LIPOPOLYSACCHARIDES FROM CAMPYLOBACTER-JEJUNI O-41 STRAINS ASSOCIATEDWITH GUILLAIN-BARRE-SYNDROME EXHIBIT MIMICRY OF GM(1) GANGLIOSIDE

Three Campylobacter jejuni, biotype 2, serotype O:41 strains that were isolated from patients who developed Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) an d one C.jejuni isolate from a patient who developed enteritis only wer e examined. The aim of the study was to determine the structure of the core oligosaccharide (OS) of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of C.jejuni serotype O:41, a serotype rarely associated with the development of G BS, and to determine if the LPS shares similar epitopes with any of th e major human gangliosides. Electrophoretic analysis with silver stain ing or immunoblotting demonstrated that the strains had LPS profiles c haracteristic of low-molecular-weight LPS. Colorimetric analysis detec ted N-acetylneuraminic (sialic) acid in the core OSs of all the strain s. Thin-layer chromatography with immunostaining showed that antisera raised against the GBS strains reacted with the GM(1) ganglioside, sug gesting that C.jejuni serotype O:41 LPSs and the GM(1) ganglioside hav e similar epitopes. Furthermore, polyclonal anti-GM(1) and anti-asialo GM(1), antibodies cross-reacted with each C.jejuni O:41 LPS tested, su ggesting that the serotype O:41 core OS has a GM(1)- and asialoGM(1)-l ike structure. LPSs extracted from C.jejuni serostrains O:2, O:3, and O:19 were also used in the study. Cholera toxin (a GM(1) ligand) and p eanut agglutinin (a Gal beta 1-3GalNAc ligand) recognized all serotype O:41 LPSs and the serostrain O:2 LPS. Immunoadsorption results confir med GM(1) relatedness. Moreover, the core OS was isolated from a GBS-a ssociated C.jejuni O:41 LPS by gel permeation chromatography. An analy sis by gas-liquid chromatography (GLC), GLC-mass spectrometry, and nuc lear magnetic resonance showed the core OS of one of the C. jejuni O:4 1 GBS isolates to have a tetrasaccharide structure consistent with GM( 1) mimicry.