New sugars from antigenic lipopolysaccharides of bacteria: identification and synthesis of 3-O-[(R)-1-carboxyethyl]-L-rhamnose, an acidic component of Shigella dysenteriae type 5 lipopolysaccharide.

A new acidic sugar, 3-O-[(R)-1-carboxyethyl]-L-rhamnose (1), has been identified as a constituent of the O-antigenic lipopolysaccharide of Sh. dysenteriae type 5. The structure of 1 has been established by physico-chemical methods and by synthesis. Alkylation of methyl 2,5-di-O-benzyl-alpha-L-rhamnofuranoside (6) with (S)- or (R)-2-chloropropionic acids, followed by removal of the protecting groups, afforded 3-O-[(R)-1-carboxyethyl]-L-rhamnose (9) and 3-O-[(S)-1-carboxyethyl]-L-rhamnose (10), respectively. The properties of 1 coincide with those of 9.     

Lactones of methyl 3-O

Lactones of methyl 3-O-[(R)- and (S)-1-carboxyethyl]-alpha-D-gluco-, galacto- and manno-pyranoside were prepared by treatment of the sugar derivatives in acetic acid. The lactones were formed between the 1-carboxyethyl substituent and 2-OH or 4-OH in different proportions depending on the stereochemistry of the parent compounds. Relative formation rates in acetic acid-d4 and hydrolysis rates in buffered D2O solutions at pD 2.4, 4.6 and 7.4 were estimated. Hydrolysis of the formed lactones is relatively slow in D2O at pD 4.6, which permitted characterization of the lactones by 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy in buffered D2O solutions. Hydrolysis of the lactones in 1 M aqueous NaOH at 80 degrees C gave no detectable isomerization of the alpha-carbon. The set of lactones formed from the 1-carboxyethyl substituted methyl glycosides used in this study showed large similarities in the NMR shifts (delta delta values). Deviations from the observed shift pattern were found for two lactones. Our findings strongly suggest that those two lactones differ from the rest by adopting a boat-like conformation, whereas the others adopt pseudo-chair conformations.     

Structure of the O-polysaccharide of Proteus penneri 28 and Proteus vulgaris O31 and classification of P. penneri 26 and 28 in Proteus serogroup O31

The lipopolysaccharides (LPS) of Proteus penneri 28 and Proteus vulgaris O31 (PrK 55/57) were degraded with dilute acetic acid and structurally identical high-molecular-mass O-polysaccharides were isolated by gel-permeation chromatography. Sugar analysis and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic studies showed that both polysaccharides contain D-GlcNAc, 2-acetamido-2,6-dideoxy-L-glucose (L-2-acetamido-2,6-dideoxyglucose (N-acetylquinovosamine)) and 2-acetamido-3-O-[(S)-1-carboxyethyl]-2-deoxy-D-glucose (N-acetylisomuramic acid) and have the following structure: [carbohydrate structure: see text] where (S)-1-carboxyethyl [a residue of (S)-lactic acid] (S-Lac) is an ether-linked residue of (S)-lactic acid. The O-polysaccharide studied is structurally similar to that of P. penneri 26, which differs only in the absence of S-Lac from the GlcNAc residue. Based on the O-polysaccharide structures and serological data of the LPS, it was suggested classifying these strains in one Proteus serogroup, O31, as two subgroups: O(31a), 31b for P. penneri 28 and P. vulgaris PrK 55/57 and O31a for P. penneri 26. A serological relatedness of the LPS of Proteus O(31a), 31b and P. penneri 62 was revealed and substantiated by sharing epitope O31b, which is associated with N-acetylisomuramic acid. It was suggested that a cross-reactivity of P. penneri 28 O-antiserum with the LPS of several other P. penneri strains is due to a common epitope(s) on the LPS core.     

