Immunochemical studies of the O-antigens of Vibrio cholerae. The constitution of a lipopolysaccharide from V. cholerae 569B (Inaba)

Determination of distinctive carbohydrate signatures obtained from the Aeromonas hydrophila (chemotype II) core oligosaccharide pinpointing the presence of the 4-O-phosphorylated 5-O-linked Kdo reducing end group using electrospray ionization quadrupole orthogonal time-of-flight mass spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometry

The electrospray quadrupole orthogonal time-of-flight mass spectrometric (ESI-QqTOF-MS) structural elucidation of the core oligosaccharide of Aeromonas hydrophila (chemotype II) lipopolysaccharide has been investigated and it was demonstrated that it contained an 4-O-phosphorylated Kdo reducing end group, which was glycosylated by the remaining outer core oligosaccharide through its O-5 position. After releasing the core oligosaccharide from the native LPS with acid, the phosphorylated Kdo residue eliminated phosphoric acid, to produce a core oligosaccharide containing a mixture of diastereomeric 4,8- and 4,7-anhydro-alpha-keto acids and an open-chain olefinic Kdo residue. The characteristic glycone sequence was elucidated by collision-induced dissociation tandem mass spectrometry (CID-MS/MS) of the protonated molecule of the native core oligosaccharide. In addition, the analysis of the Hakomori permethylated core oligosaccharide was carried out by electrospray ionization quadrupole orthogonal time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ESI-QqTOF-MS) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI)-QqTOF-MS analyses. The presence of more than nine isobaric isomers of this core was detected. The CID-MS/MS analysis of the various protonated permethylated core oligosaccharide molecules showed a similar and diagnostic fragmentation pattern. The over-methylation of the permethylated core oligosaccharide containing either the 4,7- or the 4,8-anhydro-alpha-keto acid unit and the open-chain olefinic Kdo unit was reported. It was realized that the extra minor satellite signals obtained in the ESI-QqTOF-MS and MALDI-TOF-MS analyses were dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) stable covalent addition products, which have occurred by a Michael addition on the 4,8-Kdo exocyclic double bond. The occurrence of this series of covalent addition products during the MS analysis of a permethylated core oligosaccharide should be considered as 'carbohydrate-distinctive signatures' establishing and confirming the presence of a 4-O-phosphorylated-5-O-linked Kdo reducing end group.

Structural investigation of bacterial lipopolysaccharides by mass spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometry

Mass spectrometric studies are now playing a leading role in the elucidation of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) structures through the characterization of antigenic polysaccharides, core oligosaccharides and lipid A components including LPS genetic modifications. The conventional MS and MS/MS analyses together with CID fragmentation provide additional structural information complementary to the previous analytical experiments, and thus contribute to an integrated strategy for the simultaneous characterization and correct sequencing of the carbohydrate moiety.

Structural reinvestigation of the core oligosaccharide of a mutant form of Aeromonas salmonicida lipopolysaccharide containing an O-4 phosphorylated and O-5 substituted Kdo reducing end group using electrospray QqTOF-MS/MS

The molecular structure of the mutant form of the lipopolysaccharide of Aeromonas salmonicida was determined to contain an O-4 phosphorylated and O-5 substituted Kdo reducing group, and is proposed as the following: [molecular structure: see text] It was established that during the cleavage of this LPS with 1% acetic acid, to release the core oligosaccharide from the Lipid A portion, we obtained a degraded core oligosaccharide which eliminated its phosphate group with extreme facility. The precise molecular structure of this dephosphorylated core was deduced by electrospray mass spectrometry and is proposed as the following:[molecular structure: see text] Low energy collision ESI-QqTOF-MS/MS analysis of the dephosphorylated core oligosaccharide confirmed the presence of the O-5 glycosylated 4,8- and 4,7-anhydro derivatives of the enolizable alpha-keto-acids. The CID tandem mass spectrometric analysis of the heterogeneous mixture of the permethylated core oligosaccharide established the unreported methylation reaction on the diastereomeric 4,8- and 4,7-anhydro alpha-keto-acids and the complete permethylation and addition reaction of the O-5 glycosylated open chain reducing end terminal D-arabino-3-en-2-ulonic acid. The stereo-specific fragmentation routes obtained during the tandem mass spectrometric analysis permitted the precise sequencing of this dephosphorylated rough core oligosaccharide of the mutant LPS of A. salmonicida.

