Carbohydrate Sequence

A phosphorylated O-polysaccharide was isolated from the lipopolysaccharide of an entomopathogenic bacterium Photorhabdus temperata subsp. cinerea 3240 and studied by sugar analysis, dephosphorylation, and (1)H and (13)C NMR spectroscopy. The following structure of the linear trisaccharide repeating unit of the O-polysaccharide was established: →3)-β-d-GalpNAc4PEtN-(1→4)-β-d-GlcpA-(1→3)-β-d-FucpNAc4N-(1→ where GlcA indicates glucuronic acid, FucNAc4N 2-acetamido-4-amino-2,4,6-trideoxygalactose, and PEtN 2-aminoethyl phosphate.

A teichoic acid (TA)-like polysaccharide in Enterococcus faecalis has previously been shown to induce opsonic antibodies that protect against bacteremia after active and passive immunization. Here we present new data providing a corrected structure of the antigen and the epitope against which the opsonic antibodies are directed. Capsular polysaccharide isolated from E. faecalis strain 12030 by enzymatic digestion of peptidoglycan and chromatography (enzyme-TA) was compared with lipoteichoic acid (LTA) extracted using butanol and purified by hydrophobic-interaction chromatography (BuOH-LTA). Structural determinations were carried out by chemical analysis and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Antibody specificity was assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and the opsonophagocytosis assay. After alanine ester hydrolysis, there was structural identity between enzyme-TA and BuOH-LTA of the TA-parts of the two molecules. The basic enterococcal LTA structure was confirmed: 1,...

We report for the first time that, after centrifugation of adult bovine vitreous, the hyaluronan-rich supernatant contains collagens which can be isolated in their intact forms by precipitation with 4.5 M NaCl. This precipitate constituted approx. 4% of the total vitreous collagen and comprised collagen types IX and II (in the approximate ratio of 4:1) with negligible amounts of type-V/XI collagen. Type-II collagen was present partly in a pro-alpha 1(II) form, suggesting that there is active synthesis of type-II collagen into the matrix of adult bovine vitreous. Type-IX collagen was purified (2-2.5 mg/l of vitreous) and its glycosaminoglycan chain composition was analysed. Bovine vitreous type-IX collagen always possessed a glycosaminoglycan chain of comparatively low M(r) that was predominantly 4-sulphated, with chondroitin 6-sulphate representing a more minor component. By contrast, chick vitreous has been shown to contain type-IX collagen which always possesses a high-M(r) chondr...

It is shown that dopachrome (2-carboxy-2,3-dihydroindole-5,6-quinone) tautomerase (DCT) is a glycoprotein containing N-linked oligosaccharides. The enzymic activity can be stimulated by partial deglycosylation with a number of glycosylases such as neuraminidase, beta-mannosidase and beta-galactosidase. However, the stability of the enzyme after the hydrolytic treatment becomes lower. Thus total deglycosylation with peptide N-glycosidase F directly provokes an inactivation of DCT. The native enzyme also shows a strong affinity for concanavalin A-Sepharose. This affinity decreases after treatment with neuraminidase and/or beta-mannosidase. The DCT associated with coated vesicles seems to be mostly glycosylated, since the action of glycosylases on the enzyme obtained from these vesicles produced a similar stimulation to that with the melanosomal enzyme. Treatment of cultured melanocytes with tunicamycin elicited a decrease in the amount of active DCT inside the cells. All data suggest ...

SummaryAs part of a more extensive investigation on structural features of different low-molecular-weight heparins (LMWHs) that can affect their biological activities, Enoxaparin,Tinzaparin and Dalteparin were characterised with regards to the distribution of different chain length oligosaccharides as determined by size-exclusion (SE) chromatography, as well as their structure as defined by 2D-NMR spectra (HSQC). The three LMWHs were also fractionated into high affinity (HA) and no affinity (NA) pools with regards to their ability to bind antithrombin (AT).The HA fractions were further subfractionated and characterised. For the parent LMWHs and selected fractions,molecular weight parameters were measured using a SE chromatographic system with a triple detector (TDA) to obtain absolute molecular weights. The SE chromatograms clearly indicate that Enoxaparin is consistently richer in shorter oligosaccharides than Tinzaparin and Dalteparin. Besides providing the content of terminal gro...

The lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of Salmonella enteritidis has been implicated as a virulence factor of this organism. Therefore, the LPS from a stable virulent isolate, SE6-E21, was compared with that from an avirulent isolate, SE6-E5. The LPSs were extracted, and the high-molecular-weight (HMW) LPS was separated from the low-molecular-weight (LMW) LPS for both isolates. Both the HMW and LMW LPSs were characterized by glycosyl composition and linkage analyses. Immunochemical characterization was performed by Western blotting using factor 9 antiserum and using S. typhimurium antiserum which contains factors 1, 4, 5, and 12(2). In addition, the polysaccharides released by mild acid hydrolysis were isolated and subjected to hydrolysis by bacteriophage P22, which contains endorhamnosidase activity. The resulting oligosaccharides were purified by using Bio-Gel P4 gel permeation chromatography and characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, fast atom bombardment mass spectromet...

Purpose: Immunotherapy directed toward cell surface antigens may provide a novel approach to the eradication of chemoresistant micrometastatic disease in patients with small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). Studies in SCLC cell lines and human tissues suggest that the ganglioside fucosyl GM1 is an abundant yet specific target. A prior clinical study demonstrated the potent immunogenicity of fucosyl GM-1 derived from bovine thyroid gland, conjugated to keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) and administered with QS-21 adjuvant. Experimental Design: We tested the immunogenicity of three different doses of a synthetic version of fucosyl-GM1 in patients with SCLC after a major response to initial therapy. The primary end point was to establish the lowest effective dose capable of inducing antibody production. Results: Five of six patients at the 30-μg dose and three of five patients at the 10-μg dose mounted IgM responses of 1:80 or greater. These antibodies were confirmed by flow cytometry in seven o...

Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) is a clonal disorder arising in a multipotent hemopoietic stem cell. PNH manifests clinically with intravascular hemolysis resulting from an increased sensitivity of the red cells belonging to the PNH clone to complement-mediated lysis. Numerous studies have shown that surface proteins anchored to the membrane via a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor (including proteins protecting the cell from complement) are deficient on the cells of the PNH clone, leading to the notion that GPI-anchor biosynthesis may be abnormal in these cells. To investigate the biochemical defect underlying PNH we have used lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) with the PNH phenotype obtained by Epstein-Barr virus immortalization of lymphocytes from nine patients with PNH. By labeling cells with myo-[3H]inositol we have found that PNH LCLs produce phosphatidylinositol normally. By contrast, PNH LCLs fail to incorporate [3H]mannose into GPI anchor precursors. When cel...