Biosynthesis and stereochemical configuration of N5-(1-carboxyethyl)ornithine. An unusual amino acid produced by Streptococcus lactis

In a recent communication (Thompson, J., Curtis, M. A., and Miller, S.P.F. (1986) J. Bacteriol. 167, 522-529) we described the purification and characterization of N5-(1-carboxyethyl)ornithine from cells of Streptococcus lactis 133. This unusual amino acid has not previously been found in nature. Radiotracer experiments presented here reveal that exogenous [14C]ornithine serves as the precursor for biosynthesis of [14C]arginine, [14C]N5-(1-carboxyethyl)ornithine, and [14C]N5-acetylornithine by cells of S. lactis K1 during growth in a defined medium lacking arginine. In the absence of both arginine and ornithine, cells of S. lactis K1 can also generate intracellular [14C]N5-(1-carboxyethyl)ornithine from exogenous [14C]glutamic acid. Previously we showed that the properties of N5-(1-carboxyethyl)ornithine prepared from S. lactis were identical to one of the two diastereomers [2S, 7S) or (2S, 7R] present in a synthetic preparation of (2S, 7RS)-N5-(1-carboxyethyl)ornithine. The two diastereomers have now been unambiguously synthesized by an Abderhalden-Haase condensation between (2S)-N2-t-butoxycarbonyl-ornithine and the chiral (2S)-, and (2R)-bromopropionates. By 13C-NMR spectroscopy it has been established that the preparation from S. lactis is exclusively (2S, 7S)-N5-(1-carboxyethyl)ornithine. has been demonstrated in a cell-free extract of S. lactis 133. The requirements for ornithine, pyruvic acid, and NAD(P)H suggest that biosynthesis of N5-(1-carboxyethyl)ornithine occurs via a reductive condensation mechanism. A general survey revealed that N5-(1-carboxyethyl)ornithine was produced only by certain strains of Group N streptococci. These findings may indicate a plasmid locus for the gene(s) encoding the enzyme(s) for N5-(1-carboxyethyl)ornithine biosynthesis.     

N5-(1-carboxyethyl)-ornithine, a new amino acid from the intracellular pool of Streptococcus lactis.

Intracellular concentrations of amino acids were determined in cells of Streptococcus lactis 133 during growth in complex, spent, and chemically defined media. Glutamic and aspartic acids represented the major constituents of the amino acid pool. However, organisms grown in spent medium or in defined medium supplemented with ornithine also contained unusually high levels of two additional amino acids. One of these amino acids was ornithine. The second compound exhibited properties of a neutral amino acid by coelution with valine from the amino acid analyzer. The compound did not, however, comigrate with valine or any other standard amino acid by two-dimensional thin-layer chromatography. The unknown amino acid was purified by paper and thin-layer chromatography, and its molecular structure was determined by 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. This new amino acid was shown to be N5-(1-carboxyethyl)-ornithine. The 14C-labeled compound was formed by cells of S. lactis 133 during growth in spent medium or defined medium containing [14C]ornithine. Formation of the derivative by resting cells required ornithine and the presence of a metabolizable sugar. N5-(1-Carboxyethyl)-ornithine was synthesized chemically from both poly-S-ornithine and (2S)-N2-carbobenzyloxy-ornithine as a 1:1 mixture of two diastereomers. The physical and chemical properties of the amino acid purified from S. lactis 133 were identical to those of one of the synthetic diastereomers. The bis-N-trifluoroacetyl-di-n-butyl esters of the natural and synthetic compounds generated identical gas chromatography-mass spectrometry spectra. A mechanism is suggested for the in vivo synthesis of N5-(1-carboxyethyl)-ornithine, and the possible functions of this new amino acid are discussed.     

Structure and synthesis of histopine, a histidine derivative produced by crown gall tumors

Histopine, an unusual amino acid derivative of histidine isolated from crown gall tumors of sunflowers (Helianthus annus) inoculated with Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain B6, was previously assigned the gross structure N-(1-carboxyethyl) histidine (2). A diastereomeric mixture containing histopine (2a and 2b) was readily prepared by reductive alkylation of (S)-histidine (1) with pyruvic acid and sodium cyanoborohydride. The individual diastereomers were prepared by reaction of (S)-histidine with (R)- and (S)-2-bromopropionic acid. (R)-N-(1-Carboxyethyl)-(S)-histidine (2a) supports the growth of A. tumefaciens whereas (S)-N-(1-carboxyethyl)-(S)-histidine (2b) is inactive. Therefore, we assign structure 2a to histopine.     

