Full Structure of the Lipopolysaccharide of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Immunotype 5

The lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of the opportunistic human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa immunotype 5 was delipidated by mild acid hydrolysis, and the products were separated by high-performance anion-exchange chromatography and analyzed by ESI MS and NMR spectroscopy. LPS species of three types were found, including those with an unsubstituted core and the core substituted with one O-polysaccharide repeating unit or with an O-polysaccharide of a variable number of repeating units. The core region is highly phosphorylated, the major species containing two monophosphate groups and one ethanolamine diphosphate group. Based on these and published data on the O-polysaccharide structure, the full structure of the LPS of P. aeruginosa immunotype 5 was established.     

Structure of the biological repeating unit of the O-antigen of Pseudomonas aeruginosa immunotype 4 containing both 2-acetamido-2,6-dideoxy-D-glucose and 2-acetamido-2,6-dideoxy-D-galactose

A phosphorylated core-lipid A backbone oligosaccharide that carries a disaccharide remainder of the first O-antigen repeating unit was derived by strong alkaline degradation following mild hydrazinolysis of the lipopolysaccharide of Pseudomonas aeruginosa immunotype 4 (serogroup O-1). The structure of the oligosaccharide was determined using ESI MS and NMR spectroscopy and it was demonstrated that 2-acetamido-2,6-dideoxy-D-glucose is the first monosaccharide of the O-polysaccharide that is linked to the LPS core. These data define the structure of the biological repeating unit of the O-antigen.     

Structural characterization of the outer core and the O-chain linkage region of lipopolysaccharide from Pseudomonas aeruginosa serotype O5.

The point of attachment of the O-chain in the outer core region of Pseudomonas aeruginosa serotype O5 lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was determined following a detailed analysis of the extended core oligosaccharide, containing one trisaccharide O-chain repeating unit, present in both the wild-type strain PAO1 and O-chain deficient mutant strains AK1401 and PAO-rfc. The structure of the extended core oligosaccharide was determined by various mass spectrometric methods as well as one-dimensional and two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy. Furthermore, the one-dimensional analogues of NOESY and TOCSY experiments were applied to confirm the structure of the outer core region in the O-chain polysaccharide. In both the extended core oligosaccharide and the core of the smooth LPS, a loss of one of the beta-glucosyl residues and the translocation of the alpha-rhamnosyl residue, followed by the attachment of the first O-chain repeating unit was observed. This process is complicated and could involve two distinct rhamnosyltransferases, one with alpha-1, 6-linkage specificity and another with alpha-1,3-linkage specificity. It is also plausible that an alpha-1,3 rhamnosyltransferase facilitates the addition of the 'new' alpha-rhamnosyl residue that will act as a receptor for the attachment of the single O-antigen repeating unit in the LPS of the semi-rough mutant. The 2-amino-2-deoxy-fucosyl residue of the first O-chain repeating unit directly attached to the core was found to have a beta-anomeric configuration instead of an alpha configuration, characteristic for this residue as a component of the O-chain polysaccharide. The results of this study provide the first example of the mechanistic implications of the structure of the outer core region in a fully assembled O-chain containing LPS, differing from the O-chain deficient rough LPS.     

Epithelial cell contact-induced alterations in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi lipopolysaccharide are critical for bacterial internalization

The invasion of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi into epithelial cells depends on the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) protein as an epithelial receptor. In the case of P. aeruginosa , the bacterial ligand for CFTR is the outer core oligosaccharide portion of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS). To determine whether serovar Typhi LPS is also a bacterial ligand mediating internalization, we used both P. aeruginosa and serovar Typhi LPS as a competitive inhibitor of serovar Typhi invasion into the epithelial cell line T84. P. aeruginosa LPS containing a complete core efficiently inhibited serovar Typhi invasion. However, neither killed wild-type Typhi cells nor purified LPS were effective inhibitors. LPS from mutant Typhi strains defective in O side-chain synthesis, but with an apparently normal core, was capable of inhibiting invasion, but LPS obtained from a deeper rough mutant strain with alterations in fast-migrating core oligosaccharide failed to inhibit invasion. Lastly, exposure of wild-type serovar Typhi to T84 cultures before heat killing resulted in a structural alteration in its LPS that allowed the heat-killed cells to inhibit invasion of wild-type serovar Typhi. These data indicate that the serovar Typhi LPS core, like the P. aeruginosa LPS core, is a ligand mediating internalization of bacteria by epithelial cells, and that exposure of this ligand on wild-type Typhi is induced by the bacteria's interaction with host cells.     