Characterization of the O-4 phosphorylated and O-5 substituted Kdo reducing end group and sequencing of the core oligosaccharide of Aeromonas salmonicida ssp salmonicida lipopolysaccharide using tandem mass spectrometry

The molecular structure of the wild strain of the lipopolysaccharide core of Aeromonas salmonicida, ssp salmonicida has been sequenced using tandem mass spectrometry. The core oligosaccharide was determined to contain an O-4 phosphorylated and O-5 substituted Kdo reducing group, and its structure is proposed as the follows: [structure: see text] After the core oligosaccharide of LPS was released from the lipid A portion by conventional treatment with 1% acetic acid, we demonstrated the existence of a homogeneous mixture composed mainly of the native core oligosaccharide containing the Kdo with its O-4 phosphate group intact, and a degraded core oligosaccharide mixture, which eliminated the O-4 phosphate group with extreme facility. The precise molecular structure and glycone sequence of the homogeneous mixture of phosphorylated and dephosphorylated core oligosaccharides was determined by electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometric analysis. CID-MS/MS of the homogeneous mixture of permethylated core oligosaccharides afforded a series of diagnostic product ions which confirmed the established sequence of the glycones to be determined. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) tandem mass spectrometry reconfirmed the molecular structure of the dephosphorylated homogeneous permethylated mixture of the core oligosaccharides containing the diastereomeric 4,8- and 4,7-anhydro-alpha-keto acids.

Lipopolysaccharides of Vibrio cholerae. I. Physical and chemical characterization

Vibrio cholerae is the causative organism of the disease cholera. The lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of V. cholerae plays an important role in eliciting the antibacterial immune response of the host and in classifying the vibrios into some 200 or more serogroups. This review presents an account of our up-to-date knowledge of the physical and chemical characteristics of the three constituents, lipid-A, core-polysaccharide (core-PS) and O-antigen polysaccharide (O-PS), of the LPS of V. cholerae of different serogroups including the disease-causing ones, O1 and O139. The structure and occurrence of the capsular polysaccharide (CPS) on V. cholerae O139 have been discussed as a relevant topic. Similarity and dissimilarity between the structures of LPS of different serogroups, and particularly between O22 and O139, have been analysed with a view to learning their role in the causation of the epidemic form of the disease by avoiding the host defence mechanism and in the evolution of the newer pathogenic strains in future. An idea of the emerging trends of research involving the use of immunogens prepared from synthetic oligosaccharides that mimic terminal epitopes of the O-PS of V. cholerae O1 in the development of a conjugate anti cholera vaccine is also discussed.

Structural analysis of a novel putative capsular polysaccharide from Pseudomonas (Burkholderia) caryophylli strain 2151

A novel putative capsular polysaccharide consisting of D-Glcp and D-Fruf in the molar ratio of 1:1 was isolated as minor constituent from the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) fraction of Pseudomonas (Burkholderia) caryophylli. Its structure was determined, using mainly one- and two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy, as: -->6)-alpha-D-Glcp-(1-->1)-beta-D-Fruf-(2-->.

The structure of the lipid A-core region of the lipopolysaccharides from Vibrio cholerae O1 smooth strain 569B (Inaba) and rough mutant strain 95R (Ogawa)

The lipopolysaccharides (LPS) from Vibrio cholerae 95R, a rough mutant strain of O1 V. cholerae 162 (Ogawa), and from smooth O1 V. cholerae 569B (Inaba) were de-O-acylated. In each case, one part of the products was treated with 48% aqueous HF which removed the phosphoryl and fructose residues, then reduced, de-N-acylated, and N-acetylated. Another part was de-N-acylated by treatment with hot KOH. The products of both degradation pathways were separated by high-performance anion-exchange chromatography. The major dephosphorylated and defructosylated product 1 was obtained in pure form, whereas the minor products 2 and 3 were eluted as a mixture, as were, from the second degradation, the phosphorylated oligosaccharides 4 (major product) and 5 (minor product). No phosphorylated component corresponding to oligosaccharide 3 could be identified by NMR spectroscopy in the latter mixture. The following structures of oligosaccharides 1-5 were established on the basis of monosaccharide and methylation analyses, Smith degradation, and 1H- and 13C-NMR investigations (correlated, total correlated, NOE and heteronuclear correlation spectroscopy; all sugars are present as alpha-D-pyranoses except where indicated otherwise; Hep, L-glycero-D-manno-heptose; Kdo, 3-deoxy-D-manno-2-octulosonic acid). [formula: see text] In the untreated lipopolysaccharide, the amino group of the non-reducing terminal glucosamine residue is not substituted.