Structure of an acidic O-specific polysaccharide from marine bacterium Shewanella fidelis KMM 3582T containing Nepsilon-[(S)-1-carboxyethyl]-Nalpha-(D-galacturonoyl)-L-lysine

The O-specific polysaccharide was isolated by mild acid degradation of the lipopolysaccharide of the marine bacterium Shewanella fidelis type strain KMM 3582T and studied by sugar analysis along with 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy including one-dimensional NOE in difference mode and two-dimensional experiments. The polysaccharide was found to consist of linear tetrasaccharide repeating units containing Nepsilon-[(S)-1-carboxyethyl]-Nalpha-(D-galacturonoyl)-L-lysine and having the following structure: [See text.] The amide of D-galacturonic acid with Nepsilon-[(S)-1-carboxyethyl]-L-lysine ('alaninolysine', 2S,8S-AlaLys) was found for the first time in nature as a component of the O-specific polysaccharide of Providencia rustigianii O14 (Carbohydr. Res. 2003, 338, 1009-1016).     

N6-(1-carboxyethyl)lysine formation by Streptococcus lactis. Purification, synthesis, and stereochemical structure

During growth in an arginine-deficient (chemically defined) medium, cells of Streptococcus lactis K1 formed significant amounts of a previously undetected ninhydrin-positive compound. This intracellular compound did not cochromatograph with any of a wide range of amino acids or amino acid analogs tested. However, by two-dimensional thin layer chromatography, the unknown compound migrated close to the recently discovered N5-(1-carboxyethyl)ornithine (Thompson, J., Curtis, M. A., and Miller, S. P. F. (1986) J. Bacteriol. 167, 522-529; Miller, S. P. F., and Thompson, J. (1987) J. Biol. Chem. 262, 16109-16115). The purified compound behaved as a neutral amino acid and eluted between valine and methionine in the amino acid analyzer. The results of 1H NMR spectroscopy suggested the presence of a lysine backbone and a coupled methyl-methine unit in the molecule, and 13C NMR showed that there were nine carbon atoms, of which two (C-1 and C-7) were carboxyl carbons. The simplest structure compatible with the physicochemical data was that of an alkylated derivative of lysine. The identity of this new amino acid, N6-(1-carboxyethyl)lysine, was confirmed by chemical synthesis. In vivo labeling experiments conducted using L[U-14C]lysine and [epsilon-15N]lysine showed that exogenous lysine served as the precursor of intracellular N6-(1-carboxyethyl)lysine and that the epsilon-amino N atom was conserved during biosynthesis of the lysine derivative. Of the two possible diastereomers (2S,8S or 2S,8R) of N6-(1-carboxyethyl)lysine, comparative 13C NMR spectroscopy established that the amino acid produced by S. lactis K1 was exclusively of the 2S,8S configuration.     

Experimental and theoretical studies of vacuum-ultraviolet electronic circular dichroism of hydroxy acids in aqueous solution

The electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra of three L-hydroxy acids (L-lactic acid, (+)-(S)-2-hydroxy-3-methylbutyric acid, and (-)-(S)-2-hydroxyisocaproic acid) were measured down to 160 nm in aqueous solution using a vacuum-ultraviolet ECD spectrophotometer. To assign the two positive peaks around 210 and 175 nm and the one negative peak around 190 nm in the observed spectra, the ECD spectrum of L-lactic acid was calculated using time-dependent density functional theory (DFT) for the optimized structures by DFT and a continuum model. The observed ECD spectrum was successfully reproduced as the average spectrum for four optimized structures with seven water molecules that localized around the COO(-) and OH groups of L-lactic acid. The positive peak around 210 nm and the negative peak around 185 nm in the calculated spectrum were attributable to the nπ* transition of the carboxyl group, with the latter peak also being influenced by the ππ* transition of the carboxyl group; however, the positive peak around 165 nm involved unassignable higher energy transitions. The comparison of the calculated ECD spectra for L-lactic acid and L-alanine revealed that the network with loose hydrogen bonding around the COO(-) and OH groups is responsible for the flexible conformation of hydroxy acids and complicated side-chain dependence of ECD spectra relative to amino acids.     

A new class of potent antiproliferative glycolipids.

The synthesis and biological activities of a new class of antiproliferative glycolipids with an unexpected broad spectrum of activity, including a human multidrug resistant cell line, are described. Chemically these compounds are glycolipids derived from N-acetyl-D-glucosamine and glycyrrhetinic acid (beta-aglycone). Peptidation of the glucoacids allyl 3 beta-[[2-acetamido-3-O-[(R)-1-carboxyethyl]- 2-deoxy-4,6-O-isopropylidene-beta-D-glucopyranosyl]oxy]-11-oxo-12- oleanen-30-oate and (R,S)-2-methoxy-3-(octadecyloxy)propyl-2-acetamido-3-O-[(R)-1-carb oxyethyl]- 2-deoxy-4,6-O-isopropylidene-beta-D-glucopyranoside was successfully achieved after activation with O-benzotriazolyl-N,N,N',N' -tetramethyluronium hexafluorophosphate.     

