SEPARATION OF BACTERIAL CAPSULAR AND LIPOPOLYSACCHARIDES BY PREPARATIVE ELECTROPHORESIS

Preparative gel electrophoresis was used to separate and purify extrac ellular, capsular and lipopolysaccharides (EPSs, CPSs, and LPSs, respe ctively) from crude bacterial extracts, The procedure effectively sepa rates CPS from LPSs, In addition discreet size ranges of these various polysaccharides can be isolated, The 'rough' (R-type), 'smooth' (S-ty pe), and 'semi-smooth' LPSs were separated from one another, In additi on different size classes of 'semi-smooth', or S-type LPS, can be sepa rated, This procedure was demonstrated for diverse bacterial species, including the soil bacteria Rhizobium fredii, and the enteric bacteria l species, Salmonella enteritidis and Proteus mirabilis. In the latter case, it was also possible to separate capsular polysaccharide from i ts lipid-bound form.