%0 Journal Article
%T Challenges and opportunities in elucidating the structures of biofilm exopolysaccharides: A case study of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa exopolysaccharide called Pel.
%A Amyx-Sherer K
%A Reichhardt C
%J Magn Reson Chem
%V 62
%N 5
%D 2024 05 2
%M 37919227
%F 2.392
%R 10.1002/mrc.5405
%X Biofilm formation protects bacteria from antibiotic treatment and host immune responses, making biofilm infections difficult to treat. Within biofilms, bacterial cells are entangled in a self-produced extracellular matrix that typically includes exopolysaccharides. Molecular-level descriptions of biofilm matrix components, especially exopolysaccharides, have been challenging to attain due to their complex nature and lack of solubility and crystallinity. Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) has emerged as a key tool to determine the structure of biofilm matrix exopolysaccharides without degradative sample preparation. In this review, we discuss challenges of studying biofilm matrix exopolysaccharides and opportunities to develop solid-state NMR approaches to study these generally intractable materials. We specifically highlight investigations of the exopolysaccharide called Pel made by the opportunistic pathogen, Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We provide a roadmap for determining exopolysaccharide structure and discuss future opportunities to study such systems using solid-state NMR. The strategies discussed for elucidating biofilm exopolysaccharide structure should be broadly applicable to studying the structures of other glycans.