In vitro Dimroth rearrangement of 1-(2-carboxyethyl) adenine to N6-(2-carboxyethyl)adenine in single-stranded calf thymus DNA.

The new adduct N6-(2-carboxyethyl)adenine (N6-CEA) was prepared from 1-(2-carboxyethyl)adenine (1-CEA) by base catalyzed (Dimroth) rearrangement of 1-CEA. The structure of N6-CEA was assigned on the basis of UV spectra and electron impact and isobutane chemical ionization mass spectra. When the carcinogen beta-propiolactone was reacted in vitro with calf thymus DNA, 1-CEA but not N6-CEA was detected on paper chromatograms following acid hydrolysis of the DNA. When BPL-reacted single-stranded DNA was incubated at pH 11.7 (37 degrees C, 18 h) prior to acid hydrolysis, it was found that 1-CEA was completely converted to N6-CEA in DNA by Dimroth rearrangement, whereas no conversion occurred at pH 7.5. The extent of Dimroth rearrangement at various pHs and temperatures was determined for 1-CEA, 1-methyladenine (1-MeA), 1-(2-carboxyethyl)-deoxyadenosine-5'-monophosphoric acid (1-CEdAdo5'P) and the phosphodiester 5'-O-(2-carboxyethyl)phosphono-1-(2-carboxyethyl)deoxyadenosine (1-CE-Ado-5'-P-CE).     

Isolation of 3-(2-carboxyethyl)thymine following in vitro reaction of β-propiolactone with calf thymus DNA

3-(2-Carboxyethyl)thymine (3-CET) was synthesized from β-propiolactone (BPL) and dThd5′P at pH 9.0–9.5 via the intermediate 3-(2-carboxyethyl)thymidine-5′-monophosphoric acid (3-CEdThd5′P). 3-CEdThd5′P was converted to 3-CET by hydrolysis in 1.5 N HCl at 100°C for 2 h. The structure of 3-CET was assigned on the basis of UV spectra, electron impact (EI) and isobutane chemical ionization mass spectra and the EI mass spectrum of a trimethylsilyl derivative of 3-CET. BPL was reacted in vitro with calf thymus DNA at pH 7.5. 100 A units of BPL-reacted DNA yielded, following perchloric acid hydrolysis and preparative paper chromatography, 3 A units of 3-CET. Reaction of BPL with the phosphodiester thymidylyl-(3′-5′)thymidine gave 3-(2-carboxyethyl)thymidylyl-(3′-5′)-3-(2-carboxyethyl)thymidine (～3%). Phosphotriester formation was not detected.     

Structure of the O-specific polysaccharide of Providencia rustigianii O14 containing N(epsilon)-[(S)-1-carboxyethyl]-N(alpha)-(D-galacturonoyl)-L-lysine

The O-specific polysaccharide of Providencia rustigianii O14 was obtained by mild acid degradation of the LPS and studied by chemical methods and NMR spectroscopy, including 2D 1H,(1)H COSY, TOCSY, NOESY, and 1H,(13)C HSQC experiments. The polysaccharide was found to contain N (epsilon)-[(S)-1-carboxyethyl]-N(alpha)-(D-galacturonoyl)-L-lysine ('alaninolysine', 2S,8S-AlaLys). The amino acid component was isolated by acid hydrolysis and identified by 13C NMR spectroscopy and specific optical rotation, using synthetic diastereomers for comparison. The following structure of the trisaccharide repeating unit of the polysaccharide was established:Anti-P. rustigianii O14 serum was found to cross-react with O-specific polysaccharides of Providencia and Proteus strains that contains amides of uronic acid with N(epsilon)-[(R)-1-carboxyethyl]-L-lysine and L-lysine.     

