STRUCTURAL STUDIES ON THE ESCHERICHIA-COLI-O101 LIPOPOLYSACCHARIDE FOUND IN ASSOCIATION WITH F41 AND K99 FIMBRIAE

In this study it was shown that the 0101 lipopolysaccharide isolated f rom Escherichia coli B41 did not contain an O-specific polysaccharide and that its sugar moiety is probably restricted to the core oligosacc haride. It is characterized by the presence of galactose, glucose, N-a cetylglucosamine, heptose and 3-deoxy-D-manno-2-octulosonic acid and t he fatty acid composition is typical of an Enterobacteriaceae lipopoly saccharide. Methylation analysis indicated terminal non-reducing galac tose and glucose and also 1,2-linked glucose which is a substitution p attern typical of an E. coli lipopolysaccharide core oligosaccharide. The obtained structural information is sufficient to explain the previ ously observed interactions between the 0101 lipopolysaccharide and th e K99 lectin.