegner"
    },
    {
      "name": "K. Johansen"
    },
    {
      "name": "P. Lanvers"
    },
    {
      "name": "M. Gansbiller"
    },
    {
      "name": "B. E. Christensen"
    },
    {
      "name": "J. Schmid"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "G. Courtade"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/1j4mgb6pny8ty.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.64898/2026.10.28.762522",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.28.762522v1.full",
  "id": "1j4mgb6pny8ty",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.28.762522v1",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "biorxiv",
      "biochemistry"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": null,
  "pdf_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.28.762522v1.full.pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-28",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/1j4mgb6pny8ty.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-31T00:21:18Z",
      "native_id": "10.64898/2026.10.28.762522",
      "source": "biorxiv",
      "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.28.762522v2"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biochemistry",
      "origin": "biorxiv:biochemistry",
      "subfield": "general"
    }
  ],
  "title": "NMR assignment and functional characterization of biotechnologically modified xanthan",
  "title_text": "NMR assignment and functional characterization of biotechnologically modified xanthan",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-03T00:20:25Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/1j4mgb6pny8ty",
  "venue": "bioRxiv",
  "versions": []
}