Statistical investigation of marine bacterial extracellular polysaccharides: deciphering the interplay among...

Marine bacteria thrive in oceanic environments and produce extracellular polysaccharides (EPSs) for cell adhesion and survival under extreme marine living conditions. Due to variations in marine extreme environments, distinct bacterial species occupy specific ecological niches. EPSs, defined by specific chemical components, intricately connect with bacterial habitats and species. In this research, we focused on characterizing marine bacterial EPSs obtained from unique habitats and systematically classified various bacterial types using hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA) to analyze the monosaccharide composition of bacterial EPSs under harsh oceanic conditions. This investigation yielded intriguing insights into the diverse EPSs produced by marine bacteria across various environments. Notably, glucose, mannose, and galactose were found to be highly prevalent in the EPSs of sea-ice bacteria and marine salt lakes; whereas, carboxyl modifications were more pronounced in the EPS derived from deep-sea hydrothermal vents. Notably, the same bacterial species displayed varying EPS profiles contingent upon their specific marine habitats. Furthermore, we explored the potential biomedical applications of marine bacterial EPSs, underscoring the paramount importance of understanding their production mechanisms and potential associations with the surrounding environmental species. In summary, this study highlights the value of investigating marine bacterial EPSs for scientific and medical purposes, offering new insights into their structure, function, and potential applications.

The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s42995-025-00283-z.