title: Electrophoretic heterogeneity and interstrain variation of the lipopolysaccharide of Haemophilus influenzae.
abstract: Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was extracted from 50 isolates of Haemophilus influenzae by a rapid micromethod and was analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and silver staining. LPS isolated by this method was electrophoretically indistinguishable from conventionally purified LPS but lacked the large degree of heterogeneity indicative of variable polymerization of O-side-chain repeating units; one to four bands appeared in gels. Electrophoretic profiles of LPS from H influenzae type b varied among strains and were useful for subtyping. Thirty-three isolates of type b were classified into 11 subtypes on the basis of stable band mobilities. Certain isolates of identical outer-membrane-protein subtype differed in LPS subtype. The LPS profiles of non-b, typable strains of H influenzae were generally similar in microheterogeneity to those of type b strains, while those of untypable isolates usually displayed less electrophoretic variation.
mesh_terms: D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D006192:Haemophilus Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D006193:Haemophilus influenzae / Q000032:analysis* / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000145:classification* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012703:Serotyping
chemical_list: D008070:Lipopolysaccharides