Structural elucidation of the lipopolysaccharide core region of the O-chain-deficient mutant strain A28 from Pseudomonas aeruginosa serotype 06 (International Antigenic Typing Scheme).

The lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa serotype 06 rough-type mutant A28 was isolated by a modified phenol-chloroform-petroleum ether extraction method. Deoxycholate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis indicated a single band with mobility similar to that of the complete core region of the wild-type parent serotype 06 (International Antigenic Typing Scheme) strain. Compositional analysis of the LPS indicated that the core oligosaccharide was composed of D-glucose (three units), L-rhamnose (one unit), 2-amino-2-deoxy-D-galactose (one unit), L-glycero-D-manno-heptose (two units), 3-deoxy-D-manno-octulosonic acid (two units), L-alanine (one unit), and phosphate (two units). Under the mild conditions of hydrolysis with methanolic hydrogen chloride, a 7-O-carbamoyl substituent was observed on the second heptose residue. The glycan structure of the LPS was determined by employing one- and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and mass spectrometry-based methods with a backbone oligosaccharide that was obtained from the LPS by deacylation, dephosphorylation, and reduction of the terminal glucosamine. On the basis of the results of the present study and our earlier work with the P. aeruginosa 06-derived core-defective mutant R5 (H. Masoud, E. Altman, J. C. Richards, and J. S. Lam, Biochemistry, 33:10568-10578, 1994), a structural model for the complete core oligosaccharide is proposed.     

The structure of the lipopolysaccharide from a galU mutant of Pseudomonas aeruginosa serogroup-O11

The lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of a galU mutant of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA103, a serogroup O11 strain, was sequentially extracted with phenol–chloroform–petroleum ether (PCP) followed by hot phenol–water extraction of the bacterial pellet remaining after PCP extraction. LPS was found in both the PCP extract as well as in the water phase of the hot phenol–water extract. Analysis of the carbohydrate portion released by mild acid hydrolysis of both LPS preparations, both before and after removal of all phosphate groups by treatment with aqueous HF, was performed by glycosyl composition and linkage analyses as well as by NMR and mass spectrometric analyses. The results showed that the carbohydrate portion of these two LPS extracts contained the same structure: namely, -GalN(Ala)-(1→3)--(7-Cm)HepII-(1→3)--HepI-(1→5)--Kdo-(2→. The oligosaccharide preparation from PCP-extracted LPS consisted of a variety of structures containing up to six phosphate groups present as mono-, pyro-, and possibly triphosphate, primarily located on the HepI residue with some molecules having a monophosphate on HepII. The oligosaccharide preparation from the hot phenol–water-extracted LPS contained a similar variety of structures, but with an additional structure in which HepI contained a PPEA group at O-2. In addition, PAGE immunoblot analysis of the crude cellular extract with anti-A-antibodies revealed the presence of A-band material in both PA103 and the galU mutant. The A-band material was purified and characterized by glycosyl composition and linkage analyses, as well as by NMR spectroscopy, which confirmed that the A-band rhamnan polysaccharide was present but not as typical LPS since lipid-A or LPS core oligosaccharide components were not detected.     

Structure of a highly phosphorylated lipopolysaccharide core in the Delta algC mutants derived from Pseudomonas aeruginosa wild-type strains PAO1 (serogroup O5) and PAC1R (serogroup O3)

Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) were isolated from rough-type mutant strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Delta algC) derived from wild-type strains PAO1 (serogroup O5) and PAC1R (serogroup O3). Structural studies of the LPS core region with a special focus on the phosphorylation pattern were performed by 2D NMR spectroscopy, including a 1H,(31)P HMQC-TOCSY experiment, MALDI-TOF MS, and Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance ESIMS using the capillary skimmer dissociation technique. Both LPS were found to contain two residues each of 3-deoxy-D-manno-oct-2-ulosonic acid (Kdo) and L-glycero-D-manno-heptose (Hep), one residue of N-(L-alanyl)-D-galactosamine and one O-carbamoyl group (Cm) on the distal Hep residue. The following structures of a tetrasaccharide trisphosphate from strain PAC1R Delta algC and that carrying an additional ethanolamine phosphate group (PEtN) from strain PAO1 Delta algC were elucidated: [carbohydrate structre: see text] where R=P in PAC1R Delta algC and PPEtN in PAO1 Delta algC. To our knowledge, in this work the presence of ethanolamine diphosphate is unambiguously confirmed and its position established for the first time in the LPS core of a rough-type strain of P. aeruginosa. In addition, the structure of the complete LPS core of wild-type strain P. aeruginosa PAO1 was reinvestigated and the position of the phosphorylation sites was revised.     