Immunochemical properties of Vibrio cholerae LPS

Immunochemical analysis of LPS isolated from Vibrio cholerae O1 and non O1 showed that this macromolecular complex shares common antigenic epitopes in the sugar moiety. The epitopes can be detected after mild alkaline hydrolysis of LPS in vitro. Membrane-associating activity of both O1 and non O1 LPS did not indicate any differences of the species.

Location of fructose in lipopolysaccharide isolated from 01 Vibrio cholerae NIH 41R

Fructose, a rarely occurring sugar constituent of Gram-negative bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPS), is distributed ubiquitously in LPS of 01 Vibrio cholerae so far examined, but its location in LPS has not hitherto been elucidated. It was found that hydrazinolysis of LPS successfully affords a derivative retaining virtually all the fructose of intact LPS, but no ester-bound phosphate. Structural analysis carried out on the LPS derivative prepared by the hydrazinolysis of R-type LPS isolated from a rough mutant strain (NIH 41R) of 01 V. cholerae NIH 41 (Ogawa) revealed that the fructose is present as a non-reducing terminal residue bound to position C-6 of a glucose residue in the core region. This finding is considered to exclude the possibility that, in the LPS of 01 V. cholerae, the fructose is present in the region of the inner core in place of 2-keto-3-deoxyoctonate.

Taxonomic implication of the apparent undetectability of 3-deoxy-D-manno-2-octulosonate (Kdo) in lipopolysaccharides of the representatives of the family Vibrionaceae and the occurrence of Kdo 4-phosphate in their inner-core regions

After conventional hydrolysis of lipopolysaccharides (LPSs), Kdo was not detectable by the periodate-thiobarbituric acid test in those of any member of Vibrionaceae except the gems Plesiomonas, but phosphorylated Kdo was demonstrated after strong-acid hydrolysis. Dephosphorylation, periodate oxidation, and methylation analysis of LPS preparations from 7 strains selected from all genera of Vibrionaceae, except Plesiomonas, showed that the inner-core region (unlike that in enteric Gram-negative bacteria) contains only one molecule of Kdo 4-phosphate 5-substituted with heptose, a constituent of the distal part of the core region, as in enteric bacteria. The undetectability of Kdo in LPS after conventional hydrolysis and the occurrence of phosphorylated Kdo in strong-acid hydrolysates and of Kdo 4-phosphate in the inner-core region are taxonomic characteristics of the family Vibrionaceae.

Gas chromatographic determination of (phosphorylated) 2-keto-3-deoxyoctonic acid, heptoses and glucosamine in bacterial lipopolysaccharides after treatment with hydrofluoric acid, methanolysis and trifluoroacetylation

Quantification of phosphorylated sugar constituents of lipopolysaccharides has been performed by the following sequence: dephosphorylation by treatment with hydrofluoric acid, cleavage to monomeric constituents by methanolysis and analysis of the released sugars by capillary gas chromatography. Lipopolysaccharides of Salmonella minnesota Rd1P+, Bordetella pertussis NIH 114 and Vibrio cholerae, NAG and 95R strains, were used as model substances. Comparison of the chromatographic data obtained from hydrofluoric acid-treated and untreated lipopolysaccharide preparations indicated that all lipopolysaccharides examined contained one moiety of glucosamine bound to phosphate in a stable linkage. 2-Keto-3-deoxyoctonic acid appeared phosphorylated to a variable extent. Lipopolysaccharides of the two V. cholerae strains contained one moiety of fully phosphorylated 2-keto-3-deoxyoctonic acid, whereas in that of S. minnesota Rd1P+ only one of the three moieties was phosphorylated. Lipopolysaccharide of B. pertussis had one moiety of 2-keto-3-deoxyoctonic acid, ca. 70% phosphorylated. All four of the preparations examined contained L-glycero-D-manno-heptose in amounts varying from 2.6 to 5.2 moieties. In the lipopolysaccharides of B. pertussis and strain 95R of V. cholerae this sugar was unphosphorylated, whereas the two remaining strains contained one phosphorylated moiety of this sugar. Phosphorylated lipopolysaccharide constituents can be analysed by this approach on a 50-100 micrograms scale.

