STRUCTURAL-ANALYSIS OF THE O-ANTIGENIC POLYSACCHARIDE FROM VIBRIO-MIMICUS N-1990

The O-antigenic polysaccharide part of the lipopolysaccharide from Vib rio mimicus N-1990 has been investigated. Sugar and methylation analys is of native and dephosphorylated polysaccharide together with NMR spe ctroscopy show that the polysaccharide is composed of tetrasaccharide repeating units. The structure of the repeating unit of the polysaccha ride from V. mimicus N-1990 could be determined as: ->2)-4,6-beta-D-Ga lp-(1-->3)-alpha-D-GalpNAc-(1--> The V. mimicus N-1990 strain cross-re acts with antibodies elicited against the Vibrio cholerae O139, The na ture of this cross-reactivity resides in the partial structure compris ing the galactosyl residue substituted with a cyclic phosphate, This e lement is present in the cell-wall-associated polysaccharides of both strains.