The linkage between O-specific caryan and core region in the lipopolysaccharide of Burkholderia caryophylli is furnished by a primer monosaccharide

From the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) fraction of the plant-pathogenic bacterium Burkholderia caryophylli, the linkage between O-specific caryan and core region was characterised. The LPS fraction was first treated with 48% aqueous HF at 4 degrees C and successively with 1% acetic acid at 100 degrees C. A main oligosaccharide representing the carbohydrate backbone of the core region and a portion of the caryan (three unit of caryose) was isolated by high-performance anion-exchange chromatography. Compositional and methylation analyses, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation mass spectrometry and 2D NMR spectroscopy identified the structure: [carbohydrate structure: see text]. The above residues are alpha-linked pyranose rings, if not stated otherwise. Hep is L-glycero-D-manno-heptose, Car is 4,8-cyclo-3,9-dideoxy-L-erythro-D-ido-nonose and Kdo is 3-deoxy-D-manno-oct-2-ulosonic acid. This finding indicates that QuiNAc residue is the primer monosaccharide, which connects the core oligosaccharide to caryan O-chain.     

Structural analysis of the lipopolysaccharide core of a rough, cystic fibrosis isolate of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) expressed by isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa from cystic fibrosis patients lacks the O-polysaccharide chain but the degree to which the rest of the molecule changes has not been determined. We analyzed, for the first time, the core structure of an LPS from a rough, cystic fibrosis isolate of P. aeruginosa. The products of mild acid hydrolysis and strong alkaline degradation of the LPS were studied by ESI MS, MALDI MS, and NMR spectroscopy. The following structure was determined for the highest-phosphorylated core-lipid A backbone oligosaccharide isolated after alkaline deacylation of the LPS: [structure: see text] where Kdo and Hep are 3-deoxy-D-manno-octulosonic acid and L-glycero-D-manno-heptose, respectively; all sugars are in the pyranose form and have the D configuration unless stated otherwise. The outer core region occurs as two isomeric glycoforms differing in the position of rhamnose (Rha). The inner core region carries four phosphorylation sites at two Hep residues, HepI being predominantly bisphosphorylated and HepII monophosphorylated. In the intact LPS, both Hep residues carry monophosphate and diphosphate groups in nonstoichiometric quantities, GalN is N-acylated by an L-alanyl group, HepII is 7-O-carbamoylated, and the outer core region is nonstoichiometrically O-acetylated at four sites. Therefore, the switch to the LPS-rough phenotype in cystic fibrosis isolates of P. aeruginosa is not accompanied by losses of core monosaccharide, phosphate or acyl components. The exact positions of the O-acetyl groups and the role of the previously undescribed O-acetylation in the LPS core of P. aeruginosa remain to be determined.     

Structural characterization of the lipid A component of Pseudomonas aeruginosa wild-type and rough mutant lipopolysaccharides

The structure of the lipid A component of lipopolysaccharides isolated from two wild-type strains (Fisher 2 and 7) and one rough mutant (PAC 605) of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was investigated using chemical analysis, methylation analysis, combined gas-liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry, laser-desorption mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy. The lipid A backbone was found to consist of a pyranosidic beta 1,6-linked D-glucosamine disaccharide [beta-D-GlcpN-(1----6)-D-GlcpN], phosphorylated in positions 4' and 1. Position 6' of the beta-D-GlcpN-(1----6)-D-GlcpN disaccharide was identified as the attachment site of the core oligosaccharide and the hydroxyl group at C-4 was not substituted. Lipid A of the three P. aeruginosa strains expressed heterogeneity with regard to the degree of acylation: a hexaacyl as well as a pentaacyl component were structurally characterized. The hexaacyl lipid A contains two amide-bound 3-O-acylated (R)-3-hydroxydodecanoic acid groups [12:0(3-OH)] at positions 2 and 2' of the GlcN dissacharide and two ester-bound (R)-3-hydroxydecanoic acid groups [10:0(3-OH)] at positions 3 and 3'. The pentaacyl species, which represents the major lipid A component, lacks one 10:0(3-OH) residue, the hydroxyl group in position 3 of the reducing GlcN residue being free. In both hexa- and pentaacyl lipid A the 3-hydroxyl group of the two amide-linked 12:0(3-OH) residues are acylated by either dodecanoic (12:0) or (S)-2-hydroxydodecanoic acid [12:0(2-OH)], the lipid A species with two 12:0(2-OH) residues, however, being absent. The presence of only five acyl residues in the major lipid A fraction may account for the low endotoxic activity observed with P. aeruginosa lipopolysaccharide.     

