Structure of the Bordetella pertussis 1414 endotoxin

The endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide) of Bordetella pertussis, the agent of wh ooping cough, consists of a lipid A linked to a highly branched dodecasacch aride containing several acid and amino sugars, The elucidation of the poly saccharide structure was accomplished by first analyzing the structures of fragments obtained by hydrolysis and nitrous deamination and then piecing t he fragments together. The fine structure of the antigenic distal pentasacc haride, presented here, was determined by chemical analyses as well as by h igh-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometry, The comple te structure was reconstituted and confirmed by matrix-assisted laser desor ption/ionization mass spectrometry. The following structure was derived fro m the combined experimental data: [GRAPHICS] The detailed structure combined with previously reported serological data n ow allows the synthesis of its epitopes for potential vaccines, (C) 2000 Fe deration of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier Science B .V. All rights reserved.