Detection of 2-keto-3-deoxyoctonate in endotoxins isolated from six reference strains of the Bacteroides fragilis group

1. Endotoxins isolated from six serotype specific reference strains of the Bacteroides fragilis group were dephosphorylated by treatment with aqueous 50% hydrofluoric acid. 2. Mild acidic hydrolysis of the dephosphorylated endotoxins released 2-keto-3-deoxyaldonic acid, the presence of which was demonstrated by the colorimetric thiobarbituric acid assay (TBA). 3. Thin layer chromatography of the dephosphorylated lipopolysaccharide of B. fragilis IPL E 323 (serotype E2), after acidic hydrolysis, revealed a TBA-positive substance with the same Rf-value as authentical 2-keto-3-deoxyoctolusonic acid (KDO). 4. Quantification of 2-keto-3-deoxyoctonate-in the lipopolysaccharide of B. fragilis IPL E 323 by means of the TBA resulted in a KDO content of 15 nM mg-1 lipopolysaccharide.

Structural studies of the O-antigen from Vibrio cholerae O:21

The O-antigen from Vibrio cholerae O:21 has been investigated, using n.m.r. spectroscopy, methylation analysis, and Smith degradation as the main methods. It is concluded that the O-antigen is composed of tetrasaccharide repeating-units having the following structure (in which Hep = D-glycero-D-manno-heptose). (Formula: see text).

The effect of removal of D-fructose on the antigenicity of the lipopolysaccharide from a rough mutant of Vibrio cholerae Ogawa

The lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of a rough mutant (95R) of Vibrio cholerae Ogawa has been investigated chemically and serologically. D-Fructose was released from LPS under conditions (10mM trifluoroacetic acid, 60 degrees, 1 h) that liberated no other sugar constituent of the LPS (2-amino-2-deoxy-D-glucose, D-glucose, L-glycero-D-manno-heptose). Upon periodate oxidation, D-fructose and D-glucose were oxidised quantitatively, whereas approximately 50% of heptose was periodate-resistant. The data indicate that D-fructose does not link the polysaccharide and lipid A portion as proposed earlier, and suggest that D-fructose is present as a branch. By passive hemolysis inhibition, it was shown that the release of D-fructose paralleled the exposure of an antigenic determinant cryptic in LPS.

Monoclonal antibodies to outer membrane antigens of Vibrio cholerae

Hybridoma-derived monoclonal antibodies were prepared against outer membrane antigens of four strains of Vibrio cholerae that were cultivated under iron-limited conditions, and these antibodies were partially characterized. We established a library of 66 hybridomas which produced monoclonal antibodies defining 16 different V. cholerae antigens. Two antigens (molecular weights, 18,000 and 112,000) were heat modifiable, whereas the reacting epitope of a third antigen (40,000-dalton-18,000-dalton doublet) was completely destroyed when it was heated at 100 degrees C. The 112,000-dalton heat-modifiable protein was an iron-regulated outer membrane protein. This protein bound 59Fe in vitro when it was combined with the V. cholerae siderophore-iron complex 59Fe-vibriobactin; it was also found in in vivo grown V. cholerae, as were three other antigens. A total of 26 hybridomas produced antibody to V. cholerae lipopolysaccharide. Of these, 12 were cross-reactive with lipopolysaccharides of other gram-negative bacteria, including 2 which recognized lipid A. Several of these anti-lipopolysaccharide monoclonal antibodies appeared to be lipopolysaccharide region specific. Some membrane antigens were strain specific, whereas others were common to both O group 1 and non-O group 1 vibrios.

Occurrence of 2-keto-deoxyoctonic acid 5-phosphate in lipopolysaccharides of Vibrio cholerae Ogawa and Inaba

A phosphorylated 2-keto-3-deoxyoctonic acid (KDO) was released from the lipopolysaccharides of Vibrio cholerae Ogawa and Inaba after strong acid hydrolysis. The phosphorylated KDO was identified by gas-liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry after reduction and permethylation as KDO-5-phosphate and an isomer of it being phosphorylated at position 7 or 8. After treatment with alkaline phosphatase, KDO was detected by gas-liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. It was indistinguishable from authentic 2-keto-3-deoxy-D-manno-octonic acid.