Complete lipopolysaccharide of Plesiomonas shigelloides O74:H5 (strain CNCTC 144/92). 1. Structural analysis of the highly hydrophobic lipopolysaccharide, including the O-antigen, its biological repeating unit, the core oligosaccharide, and the linkage between them

The lipopolysaccharide of Plesiomonas shigelloides serotype O74:H5 (strain CNCTC 144/92) was obtained with the hot phenol/water method, but unlike most of the S-type enterobacterial lipopolysaccharides, the O-antigens were preferentially extracted into the phenol phase. The poly- and oligosaccharides released by mild acidic hydrolysis of the lipopolysaccharide from both phenol and water phases were separated and investigated by (1)H and (13)C NMR spectroscopy, MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, and sugar and methylation analysis. The O-specific polysaccharide and oligosaccharides consisting of the core, the core with one repeating unit, and the core with two repeating units were isolated. It was concluded that the O-specific polysaccharide is composed of a trisaccharide repeating unit with the [-->2)-beta-d-Quip3NAcyl-(1-->3)-alpha-l-Rhap2OAc-(1-->3)-alpha-d-FucpNAc-(1-->] structure, in which d-Qui3NAcyl is 3-amino-3,6-dideoxy-d-glucose acylated with 3-hydroxy-2,3-dimethyl-5-oxopyrrolidine-2-carboxylic acid. The major oligosaccharide consisted of a single repeating unit and a core oligosaccharide. This undecasaccharide contains information about the biological repeating unit and the type and position of the linkage between the O-specific chain and core. The presence of a terminal beta-d-Quip3NAcyl-(1--> residue and the -->3)-beta-d-FucpNAc-(1-->4)-alpha-d-GalpA element showed the structure of the biological repeating unit of the O-antigen and the substitution position to the core. The -->3)-beta-d-FucpNAc-(1--> residue has the anomeric configuration inverted compared to the same residue in the repeating unit. The core oligosaccharide was composed of a nonphosphorylated octasaccharide, which represents a novel core type of P. shigelloides LPS characteristic of serotype O74. The similarity between the isolated O-specific polysaccharide and that found on intact bacterial cells and lipopolysaccharide was confirmed by HR-MAS NMR experiments.     

Evidence that WapB is a 1,2-glucosyltransferase of Pseudomonas aeruginosa involved in Lipopolysaccharide outer core biosynthesis

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an important opportunistic pathogen infecting debilitated individuals. One of the major virulence factors expressed by P. aeruginosa is lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which is composed of lipid A, core oligosaccharide (OS), and O-antigen polysaccharide. The core OS is divided into inner and outer regions. Although the structure of the outer core OS has been elucidated, the functions and mechanisms of the glycosyltransferases involved in core OS biogenesis are currently unknown. Here, we show that a previously uncharacterized gene, pa1014, is involved in outer core biosynthesis, and we propose to rename this gene wapB. We constructed a chromosomal mutant, wapB::Gm, in a PAO1 (O5 serotype) strain background. Characterization of the LPS from the mutant by Western immunoblotting showed a lack of reactivity to PAO1 outer core-specific monoclonal antibody (MAb) 5c-101. The chemical structure of the core OS of the wapB mutant was elucidated using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and mass spectrometry techniques and revealed that the core OS of the wapB mutant lacked the terminal β-1,2-linked-d-glucose residue. Complementation of the mutant with wapB in trans restored the core structure to one that is identical to that of the wild type. Eleven of the 20 P. aeruginosa International Antigenic Typing Scheme (IATS) serotypes produce LPSs that lack the terminal d-glucose residue (Glc(IV)). Interestingly, expressing wapB in each of these 11 serotypes modifies each of their outer core OS structures, which became reactive to MAb 5c-101 in Western immunoblotting, suggesting the presence of a terminal d-glucose in these core OS structures. Our results strongly suggested that wapB encodes a 1,2-glucosyltransferase.     

