Structure of the O-Antigen of the Main Lipopolysaccharide Isolated from Sinorhizobium fredii SMH12

Structure of the Cell-Wall-Associated Polysaccharides from the Deep-Sea Marine Bacterium Devosia submarina KMM 9415T

Two cell-wall-associated polysaccharides were isolated and purified from the deep-sea marine bacterium Devosia submarina KMM 9415^T, purified by ultracentrifugation and enzymatic treatment, separated by chromatographic techniques, and studied by sugar analyses and NMR spectroscopy. The first polysaccharide with a molecular weight of about 20.7 kDa was found to contain d-arabinose, and the following structure of its disaccharide repeating unit was established: →2)-α-d-Araf-(1→5)-α-d-Araf-(1→. The second polysaccharide was shown to consist of d-galactose and a rare component of bacterial glycans-d-xylulose: →3)-α-d-Galp-(1→3)-β-d-Xluf-(1→.

Structure and biological roles of Sinorhizobium fredii HH103 exopolysaccharide

Here we report that the structure of the Sinorhizobium fredii HH103 exopolysaccharide (EPS) is composed of glucose, galactose, glucuronic acid, pyruvic acid, in the ratios 5∶2∶2∶1 and is partially acetylated. A S. fredii HH103 exoA mutant (SVQ530), unable to produce EPS, not only forms nitrogen fixing nodules with soybean but also shows increased competitive capacity for nodule occupancy. Mutant SVQ530 is, however, less competitive to nodulate Vigna unguiculata. Biofilm formation was reduced in mutant SVQ530 but increased in an EPS overproducing mutant. Mutant SVQ530 was impaired in surface motility and showed higher osmosensitivity compared to its wild type strain in media containing 50 mM NaCl or 5% (w/v) sucrose. Neither S. fredii HH103 nor 41 other S. fredii strains were recognized by soybean lectin (SBL). S. fredii HH103 mutants affected in exopolysaccharides (EPS), lipopolysaccharides (LPS), cyclic glucans (CG) or capsular polysaccharides (KPS) were not significantly impaired in their soybean-root attachment capacity, suggesting that these surface polysaccharides might not be relevant in early attachment to soybean roots. These results also indicate that the molecular mechanisms involved in S. fredii attachment to soybean roots might be different to those operating in Bradyrhizobium japonicum.

Lipopolysaccharides in Rhizobium-legume symbioses

The establishment of nitrogen-fixing symbiosis between a legume plant and its rhizobial symbiont requires that the bacterium adapt to changing conditions that occur with the host plant that both promotes and allows infection of the host root nodule cell, regulates and resists the host defense response, permits the exchange of metabolites, and contributes to the overall health of the host. This adaptive process involves changes to the bacterial cell surface and, therefore, structural modifications to the lipopolysaccharide (LPS). In this chapter, we describe the structures of the LPSs from symbiont members of the Rhizobiales, the genetics and mechanism of their biosynthesis, the modifications that occur during symbiosis, and their possible functions.