Structure of the O-polysaccharide of Escherichia coli O150 containing 2-acetamido-4-O-[(S)-1-carboxyethyl]-2-deoxy-d-glucose

An acidic O-polysaccharide was obtained by mild acid degradation of the lipopolysaccharide of Escherichia coli O150 and studied by sugar and methylation analyses, triflic acid solvolysis, Smith degradation, (1)H and (13)C NMR spectroscopy, including 2D ROESY, (1)H,(13)C HSQC, HMQC-TOCSY, and HMBC experiments. The polysaccharide was found to contain a regioisomer of N-acetylisomuramic acid, 2-acetamido-4-O-[(S)-1-carboxyethyl]-2-deoxy-d-glucose [d-GlcNAc4(Slac)]. The structure of its hexasaccharide repeating unit was established.     

Structural and genetic characterization of Shigella boydii type 17 O antigen and confirmation of two new genes involved in the synthesis of glucolactilic acid

Shigella strains are human pathogens and normally identified based on their O antigens. The chemical structure and gene cluster of Shigella boydii type 17 O antigen were studied. As judged by sugar and methylation analyses along with NMR spectroscopy data, the O antigen of S. boydii type 17 has a linear trisaccharide O unit, which consists of two residues of N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc) and a 4-O-[(R)-1-carboxyethyl]-d-glucose (glucolactilic acid). The O antigen gene cluster of S. boydii type 17 was sequenced and genes encoding UDP-N-acetylglucosamine C4 epimerase for GalNAc synthesis, O unit flippase, O antigen polymerase, and glycosyltransferases were putatively identified based on sequence similarities and the presence of conserved motifs. Two genes, whose functions could not be clearly indicated by homology search, were confirmed to be involved in the synthesis of glucolactilic acid by mutation and structural verification of the O antigens from the mutants. To our knowledge, this is the first time that genes involved in the synthesis of glucolactilic acid have been reported. Two genes specific to S. boydii type 17 were also identified.     

Structural analysis of the lipid A component of Campylobacter jejuni CCUG 10936 (serotype O:2) lipopolysaccharide. Description of a lipid A containing a hybrid backbone of 2-amino-2-deoxy-D-glucose and 2,3-diamino-2,3-dideoxy-D-glucose

The chemical structure of Campylobacter jejuni CCUG 10936 lipid A was elucidated. The hydrophilic backbone of the lipid A was shown to consist of three (1----6)-linked bisphosphorylated hexosamine disaccharides. Neglecting the phosphorylation pattern, a D-glucosamine (2-amino-2-deoxy-D-glucose) disaccharide [beta-D-glucosaminyl-(1----6)-D-glucosamine], a hybrid disaccharide of 2,3-diamino-2,3-dideoxy-D-glucose and D-glucosamine [2,3-diamino-2,3-dideoxy-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1----6)-D-glucosamine], and a 2,3-diamino-2,3-dideoxy-D-glucose disaccharide were present in a molar ratio of 1:6:1.2. Although the backbones are bisphosphorylated, heterogeneity exists in the substitution of the polar head groups. Phosphorylethanolamine is alpha-glycosidically bound to the reducing sugar residue of the backbone, though C-1 is also non-stoichiometrically substituted by diphosphorylethanolamine. Position 4' of the non-reducing sugar residue carries an ester-bound phosphate group or is non-stoichiometrically substituted by diphosphorylethanolamine. By methylation analysis it was shown that position 6' is the attachment site for the polysaccharide moiety in lipopolysaccharide. These backbone species carry up to six molecules of ester- and amide-bound fatty acids. Four molecules of (R)-3-hydroxytetradecanoic acid are linked directly to the lipid A backbone (at positions 2, 3, 2', and 3'). Laser desorption mass spectrometry showed that both (R)-3-hydroxytetradecanoic acids linked to the non-reducing sugar unit carry, at their 3-hydroxyl group, either two molecules of hexadecanoic acid or one molecule of tetradecanoic and one of hexadecanoic acid. It also suggested that the (R)-3-(tetradecanoyloxy)-tetradecanoic acid was attached at position 2', whereas (R)-3-(hexadecanoyloxy)-tetradecanoic acid was attached at position 3', or at positions 2' and 3'. Therefore, the occurrence of three backbone disaccharides differing in amino sugar composition and presence of a hybrid disaccharide differentiate the lipid A of this C. jejuni strain from enterobacterial and other lipids A described previously.     

