BIOCHEMICAL-CHARACTERIZATION OF LIPOPOLYSACCHARIDES EXTRACTED FROM A HYDROPHOBIC STRAIN OF PASTEURELLA-MULTOCIDA

Lipopolysaccharides were extracted from freeze-dried cells of Pasteure lla multocida strain P-1581 (serotype 8) by the phenol-chloroform-petr oleum ether method and biochemically analysed using standard procedure s. The primary neutral sugars were glucose, galactose and heptose. No deoxy sugars were detected. Amino sugars included galactosamine, gluco samine and glucosamine-6-phosphate. 3-Deoxy-D-manno-2-octulosonic acid was present at a relatively low concentration. The analyses included identification and quantification of phosphate and alanine. The primar y fatty acids and their approximate relative ratios were 3-hydroxytetr adecanoate and tetradecanoate 2:1. Tetradecanoic acid was bound almost exclusively by ester linkages. 3-Hydroxytetradecanoic acid was bound primarily by amide linkages, although significant numbers of ester-bou nd residues were noted. Sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel ele ctrophoresis analyses indicated that the lipopolysaccharides were of l ow molecular weight.