Phospholipids and lipopolysaccharide of Aeromonas hydrophila

The phospholipids and lipopolysaccharide of Aeromonas hydrophila were characterized. Phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylglycerol were the major phospholipid components. The outer membrane contained more phosphatidylethanolamine and less phosphatidylglycerol than the inner membrane, and the phospholipids of the outer membrane contained a higher proportion of saturated fatty acids. Only four fatty acids (C14:0, C16:0, C16:1, and C18:1) were found in the phospholipids. The lipopolysaccharide of A. hydrophila did not contain the eight-carbon sugar 3-deoxyoctulosonic acid nor did it contain C16:0, both of which are typical constituents of the lipopolysaccharide of many other species.

Mitogenicity and adjuvanticity of a marine bacterium, Vibrio anguillarum, in mice

The effects of whole cells of three different O serotypes of Vibrio anguillarum on the murine immune response were studied. The addition of different doses (1-100 microgram/ml) of V. anguillarum cells, as well as Salmonella typhimurium lipopolysaccharide, markedly increased the incorporation of [3H]thymidine into in vitro cultured spleen cells of C57BL/6 mice. All three serotype strains of V. anguillarum were able to induce the mitogenic effect at 10 microgram /ml and 100 microgram/ml, but serotype I strains were more potent than the others. Since pretreatment of spleen cells with rabbit anti-mouse thymocyte antiserum did not affect the mitogenic activity of V. anguillarum, Vibrio cells may be a B-lymphocyte mitogen. When sheep or horse erythrocytes and Vibrio cells were injected intraperitoneally into ddY mice, Vibrio cells exhibited an enhancing effect on antibody response in vivo, regardless of the different serotypes. Vibrio cells, when injected intraperitoneally into mice before the antigen, markedly suppressed the antibody response. Several days after the injection of Vibrio cells, these mice showed an enhanced carbon clearance activity. Acid phosphatase activity in their peritoneal cells was also augmented, suggesting that Vibrio cells activated macrophages in the mice.

The chemical structure of the lipid A component of lipopolysaccharides from Vibrio cholerae

The chemical structure of the lipid A component of the lipopolysaccharide from Vibrio cholerae 95R was studied. After sequential degradation a reduced D-glucosamine disaccharide was isolated from lipid A and, after permethylation, shown by combined gas-liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry to be beta 1,6-linked. The disaccharide is substituted with a phosphate group, ester-bound to the non-reducing glucosamine (GlcN) residue and a pyrophosphorylethanolamine group (PP-Etn) linked to C-1 of the reducing glucosamine residue. This backbone structure is shown in the following formula: P-GlcN(beta 1-6)GlcN-1-PP-Etn. The amino groups of the glucosamine disaccharide are substituted by D-3-hydroxytetradecanoic acid; tetradecanoic, hexadecanoic and a D-3-O-(D-3-hydroxydodecanoyl)-dodecanoic acid residue are linked to hydroxyl groups. A similar fatty acid composition was detected in lipopolysaccharides from Inaba, Ogawa and NAG strains of V. cholerae.

A comparative study of the sugar composition of O-antigenic lipopolysaccharides isolated from Vibrio alginolyticus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus

A comparative study of the sugar composition of O-antigenic lipopolysaccharides (LPS) isolated from Vibrio alginolyticus and those from V. parahaemolyticus was carried out. 3-Deoxy-D-mannooctulosonic acid, 2-keto-3-deoxy octonate (KDO), a regular sugar constituent of gram-negative bacterial LPS, was totally absent from LPS of all V. alginolyticus strains examined as it was from those of V. parahaemolyticus. Furthermore, a KDO-like thiobarbituric acid test-positive substance, identical with that of either V. parahaemolyticus 07 or 012, was also found in LPS from three strains, 505-78, 905-78, and 1013-79 (designated tentatively as group I), out of the five strains of V. alginolyticus tested. LPS from the members of group I contained, as component sugars, glucose, galactose, L-glycero-D-manno-heptose, glucosamine, galactosamine, the KDO-like substance, and an unidentified amino sugar P1. Thus, LPS of the members of group I possessed a similar sugar composition which is similar to that of LPS from either V. parahaemolyticus 97 or 012. LPS of strain 1027-79, one of the other two strains (designated tentatively as group II), contained as component sugars, glucose, L-glycero-D-mannoheptose, glucosamine, galactosamine, galactosamine, and the other unidentified amino sugar P2, while LPS of strain 53-79, the other member of group II, contained galactose as an additional component. The results indicate that LPS of strain 1027-79 has a sugar composition similar to that of V. parahaemolyticus 09 LPS.

