CHARACTERIZATION OF AN EXTRACELLULAR POLYSACCHARIDE ELABORATED BY TX-1, A NEW STRAIN OF BEIJERINCKIA-INDICA

An extracellular polysaccharide elaborated by a new species of Beijeri nckia indica, named TX-1, was composed of D-glucose, L-fucose, D-glyce ro-D-manno-heptose, and D-glucuronic acid in a molar ratio of 5.0:1.0: 2.0:0,9, in addition to 16,2% of the acetyl group, Among the polysacch arides of the Beijerinckia species, the present polysaccharide might b e the first acidic type having an L-fucose residue, A methylation anal ysis, Smith degradation study and fragmentation analysis show that thi s polysaccharide consisted of non-reducing terminal D-glucose, O-4 sub stituted D-glucose, O-2 substituted D-glycero-D-manno-heptose, O-4 sub stituted D-glucuronic acid, O-3 and 0-4 substituted D-glucose, and O-3 substituted L-fucose residues, A D-glucuronic acid residue was linked to the O-3 position of the L-fucose residue by an a-glycosidic linkag e, Most of the D-glucose residues in the backbone chain were substitut ed at the O-3 position, with the side chain having non-reducing termin al D-glucose residues, It is suggested by the reaction with Con A that the anomeric configuration of the terminal D-glucose residues was bet a.