The extracellular matrix (ECM) is an acellular three-dimensional network composed of proteins, glycoproteins, proteoglycans and exopolysaccharides. It primarily serves as a structural component in the tissues and organs of plants and animals, or forms biofilms in which bacterial cells are embedded. ECMs are highly dynamic structures that undergo continuous remodeling, and disruptions are frequently the result of pathological processes associated with severe diseases such as arteriosclerosis, neurodegenerative illness or cancer. In turn, bacterial biofilms are a source of concern for human health, as they are associated with resistance to antibiotics. Although exopolysaccharides are crucial for ECM formation and function, they have received considerably little attention to date.

The respective chapters of this book comprehensively address such issues, and provide reviews on the structural, biochemical, molecular and biophysical properties of exopolysaccharides. These components are abundantly produced by virtually all taxa including bacteria, algae, plants, fungi, invertebrates and vertebrates. They include long unbranched homopolymers (cellulose, chitin/chitosan), linear copolymers (alginate, agarose), peptoglycans such as murein, heteropolymers like a variety of glycosaminoglycans (hyaluronan, dermatan, keratin, heparin, Pel), and branched heteropolymers such as pectin and hemicellulose.

A separate chapter is dedicated to modern industrial and biomedical applications of exopolysaccharides and polysaccharide-based biocomposites. Their unique chemical, physical and mechanical properties have attracted considerable interest, inspired basic and applied research, and have already been harnessed to form structural biocomposite hybrids for tailor-made applications in regenerative medicine, bioengineering and biosensor design.

Given its scope, this book provides a substantial source of basic and applied information for a wide range of scientists, as well as valuable textbook for graduate and advanced undergraduate students.

All relevant exopolysaccharides at a glance In-depth description of exopolysaccharides structure and physiological functions Overview on biotechnical and biomedical applications of exopolysaccharides Description of the relevance of exopolysaccharides to pathogenesis in human diseases

Autorentext
Ephraim Cohen is a Professor Emeritus of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in the discipline of pesticide toxicology. He published a large number of articles and book chapters on the subject of chitin synthesis and inhibition. He is the editor of two volumes (44 and 46) titled "Target Receptors in the Control of Insect Pests" in Advances in Insect Physiology (Academic Press, 2013 and 2014). He is the editor of the recent successful book: "Extracellular Composite Matrices in Arthropods" published by Springer in 2016.

Hans Merzendorfer is appointed as a Professor of Molecular Biology at the University of Siegen, Germany. His research interests are centered on the physiological functions of different membrane proteins including beta-glycosyltransferases involved in the biosynthesis of chitin. He has published about one hundred research articles, reviews, scientific columns and book chapters. He is a current member of the editorial boards of Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Frontiers in Zoology, and speaker of the section of Physiology of the German Zoological Society.

Inhalt
Part 1: Aminosugar-Based Exopolysaccharides Chitin-based extracellular matrices. Chapter1. Chito-Protein Matrices in Arthropod Exoskeletons and Peritrophic Membranes(Xiaoming Zhao, Jianzhen Zhang and Kun Yan Zhu).- Chapter2. Mineral-Chitin Composite in Mollusks (Ingrid M. Weiss).- Chapter3. Chitosan Derivatives and Grafted Adjuncts With Unique Properties (Hans Merzendorfer).- Chapter4. Hyaluronan Extracellular Matrix - Synthesis and Physiological Properties (Alberto Passi and Davide Vigetti).- Chapter5. Sulfated Chondroitin, Dermatan, Heparan and Keratan - Structure and Function (Emiliano Bedini, Maria Michela Corsaro, Alfonso Fernández-Mayoralas and Alfonso Iadonisi).- Chapter6. Peptidoglycan Structures, Biosynthesis and Deposition in Bacterial Cell Walls (Axel Walter and Christoph Mayer).- Chapter7. Cellulose and Hemicellulose Synthesis and their Regulation in Plant Cells (Xiaoyu Zhu, Xiaoran Xin, and Ying Gu).- Chapter8. Cellulose in Bacterial Biofilms (Diego O. Serra and Regine Hengge).- Chapter9. Role of Glucan-Derived Polymers in the Pathogenic Fungus Candida albicans.- Chapter10. Structure and Biological Properties of Lasiodiplodan (Mário A. A. Cunha, Vidiany A. Q. Santos, Gabrielle C. Calegari, William N. Sánchez Luna, Sandra L. A. Marin, Robert F.H. Dekker and Aneli M. Barbosa-Dekker).- Chapter11. Structure and Biological Properties of Botryosphaeran (Robert F.H. Dekker, Eveline A.I.F. Queiroz, Mario A.A. Cunha, and Aneli M Barbosa-Dekker).- Chapter12. Pectic Polysaccharides in Plants: Structures, Biosynthesis and Functions (Charles Anderson).- Chapter13. Alginate-based bacterial biofilms (M. Fata Moradali and Bernd H. A. Rehm).- Part2. Industrial and Biomedical Applications of Biopolysaccharides. chapter14. Chitin/Chitosan Versatile Ecological, Industrial and Biomedical Aapplications (Hans Merzendorfer and Ephraim Cohen).- chapter15. MarineGlycosaminoglycans (GAGs) and GAG-Mimetics - Applications in Medicine and Tissue Engineering (Sylvia Colliec-Jouault and Agata Zykwinska).- chapter16. Alginate - Pharmacological and Medical Applications (Patrícia Sofia Pinhanços Batista, Alcina Maria Miranda Bernardo de Morais, Maria Manuela Estevez Pintado, and Rui Manuel Santos Costa de Morais).- Chapter17. Nanocellulose Composite Biomaterials in Industry and Medicine (Oded Shoseyov, Doron Kam, Tal Ben Shalom, Zvi Shtein, Sapir Vinkler and Yehudit Posen).<b