Chiral discrimination phenomena in mixed-ligand copper(II) complexes with amino acids and 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds

Circular dichroism (CD) spectra of individual mixed-ligand copper(II) complexes of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds, (1S)- or (1R)-3-hydroxymethylene camphor, (1S)-3-trifluoroacetyl camphor, or (1R)-2-hydroxymethylene menthone, and α-amino acids, alanine, valine, proline, or their N-alkyl derivatives, were calculated from CD spectra of equilibrium solutions containing the above constituents in methanol or ethylene dichloride. Diastereomeric mixed-ligand complexes incorporating identical dicarbonyl but enantiomeric N-alkyl-α-amino acid ligands exhibit quasi-enantiomeric CD spectra. Unsubstituted amino acids, on the contrary, will make no decisive contributions to the net optical activity spectrum of the mixed-ligand complexes. Formation constants of diastereomeric mixed-ligand complexes have been calculated from data on disproportionation of the latter into corresponding equally paired complexes. Enantioselectivity was demonstrated to amount to up to 700 cal/mol. Possible steric structures of mixed-ligand complexes are discussed. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Absorption spectra of radicals of substrates for p-hydroxybenzoate hydroxylase following electrophilic attack of the .OH radical in the 3 position

The spectra of radicals formed upon the addition of .OH radicals to the 3 position of substrates for p-hydroxybenzoate hydroxylase (4-hydroxybenzoic acid, 2,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid, and 4-aminobenzoic acid) have been determined using pulse radiolysis combined with the results from high performance liquid chromatography measurements. The 3-hydroxy radical forms of the substrates absorb maximally in the 365-410 nm region with extinction coefficients in the range 3700-5250 M-1 cm-1. Upon combining these radical spectra with the known spectrum of enzyme-bound reduced flavin that is substituted in the C(4a) position of the isoalloxazine ring, spectra are found which closely resemble the species long thought to be formed concomitantly with the introduction of an oxygen atom into substrates. On the basis of these spectral results a new radical mechanism is proposed for the functioning of this class of flavoprotein hydroxylases.     

Structure of the O-polysaccharide and serological cross-reactivity of the lipopolysaccharide of Providencia alcalifaciens O32 containing N-acetylisomuramic acid

The O-polysaccharide was obtained by mild acid degradation of the lipopolysaccharide of Providencia alcalifaciens O32 and studied by sugar and methylation analyses, solvolysis with triflic acid, 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy, including two-dimensional 1H,1H COSY, TOCSY, ROESY, H-detected 1H,13C HSQC and HMBC experiments. It was found that the polysaccharide has a branched tetrasaccharide repeating unit containing 2-acetamido-3-O-[(S)-1-carboxyethyl]-2-deoxy-D-glucose (D-GlcNAc3Slac, N-acetylisomuramic acid) with the following structure: [STRUCTURE: SEE TEXT]. Serological studies with O-antisera showed antigenic relationships between P. alcalifaciens O32 and O29 as well as several other Providencia and Proteus strains sharing putative epitopes on the O-polysaccharides.     

Structure of the O-specific polysaccharide of Proteus vulgaris O15 containing a novel regioisomer of N-acetylmuramic acid, 2-acetamido-4-O-[(R)-1-carboxyethyl]-2-deoxy-D-glucose

An acidic O-specific polysaccharide was obtained by mild acid degradation of the lipopolysaccharide of Proteus vulgaris O15 and studied by sugar and methylation analyses along with 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy, including 2D COSY, TOCSY, ROESY, and H-detected 1H,(13)C HMQC experiments. The polysaccharide was found to contain an ether of GlcNAc with lactic acid, and the following structure of the repeating unit was established:-->3)-alpha-D-GlcpNAc4(R-Lac)6Ac-(1-->2)-beta-D-GlcpA-(1-->3)-alpha-L-6dTalp2Ac-(1-->3)-beta-D-GlcpNAc-(1-->where L-6dTal and D-GlcNAc4(R-Lac) are 6-deoxy-L-talose and 2-acetamido-4-O-[(R)-1-carboxyethyl]-2-deoxy-D-glucose, respectively. The latter sugar, which to our knowledge has not been hitherto found in nature, was isolated from the polysaccharide by solvolysis with anhydrous triflic acid and identified by comparison with the authentic synthetic compound. Serological studies with the Smith-degraded polysaccharide showed an importance of 2-substituted GlcA for manifesting of the immunospecificity of P. vulgaris O15.