The structures of the carbohydrate O-specific side-chain moiety of the lipopolysaccharides(LPS) of
Yokenella regensburgei, strains PCM 2476, 2477, 2478, and 2494, have been investigated by
1Hand
13C NMR, fast atom bombardment tandem mass spectrometry (FAB-MSMS), matrix-assisted laserdesorption ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry, methylation analysis, partial acidhydrolysis, and immunological methods. It was concluded that the O-specific polysaccharides of strains2476, 2477, 2478, and 2494 are composed of the same basic trisaccharide repeating unit having the structure
![](/images/entities/rarr.gif)
3)-
![](/images/gifchars/alpha.gif)
-
D-Fuc
pNAc-(1
![](/images/entities/rarr.gif)
2)-
L-
![](/images/gifchars/alpha.gif)
-
D-Hep
p-(1
![](/images/entities/rarr.gif)
3)-6-deoxy-
![](/images/gifchars/alpha.gif)
-
L-Tal
p-(1
![](/images/entities/rarr.gif)
, in which
L-
![](/images/gifchars/alpha.gif)
-
D-Hep
p is
L-
glycero-
![](/images/gifchars/alpha.gif)
-
D-
manno-heptopyranose. The detailed analysis revealed, however, differences in
O-acetylation patternsof the 6-deoxy-
L-talose residue, with 2- and 4-
O-acetyl disubstituted
![](/images/entities/rarr.gif)
3)-6-deoxy-
![](/images/gifchars/alpha.gif)
-
L-Tal
p-(1
![](/images/entities/rarr.gif)
in strainPCM 2476 and a 2-
O-acetylated residue in strains 2477, 2478, and 2494. These structures represent novel,trisaccharide repeating units of bacterial O-antigens that are characteristic and unique to the
Y. regensburgeispecies. By use of the high-resolution magic-angle spinning (HR-MAS) technique,
1H NMR spectra ofthe O-polysaccharides directly in isolated LPS were obtained. This allowed for almost full assignmentand structural determination of the polysaccharide. By this technique the O-polysaccharide componentswere also observed in their original form directly on the surface of living bacterial cells.