Structure of the lipid A of Bordetella hinzii ATCC 51730

Bordetella hinzii has recently been isolated from immunocompromised human h osts. The structure of the lipid A of its endotoxin was investigated using chemical analyses, nuclear magnetic resonnance (NMR), gas liquid chromatogr aphy/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), plasma desorption mass spectrometry (PDMS) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry, The lipid A contains the classical bisphosphorylated beta-(1-->6)-linked D- glucosamine disaccharide with hydroxytetradecanoic acid (C14OH) in amide li nkages. The lipid A components of B. pertussis, B. bronchiseptica, and B. P arapertussis all differ in their acylation pattern but share a residue of t etradecanoyl-3-hydroxytetradecanoic acid in amide linkage at the C-2' posit ion. However, in the B, hinzii species, the tetradecanoic acid (C-14) is st oichiometrically replaced by a 2-hydroxytetradecanoic acid (2-C14OH). In th e few reported examples of a hydroxylated fatty acid in this position, the substitutions were only partial. The B. hinzii lipid A differs from that of B. pertussis also by replacement of the hydroxydecanoic acid (C10OH) by hy droxydodecanoic acid (C12OH) and by the presence of a hexadecanoic acid (C- 16) to give a sixth fatty acid. The lipid A was heterogeneous, being compos ed of three major molecular species: tetra-, penta- and hexaacylated, The f atty acids in ester linkage were localized by PDMS of the native and alkali -treated lipid A. The lipid A components isolated from the O-chain-linked l ipopolysaccharides (LPSs) were shown to be more acylated than those from th e O-chain-free LPSs. Copyright (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.