title: Purification and immunochemical characterization of type e polysaccharide antigen of Streptococcus mutans.
abstract: The type-specific antigen of Streptococcus mutans strain MT703, serotype e, has been chromatographically purified and characterized. Two chromatographic fractions were obtained from saline extracts which reacted with both anti-MT703 whole-cell serum and Lancefield group E serum. The major fraction (eI) was identified as a polysaccharide composed of 37% glucose, 56% rhamnose, 5% protein, and 0.3% phosphorus, whereas the minor fraction (eII) contained 66% protein in addition to 10% glucose and 17% rhamnose. The immunological specificity of these antigens was found to be the same by immunodiffusion in agar gel. Another fraction with a negative charge (eIII) reacted with polyglycerophosphate antisera from Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus pyogenes. For comparison, the MT703 antigen in a hot trichloroacetic acid extract (eA) and the group E antigen from a saline extract of cells of strain K129 (EI) were similarly purified by anionic ion-exchange chromatography. Although the ratio of glucose and rhamnose in eA was 1:0.9 and in eI and eII approximately 1:1.5, reactions of identity were obtained in gel diffusion against specific anti-e serum. This difference in ratio is probably a result of the extraction procedures. Both the type e and group E antisera were reactive with both eI and EI antigens. The adsorption of group E antiserum with MT703 cells removed all E antibody, whereas type e-specific antibody remained after adsorption with K129 cells. These results suggest that eI antigen possesses both e and E specificities, whereas EI possesses E only. These findings were supported by the quantitative precipitin test and immunodiffusion and/or immunoelectrophoretic patterns in agar gel. Methyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside markedly inhibited the precipitin reaction in both type e and group E sera. However, a significantly stronger inhibition by cellobiose of type e serum than of group E serum indicates that a beta-linked glucose-glucose dimer is the predominant antigenic determinant of the e specificity. The presence of both e and E specificities on a single polysaccharide molecule was demonstrated by the use of purified e antigen released from a specific e-anti-e complex. This antigen reacted with a group E-specific serum as well as a type e-specific serum. An examination of five S. mutans type e strains showed the presence of group E specificity also, whereas the I, II, and IV serotypes of group E streptococci only possessed the group E specificity.
mesh_terms: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D000939:Epitopes; D005947:Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D006241:Haptens; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000032:analysis; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D011233:Precipitin Tests; D012210:Rhamnose / Q000032:analysis; D013291:Streptococcus / Q000276:immunology*; D013295:Streptococcus mutans / Q000276:immunology*; D013297:Streptococcus pyogenes / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D000939:Epitopes; D006241:Haptens; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial; D010758:Phosphorus; D005947:Glucose; D012210:Rhamnose