Sugar composition of O-antigenic lipopolysaccharides isolated from Vibrio parahaemolyticus

Vibrio parahaemolyticus, a causative bacterium of food poisoning unique for its particular primary association with sea products, is now divided serologically into 11 or 12 O-forms based on agglutination and agglutinin-absorption tests. We determined the sugar composition of the somatic O-antigens, i.e., lipopolysaccharides (LPS), of representative strains of each O-form. Of particular interest is the absence of evidence for the presence of 2-keto-3-deoxy-octonic acid (KDO), a regular sugar component of gram-negative bacterial LPS, in any LPS examined, with the exception of 06. Furthermore, 07 and 012 LPS contained a KDO-like compound that is, however, not identical with KDO. Glucose, glucosamine, and L-glycero-D-mannoheptose were found as common sugar constituents. Three unidentified amino sugars, designated here as P1, P2, and P3, were found. Various combinations of each of these unidentified amino sugars, and of galactose, fucose, arabinose, D-glyucero-D-mannoheptose, galactosamine, KDO, and the KDO-like substance were detected in accordance with the O-form of LPS. On the basis of the sugar composition, LPS of the 12 O-forms of V. parahaemolyticus can be classified into nine chemotypes, because 03, 05, and 011 LPS belong to the same chemotype and 07 and 012 to another chemotype.

Immunochemical studies of the lipopolysaccharides of Vibrio cholerae: constitution of O specific side chain and core polysaccharide

Lipopolysaccharides from various strains of Vibrio cholerae have been found to consist of distinct O-specific side chain and core polysaccharide regions in their degraded polysaccharides. The major identifiable components in the core polysaccharide were phosphorus, glucose, heptose, fructose, and ethanolamine phosphate, with small amounts or traces of mannose, rhamnose, and D-perosamine. On the other hand, glucose, fructose, mannose, rhamnose, glucosamine, D-quinovosamine, and D-perosamine were identified from O-specific side chain polysaccharide. The amounts of each component have been determined from O-specific side chain and core polysaccharides of the lipopolysaccharides from these bacterial strains.

Lipopolysaccharides of R mutants isolated from Vibria cholerae

The chemical and serological properties of lipopolysaccharides isolated from the S form and from the R form of cholera vibrios were compared. It was found that the S-R mutation of cholera vibrios involves total elimination of the two component amino sugars of S-form lipopolysaccharides, i.e. quinovosamine and perosamine. This elimination resulted in the loss of O-specificity of S-form lipopolysaccharides and concomitant appearance of strong serological cross-reactivity, in the passive-haemolysis-inhibition test, among R-form lipopolysaccharides regardless of the serotypes (Inaba and Ogawa) of their S parent strains.

The structure of the O-antigenic side chain of the lipopolysaccharide of Vibrio cholerae 569B (Inaba)

Mineral acid hydrolysis of the lipopolysaccharide from Vibrio cholerae 569B (Inaba) gives an oligosaccharide fraction which was shown, by use of 13C NMR and chemical methods, to be a regular alpha-(1 leads to 2) linked chain of D-perosamine (4-amino-4,6-dideoxy-D-mannose) units. This chain represents the O-antigen of the lipopolysaccharide, in which the amino functions are acylated with 3-hydroxypropionyl groups. The chromatographic properties of some hydroxamic acids are described and used to characterize these acyl groups.

Intestinal distribution of Vibrio cholerae in orally infected infant mice: kinetics of recovery of radiolabel and viable cells

Kinetics of distribution of Vibrio cholerae in the gastrointestinal tract of orally challenged infant mice were examined by determining recovery of input dose from the whole gut and from individual segments of stomach, upper bowel, and lower bowel. The strains studied were 569B, CA401, and VB12 (a rough CA401). Recovery was determined as a percentage of either input radiolabel using 35S-labeled cells or input colony-forming units. We found clearance of radiolabel and viable cells from the stomach into the intestines by 2 h. Early whole-gut clearance of label was greater for 569B and heat-killed CA401 than for CA401, VB12, or Formalinized CA401. At early times postchallenge, significant differences occurred between strains in the upper bowel, with greater recovery of label and viable cells for CA401 than for 569B or VB12. Beginning at 8 h postchallenge, radiolabel accumulated in the lower bowel with all experimental groups except CA401-challenged mice, where diarrhea was noted and label disappeared from the intestines. In vitro evaluation of mucosal association of these strains with bowel sections was also done. CA401 and VB12 associated to a greater extent than 569B or heat-killed or Formalin-killed CA401.

