The recombinant plasmid pLEX2FP complements the mutation in Zoogloea ramigera 115MM1, and the complemented mutant produces an exopolysaccharide that shows higher affinity for the calcofluor dye than the exopolysaccharide from Z. ramigera 115SLR, resulting in higher fluorescence intensity under UV light. A compositional and structural analysis of the exopolysaccharide from Z. ramigera 115MM1 showed that the different fluorescent properties were due to a lower content of acetyl groups when compared with Z. ramigera 115SLR exopolysaccharide. These results were in agreement with a sequence analysis of the gene carried in the plasmid pLEX2FP, which appeared to encode an O-acyltransferase highly homologous to the 3-O-acyltransferase of Streptomyces mycarofaciens. The gene encoding the acyltransferase from Z. ramigera 115SLR was expressed as a GST-fusion protein with 70,000 daltons in E. coli.