Isolation and structural analysis of phosphorylated oligosaccharides obtained from Escherichia coli J-5 lipopolysaccharide.

The chemical structure of the phosphorylated lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of Escherichia coli J-5 was investigated because it is of biomedical interest in the context of septic shock, a syndrome often encountered in nosocomial infections with gram-negative pathogens. The successive de-O-acylation and de-N-acylation of J-5 LPS yielded phosphorylated oligosaccharides which represent the complete carbohydrate backbone. Five compounds were separated by high-performance anion-exchange chromatography and analysed by one-dimensional and two-dimensional homonuclear and heteronuclear 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and 31P-NMR spectroscopy. The main product was a nonasaccharide of the structure alpha-D-Glcp-(1-->3)-[alpha-D-GlcpN- (1-->7)-alpha-L,D-Hepp-(1-->7)]-alpha-L,D-Hepp-(1-->3)-alpha -L, D-Hepp-4P-(1-->5)-[alpha-Kdop-(2-->4)]-alpha-Kdop-(2-- >6)-beta-D-GlcpN-4p- (1-->6)-alpha-D-GlcN-1P wherein all sugars are present as D-pyranoses. Hep and Kdo represent L-glycero-D-manno-heptose and 3-deoxy-D-manno-oct-2-ulosonic acid, respectively. In addition, two octasaccharides and two heptasaccharides were isolated that were partial structures of the nonasaccharide. In one octasaccharide the terminal alpha-D-GlcpN was missing and an additional phosphate group linked to O4 of the branched heptose was present, whereas in the other octasaccharide the side-chain Kdo was missing. In both heptasaccharides the side-chain alpha-D-GlcpN-(1-->7)-L-alpha-D-Hepp-disaccharide was absent; they differed in their phosphate substitution. Whereas both heptasaccharides contained two phosphates in the lipid-A backbone (beta-1,6-linked GlcpN-disaccharide at the reducing end) and one phosphate group at O4 of the first heptose, only one of them was additionally substituted with phosphate at O4 of the second heptose.     

Bacteriophage-resistant mutants of Escherichia coli K12. Location of receptors within the lipopolysaccharide.

A series of mutants of Escherichia coli K12 resistant to lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-specific bacteriophages were isolated, and examined with regard to their general properties, phage typing, chemical analysis of their LPS, and genetic analysis. Fourteen classes of mutants were distinguished on the basis of phage typing and sensitivity to bile salts. Three of the mutant classes are sensitive to phages to which the parent is resistant. Mutants which are sensitive to bile salts generally lack heptose in their LPS, but two mutant classes are exceptions to this rule. Analyses of the sugars in the purified LPS of all mutant classes indicated that mutants were obtained which are blocked at most stages in core polysaccharide synthesis. On the basis of the chemical analysis, in conjunction with phage typing data and other known properties of the mutants, it is deduced which residue(s) is involved as a receptor for each of the phages used and which residues hinder these receptors. Some of the mutant classes do not seem to be changed in their LPS structure. Many of the mutations map in or near the rfa locus, but some are far removed from this region.     

Characterization of lipopolysaccharides from Escherichia coli K-12 mutants.

Chemical analyses of the carbohydrate composition of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) from a number of LPS mutants were used to propose a schematic composition for the LPS from Escherichia coli K-12. The formula contains four regions: the first consists of lipid A, ketodeoxyoctonoic acid, and a phosphorous component; the second contains only heptose; the third only glucose; and the fourth additional glucose, galactose, and rhamnose. LPS from E. coli B may have a similar composition but lacks the galactose and rhamnose units. A set of LPS-specific bacteriophages were used for comparing three mutants of Salmonella with a number of LPS mutants of E. coli K-12. The results confirm that there are basic similarities in the first and second regions of the LPS structure; they also support the four region divisions of the LPS formula. Paper chromatography was used for characterization of 32-P-labeled LPS from different strains of E. coli and Salmonella. The Rf values for LPS varied from 0.27 to 0.75 depending on the amounts of carbohydrates in the molecule. LPS from all strains studied was homogenous except for strain D31 which produced two types of LPS. Mild acid hydrolysis of labeled LPS liberated lipid A and two other components with phosphate, one of which was assigned to the first region. It is suggested that paper chromatography can be used in biosynthetic studies concerning regions 2 to 4.     

Coliphage T7 receptors are present in Pseudomonasaeruginosa rough lipopolysaccharides

Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) isolated from various rough derivatives of $\text{Pseudomonas}\text{aeruginosa}$ strains were found to neutralize coliphage T7. Concentrations of 0.4 – 17 μg LPS/ml were sufficient for 50% inactivation of T7 within 1 hour. From the LPS analyses of the mutants, it is believed that T7 may be binding to the heptose region of $\text{P.}\text{aeruginosa}$ LPS, suggesting a similarity in structure between the heptose regions of $\text{P.}\text{aeruginosa}$ and $\text{Escherichia}\text{coli}$ LPS.     

Cell wall receptor for bacteriophage Mu G(+).

