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The structure of the lipid A component of Sphaerotilus natans

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Abstract

The lipopolysaccharide of Sphaerotilus natans afforded a ladder-like pattern of bands in sodium deoxycholate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, indicating the presence of a S-form lipopolysaccharide. The chemical analysis showed neutral sugars (rhamnose, glucose, l-glycero-d-manno-heptose), 3-deoxy-octulosonic acid (Kdo), amino compounds (glucosamine, glucosamine phosphate, ethanolamine and ethanolamine phosphate), and phosphorus. The lipid A fraction contained saturated and unsaturated capric, lauric, and myristic acids, and 3-hydroxy capric acid (3-OH-10:0). Its chemical structure was consisting of a glucosamine disaccharide, glycosidically substituted by a phosphomonoester, and substituted at C-4′ by a pyrophosphodiester esterified with ethanolamine. The amino groups of both glucosamines are acylated by 3-hydroxy capric acids and these in turn are substituted by saturated and unsaturated capric, lauric, and myristic acids. Hydroxyl groups of the backbone disaccharide at C-3 and C-3′ were also esterified by 3-hydroxy capric acid, those at C-4 and C-6 were unsubstituted. The latter provides the attachment site for Kdo.

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Abbreviations

Kdo:

3-deoxy-d-manno-octulosonic acid

3-OH-10:0:

3-hydroxy capric acid

DOC-PAGE:

deoxycholate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis

GC-MS:

gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

LD-MS:

laser desorption mass spectrometry

LPS:

lipopolysaccharide

PS:

polysaccharide

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Max-Planck-Institut für Immunbiologie, Stübeweg 51, W-7800, Freiburg, Germany

    Hussein Masoud, Teresa Urbanik-Sypniewska & Hubert Mayer

  2. Forschungsinstitut Borstel, W-2061, Borstel, Germany

    Buko Lindner

  3. Institut für Biologie II, Mikrobiologie, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, W-7800, Freiburg, Germany

    Jürgen Weckesser

Authors
  1. Hussein Masoud
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  2. Teresa Urbanik-Sypniewska
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  3. Buko Lindner
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  4. Jürgen Weckesser
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  5. Hubert Mayer
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Masoud, H., Urbanik-Sypniewska, T., Lindner, B. et al. The structure of the lipid A component of Sphaerotilus natans . Arch. Microbiol. 156, 167–175 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00249110

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