STRUCTURE OF THE O-SPECIFIC POLYSACCHARIDE OF PROTEUS MIRABILIS D52 AND TYPING THIS STRAIN TO PROTEUS SEROGROUP O33

K. Zycha, F.V. Toukachb, N.P. Arbatskyb, K. Kolodziejskaa, S.N. Senchenkovab, A.S. Shashkovb, Y.A. Knirelb, Z. Sidorczyka

aInstitute of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Lodz, Poland
bN. D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia

KEYWORDS: Proteus penneri; O-specific polysaccharide; lipopolysaccharide; ribitol phosphate, ethanolamine phosphate

Eur. J. Biochem., 2001, v. 268, pp.1-7

DOI: 10.1046/j.1432-1327.2001.02356.x    (free full text)


The acidic O-specific polysaccharide chain (O-antigen) of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of Proteus mirabilis strain D52 was studied using chemical analyses along with 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy, including two-dimensional COSY, TOCSY, ROESY, H-detected 1H,13C and 1H,31P HMQC experiments. The polysaccharide was found to contain D-ribitol phosphate (D-Rib-ol-P) and ethanolamine phosphate (Etn-P) and has the following structure:

  DRib-ol-1-P               ~75% Etn-P
            |                        |
            3                        6
      -2)bDGalp(1-3)aDGlcpNAc(1-3)bDGlcp(1-3)bDGlcpNAc(1-

This structure is identical to that of the O-polysaccharide of P. mirabilis O33 strain 59/57, and, hence, P. mirabilis D52 belongs to the same Proteus serogroup O33. Serological studies with O-antiserum against P. mirabilis D52 confirmed this conclusion but showed that LPS of P. mirabilis 59/57 and D52 are not identical owing to the occurrence of different epitopes in the core region. A serological cross-reactivity of P. mirabilis D52 O-antiserum was observed with LPS of two other Proteus strains, P. mirabilis O16 and P. penneri 103, having structurally different O-polysaccharides. The role of charged groups, Rib-ol-1-P and Etn-P, in the manifesting of the immunospecificity of the strains studied is discussed.


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