The invertible G segment in phage Mu DNA controls the host range of the phage. Depending on the orientation of the G segment, two types of phage particles, G(+) and G(-), are produced which recognize different cell surface receptors. The receptor for Mu G(+) was located in the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of gram-negative bacteria. The analysis of different LPS core types and of mutants that were made resistant to Mu G(+) shows that the primary receptor site on Escherichia coli K-12 lies in the GlcNAc beta 1 . . . 6Glc alpha 1-2Glc alpha 1-part at the outer end of the LPS. Mu shares this receptor site in E. coli K-12 with the unrelated single-stranded DNA phage St-1. Phage D108, which is related to Mu, and phages P1 and P7, which are unrelated to Mu but contain a homologous invertible DNA segment, have different receptor requirements. Since they also bind to terminal glucose in a different configuration, they adsorb to and infect E. coli K-12 strains with an incomplete LPS core.     

Loop deletions indicate regions important for FhuA transport and receptor functions in Escherichia coli

Precise deletions of cell surface-exposed loops of FhuA resulted in mutants of Escherichia coli with distinct phenotypes. Deletion of loop 3 or 11 inactivated ferrichrome transport activity. Deletion of loop 8 inactivated receptor activity for colicin M and the phages T1, T5, and phi80. The loop 7 deletion mutant was colicin M resistant but fully phage sensitive. The loop 4 deletion mutant was resistant to the TonB-dependent phages T1 and phi80 but fully sensitive to the TonB-independent phage T5. The phenotypes of the deletion mutants revealed important sites for the multiple FhuA transport and receptor activities. The ligand binding sites are nonidentical and are distributed among the entire exposed surface. Presumably, FhuA evolved as a ferrichrome transporter and was subsequently used as a receptor by the phages and colicin M, which selected the same as well as distinct loops as receptor sites.     

Transduction of plasmid antibiotic resistance determinants with pseudo-T-even bacteriophages

Transduction of antibiotic resistance determinants of the plasmid pBR322 with pseudoT-even bacteriophages RB42, RB43, and RB49 was studied. It is established that antibiotic resistance determinants of plasmid pBR322 from Escherichia coli recA(+)- and recA(-)-donor strains do not differ significantly in respect to the efficiency of transduction. Amber mutants RB43-21, RB43-33, and a double amber mutant RB43am21am33 were obtained. These mutants facilitated transduction experiments in some cases. Transduction of antibiotic resistance markers of the vector plasmid pBR325 and recombinant plasmid pVT123, containing a DNA fragment with hoc segE uvsW genes of phage T4, was studied. The frequency of appearance of transductants resistant to pseudoT-even bacteriophages used in transduction was determined, and the sensitivity of resistant transductants to 32 RB bacteriophages and also to phages lambda, T2, T4, T5, T6, T7, and BF23 was estimated. The efficiency of plating pseudoT-even bacteriophages RB42 and RB43 on strain E. coli 802 himA hip carrying mutations in genes that encode subunits of the Integration Host Factor (IHF) was shown to be higher than on isogenic strain E. coli 802. The growth of pseudoT-even bacteriophages limited in vivo by modification-restriction systems of chromosomal (EcoKI, EcoBI), phage (EcoP1I), and plasmid (EcoRI, EcoR124I, and EcoR124II) localization was analyzed. It was shown that these phages were only slightly restricted by the type I modification-restriction systems EcoBI, EcoR124I, and EcoR124II. Phage RB42 was restricted by systems EcoKI, EcoP1I, and EcoRI; phage RB43, by systems EcoKI and EcoRI; and phage RB49, by the EcoRI modification-restriction system.     

Effects of streptomycin and novobiocin on Staphylococcus aureus gene expression.

Streptomycin and novobiocin induced production of protein A and inhibited production of alpha- and beta-hemolysins in mutants of Staphylococcus aureus strains RN450 and RN1 resistant to these antibiotics. Streptomycin, but not novobiocin, also inhibited propagation of bacteriophages of serological group B, whereas phages of group A were unaffected. Streptomycin had to be present at adsorption of the phage, and 10 mM CACL2 reversed the inhibitory effect. Lysogenization and competence induction occurred in the presence of streptomycin, suggesting that some early phage genes were expressed.     

Isolation and characterization of bacteriophage FC3-10 from Klebsiella spp.

FC3-10 is a Klebsiella spp. specific bacteriophage isolated on a rough mutant (strain KT707, chemotype Rd) of K. pneumoniae C3. The bacteriophage receptor for this phage was shown to be the low-molecular mass lipopolysaccharide (LPS) fraction (LPS-core oligosaccharides), specifically the heptose content of the LPS inner-core. This is the first phage isolated on Klebsiella, the receptor for which is the LPS-core. This phage was unable to plate on Salmonella typhimurium LPS mutants with chemotypes Rd2 or Re showing incomplete or no heptose content on their LPS-core, respectively. Spontaneous phage-resistant mutants from different Klebsiella strains were deep-rough LPS mutants or encapsulated revertants from unencapsulated mutant strains.