Cleavage of the O antigen 4, 5, 12 of Salmonella typhimurium by hydrofluoric acid.
The effect of hydrofluoric acid (aqueous 48% HF) upon different lipopolysaccharides (LPS) was studied, employing conditions (48 h at +4 degrees C) that are commonly used to dephosphorylate LPS. From the LPS of Salmonella typhimurium having the O antigen 4,5,12 almost all of the O-antigenic sugars (Abe, Gal, Glc, Man, Rha) were liberated in dialysable form, whereas the saccharide chains of Salmonella LPS with O antigen 6,7 (Man, Glc, GlcNAc) were resistant to HF. The lability towards HF was shown to be due to the presence of the deoxysugar L-rhamnose in the saccharide backbone of the O antigen 4,5,12, since only Rha was found as the terminal sugar in the corresponding dialysable material. Hydrofluoric acid can thus be used to specifically cleave Rha-containing polysaccharides.
Helander
I M
IM
Molecular Biology Unit, National Public Health Institute, Helsinki, Finland.
Kitunen
V
V
D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D002850:Chromatography, Gel; D006858:Hydrofluoric Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000378:metabolism; D019081:O Antigens; D010766:Phosphorylation; D012210:Rhamnose / Q000378:metabolism; D012486:Salmonella typhimurium / Q000276:immunology*
D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D019081:O Antigens; D012210:Rhamnose; D006858:Hydrofluoric Acid