Pseudomonas aeruginosa: genes and enzymes of alginate synthesis.

Alginate is an important virulence factor of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a bacterium that colonizes the pulmonary tracts of cystic fibrosis patients. Alginate is also widely used in the food, pharmaceutical and chemical industries, and consequently there is considerable interest in the molecular biology and biochemistry of alginate synthesis. As well as its therapeutic potential, research on mucoid P. aeruginosa may provide a lead to an alternative source of alginate for industrial use.