Comparative Characterization of the Lipopolysaccharides of Different Pseudomonas fluorescensBiovar I Strains

From the biomass of five Pseudomonas fluorescensbiovar I strains, including the P. fluorescenstype strain IMV 4125 (ATCC 13525), lipopolysaccharides (LPS) were isolated (by extraction with a phenol–water mixture followed by repeated ultracentrifugation), as well as individual structural components of the LPS macromolecule: lipid A, the core oligosaccharide, and O-specific polysaccharide (O-PS). 3-Hydroxydecanoic, 2-hydroxydodecanoic, 3-hydroxydodecanoic, dodecanoic, hexadecanoic, octadecanoic, hexadecenoic, and octadecenoic fatty acids were present in lipid A of the LPS of all the strains studied. Glucosamine, ethanolamine, and phosphoethanolamine were revealed in the lipid A hydrophilic part of all of the strains. Glucose, rhamnose, mannoze, glucosamine, galactosamine, KDO, a trace amount of heptoses, ethanolamine, phosphoethanolamine, alanine, and phosphorus were identified as the main core components. Interstrain differences in the core oligosaccharide composition were revealed. Structural analysis showed that the O-PS of the type strain, as distinct from that of other strains, is heterogeneous and contains two types of repetitive units, including (1) three L-rhamnose residues (L-Rha), one 3-acetamide-3,6-dideoxy-D-galactose residue (D-Fuc3NAc) as a branching substitute of the L-rhamnan chain and (2) three L-Rha residues and two branching D-Fuc3NAc residues. The type strain is also serologically distinct from other biovar I strains due to the LPS O-chain structure, which is similar to those of the strains of the species Pseudomonas syringae, including the type strain. The data of structural analysis agree well with the results of immunochemical studies of LPS.