Effects of lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis mutations on K1 polysaccharide association with the Escherichia coli cell surface

The presence of cell-bound K1 capsule and K1 polysaccharide in culture supernatants was determined in a series of in-frame nonpolar core biosynthetic mutants from Escherichia coli KT1094 (K1, R1 core lipopolysaccharide [LPS] type) for which the major core oligosaccharide structures were determined. Cell-bound K1 capsule was absent from mutants devoid of phosphoryl modifications on L-glycero-D-manno-heptose residues (HepI and HepII) of the inner-core LPS and reduced in mutants devoid of phosphoryl modification on HepII or devoid of HepIII. In contrast, in all of the mutants, K1 polysaccharide was found in culture supernatants. These results were confirmed by using a mutant with a deletion spanning from the hldD to waaQ genes of the waa gene cluster to which individual genes were reintroduced. A nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis of core LPS from HepIII-deficient mutants showed an alteration in the pattern of phosphoryl modifications. A cell extract containing both K1 capsule polysaccharide and LPS obtained from an O-antigen-deficient mutant could be resolved into K1 polysaccharide and core LPS by column chromatography only when EDTA and deoxycholate (DOC) buffer were used. These results suggest that the K1 polysaccharide remains cell associated by ionically interacting with the phosphate-negative charges of the core LPS.     

A new core tetrasaccharide component from the lipopolysaccharide of Rhizobium trifolii ANU 843

A second core oligosaccharide fragment has been isolated and characterized from the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of Rhizobium trifolii ANU 843. The oligosaccharide is a tetrasaccharide composed of galactose, galacturonic acid, mannose, and 3-deoxy-D-manno-2-octulosonic acid. The mannose residue is alpha-linked to the 4-position of 3-deoxy-D-manno-2-octulosonic acid and the galacturonic acid residue is alpha-linked to the 6-position of mannose. The galactose residue, which is acetylated at the 4-position, is attached to the 4-position of mannose by an alpha-linkage. All of the aldoses are in the pyranose form. The composition of the tetrasaccharide was determined by gas-liquid chromatography of the alditol acetate derivatives of the component monosaccharides. The configuration of anomeric linkages was determined by 1H NMR spectroscopy. Fast atom bombardment-mass spectrometry (FAB-MS) was performed on acetylated, per(trideutero)acetylated and underivatized tetrasaccharide giving sequence information in addition to information on the residue which was acetylated. Similar studies were performed on the oligosaccharide after reduction with sodium cyanoborohydride and peracetylation with labeled and unlabeled acetic anhydride as before. Further linkage and sequence analysis was obtained from methylation analysis, and from electron impact mass spectrometry of the per(trideutero)acetylated oligosaccharide and from collision-induced dissociation fast atom bombardment tandem mass spectrometry using linked scans at constant B/E on the cyanoborohydride-reduced, per (trideutero)acetylated oligosaccharide. The exact location of the acetyl group was deduced from 1H NMR double resonance experiments in conjunction with mass spectrometric data.     

Structural analysis of the lipopolysaccharide from Pasteurella multocida genome strain Pm70 and identification of the putative lipopolysaccharide glycosyltransferases

Pasteurella multocida is an important multispecies veterinary pathogen. The cell surface lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is an important virulence factor and forms the basis of the serotyping scheme, although little structural information about it is known. The structure of the LPS from the Pasteurella multocida genome strain Pm70 was elucidated in this study. The LPS was subjected to a variety of degradative procedures. The structures of the purified products were established by monosaccharide and methylation analyses, NMR spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry. The structure of the core oligosaccharide was determined on the basis of the combined data from these experiments. Identification of the core oligosaccharide structure enabled a search for glycosyltransferase homologs in the Pm70 genome and revealed a clustering of the genes putatively responsible for outer core oligosaccharide biosynthesis.     

Functional characterization of MigA and WapR: putative rhamnosyltransferases involved in outer core oligosaccharide biosynthesis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Pseudomonas aeruginosa lipopolysaccharide (LPS) contains two glycoforms of core oligosaccharide (OS); one form is capped with O antigen through an alpha-1,3-linked L-rhamnose (L-Rha), while the other is uncapped and contains an alpha-1,6-linked L-Rha. Two genes in strain PAO1, wapR (PA5000) and migA (PA0705), encode putative glycosyltransferases associated with core biosynthesis. We propose that WapR and MigA are the rhamnosyltransferases responsible for the two linkages of L-Rha to the core. Knockout mutants with mutations in both genes were generated. The wapR mutant produced LPS lacking O antigen, and addition of wapR in trans complemented this defect. The migA mutant produced LPS with a truncated outer core and showed no reactivity to outer core-specific monoclonal antibody (MAb) 5C101. Complementation of this mutant with migA restored reactivity of the LPS to MAb 5C101. Interestingly, LPS from the complemented migA strain was not reactive to MAb 18-19 (specific for the core-plus-one O repeat). This was due to overexpression of MigA in the complemented strain that caused an increase in the proportion of the uncapped core OS, thereby decreasing the amount of the core-plus-one O repeat, indicating that MigA has a regulatory role. The structures of LPS from both mutants were elucidated using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. The capped core of the wapR mutant was found to be truncated and lacked alpha-1,3-L-Rha. In contrast, uncapped core OS from the migA mutant lacked alpha-1,6-L-Rha. These results provide evidence that WapR is the alpha-1,3-rhamnosyltransferase, while MigA is the alpha-1,6-rhamnosyltransferase.     