Characterization of lipid A and polysaccharide moieties of the lipopolysaccharides from Vibrio cholerae

Lipid A and polysaccharide moieties obtained by mild acid hydrolysis of the lipopolysaccharides from Vibrio cholerae 569 B (Inaba) and Vibrio el-tor (Inaba) were characterized. Heterogeneity of lipid A fractions was indicated by t.l.c. and by gel filtration of the de-O-acylated products from mild alkaline methanolysis of the lipids. Presumably lipid A contains a glucosamine backbone, and the fatty acids are probably bound to the hydroxyl and amino groups of glucosamine residues. Approximately equal amounts of fatty acids C16:0, C18:1 and 3-hydroxylauric acid were involved in ester linkages, but 3-hydroxymyristic acid was the only amide-linked fatty acid. Sephadex chromatography of the polysaccharide moiety showed the presence of a high-molecular-weight heptose-free fraction and a low-molecular-weight heptose-containing fraction. Haemagglutination-inhibition assays of these fractions showed the heptose-free fraction to be an O-specific side-chain polysaccharide, whereas the heptose-containing fraction was the core polysaccharide region of the lipopolysaccharides. Identical results were obtained for both organisms.

Lipopolysaccharide-deficient, bacteriophage-resistant mutants of Escherichia coli K-12

Bacteriophage-resistant mutants isolated and classified in a previous study were examined for alterations in their lipopolysaccharide (LPS) composition, and properties likely to be affected by alterations in LPS composition were studied. It was found that many of the mutants of the Ktw (K2-resistance), Ttk (T2, T4, or K19 resistance), Bar (bacteriophage), Wrm (wide-range mutants), and miscellaneous resistance groups were altered in their response to a series of antibiotics and to two LPS-specific bacteriophages, C21 and U3. Furthermore, many of the bacteriophages to which these mutants were resistant adsorbed to LPS preparations. By direct sugar analysis of the mutant LPS preparations, it was shown that the mutants fitted into six distinct classes, which are readily derived from LPS core with a structure resembling that of Salmonella or Escherichia coli O100. A number of the mutants were shown to map between pyrE and mtl, which has been previously shown to be the site of a cluster of rfa genes in both Salmonella and E. coli. Outer membrane protein composition was studied in the above mutants using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Some strains were shown to have alterations in the amount of major proteins. The nature of the bacteriophage receptors involved and the alterations leading to resistance are discussed.

Biochemical studies on the cell wall lipopolysaccharides (O-antigens) of Vibrio cholerae 569 B (Inaba) and El-tor (Inaba)

Lipopolysaccharides were isolated from the cell walls of Vibrio cholerae 569 B (Inaba) and El-tor (Inaba). Chemical analysis revealed the presence of glucose, fructose, mannose, heptose, rhamnose, ethanolamine, fatty acids and glucosamine. The lipopolysaccharides do not contain 2-keto-3-deoxyoctonate, the typical linking sugar of polysaccharide and lipid moieties of enterobacterial lipopolysaccharides. Galactose, a typical core polysaccharide component of many gram-negative bacteria was also absent from lipopolysaccharides of these organisms. By hydrolysis in 1% acetic acid, the lipopolysaccharides have been separated into a polysaccharide part (degraded polysaccharide) and a lipid part (lipid A). Components of degraded polysaccharide and lipid A moiety were identified and determined. The lipid A fractions contained fatty acids, phosphorus and glucosamine. All the neutral sugars detected in lipopolysaccharides were shown to be the constituents of its polysaccharide moiety. The fatty acid analysis of lipopolysaccharide and lipid A showed the presence of both hydroxy and non hydroxy acids. They were different from those of lipids extracted from cell walls before the extraction of lipopolysaccharides. 3-Hydroxylauric and 3-hydroxymyristic acids predominated in lipopolysaccharide and lipid A of Vibrio cholerae and El-tor (Inaba).