title: Isolation and separation of physicochemically distinct fimbrial types expressed on a single culture of Escherichia coli O7:K1:H6.
abstract: The fimbrial (pili) profile of a single strain of Escherichia coli O7:K1:H6 (WF96) was evaluated. Fimbriae were isolated by sucrose density gradient ultracentrifugation, purified from flagellae by the use of 0.4% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and separated into distinct fimbrial types. Analysis of the purified WF96 fimbriae by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed two polypeptide bands with molecular weights of 16,000 and 21,000. Treatment of the fimbrial mixture with saturated guanidine hydrochloride resulted in the appearance of a third band with a molecular weight of 19,500. The relative susceptibilities of the WF96 fimbrial types to disrupting chemicals (octyl-glucoside, urea, SDS, and guanidine hydrochloride) were assessed by exposure of the fimbrial mixture to each agent, separation of the depolymerized fimbriae from intact fimbriae by gel filtration on Sepharose CL-4B, and identification of the disaggregated fimbrial types by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of column fractions. The physicochemical heterogeneity of the three fimbrial types coexpressed on WF96 was exploited to develop a method for separation of individual fimbriae.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Karch
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Leying
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Büscher
authors.forename: H P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Kroll
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Opferkuch
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000032:analysis / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D010861:Fimbriae, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005960:Glucosides / Q000494:pharmacology; D019791:Guanidine; D006146:Guanidines / Q000494:pharmacology; D014508:Urea / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D005960:Glucosides; D006146:Guanidines; C018619:octyl-beta-D-glucoside; D014508:Urea; D019791:Guanidine