The structure of the core region of the lipopolysaccharide from Geobacter sulfurreducens

The structure of the core part of the LPS from Geobacter sulfurreducens was analysed. The LPS contained no O-specific polysaccharide (O-side chain) and upon mild hydrolysis gave a core oligosaccharide, which was isolated by gel chromatography. It was studied by chemical methods, NMR and mass spectrometry, and the following structure was proposed. [carbohydrate structure: see text] where Q = 3-O-Me-alpha-L-QuiNAc-(1-->or H (approximately 3:2).     

Monoclonal antibodies that distinguish inner core, outer core, and lipid A regions of Pseudomonas aeruginosa lipopolysaccharide.

In order to examine the immunochemistry of the core-lipid A region of Pseudomonas aeruginosa lipopolysaccharide (LPS), monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) specific for this region were produced in mice. Immunogen was prepared by coating a rough mutant of P. aeruginosa with column-purified core oligosaccharide fractions in order to enhance the immune response to the LPS core-lipid A region. Fourteen hybridoma clones were isolated, characterized, and further divided into three groups on the basis of their reactivities to rough LPS antigens in both enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and Western immunoblots. In addition, another MAb, 18-19, designated group 1, was included in this study for defining core-lipid A epitopes. MAb 18-19 recognizes the LPS core-plus-one O-repeat unit of the serologically cross-reactive P. aeruginosa O2, O5, and O16. Group 2 MAbs are specific for the LPS outer core region and reacted with P. aeruginosa O2, O5, O7, O8, O10, O16, O18, O19, and O20, suggesting that these serotypes share a common outer core type. Group 3 MAbs recognize the inner core region and reacted with all 20 P. aeruginosa serotypes as well as with other Pseudomonas species, revealing the conserved nature of this region. Group 4 MAbs are specific for lipid A and reacted with all gram-negative organisms tested. Immunoassays using these MAbs and well-defined rough mutants, in addition to the recently determined P. aeruginosa core structures, have allowed us to precisely define immunodominant epitopes within the LPS core region.     

The structure of the carbohydrate backbone of core-lipid A region ofthe lipopolysaccharides from Proteus mirabilis wild-type strain S1959 (serotype O3) and its Ra mutant R110/1959.

The following structure of core-lipid A region of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Proteus mirabilis strain 1959 (serotype O3) and its rough mutant R110/1959 (Proteus type II core) was determined using NMR and chemical analysis of the core oligosaccharide, obtained by mild acid hydrolysis of LPS, and of the products of alkaline deacylation of the LPS: Incomplete substitutions are indicated by italics. All sugars are in pyranose form, alpha-Hep is the residue Lglycero-alpha-Dmanno-Hep, alpha-DD-Hep is the residue Dglycero-alpha-Dmanno-Hep. The differences with the previously reported structures are discussed.     

Structural analysis of the lipopolysaccharide from Neisseria meningitidis strain BZ157 galE: localisation of two phosphoethanolamine residues in the inner core oligosaccharide

The structure of the phase-variable lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from the group B Neisseria meningitidis strain BZ157 galE was elucidated. The structural basis for the LPS's variation in reactivity with a monoclonal antibody (MAb) B5 that has specificity for the presence of phosphoethanolamine (PEtn) at the 3-position of the distal heptose residue (HepII) was established. The structure of the O-deacylated LPS was deduced by a combination of monosaccharide analyses, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. These analyses revealed the presence of a novel inner core oligosaccharide (OS) structure in the MAb B5 reactive (B5+) LPS that contained two PEtn residues simultaneously substituting the 3- and 6-positions of the HepII residue. The determination of this structure has identified a further degree of variability within the inner core OS of meningococcal LPS that could contribute to the interaction of meningococcal strains with their host.