Analysis of the cell wall and lipopolysaccharide of Spirillum serpens

Abstract

Isolated walls of Spirillum serpens VHA contained lipid, lipopolysaccharide, and protein in amounts similar to those of other gram-negative organisms. The loosely bound lipids consisted mainly of phosphatidylethanolamine, lyso-phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, and diphosphatidylglycerol. Lipopolysaccharide was tightly bound to the wall and could only be removed in a substantial amount after digestion of the wall with Pronase. The lipopolysaccharide contained L-glycero-D-mannoheptose, rhamnose, glucosamine, ethanolamine, and phosphate in common with many of the lipopolysaccharides isolated from the Enterobacteriaceae. However, 2-keto-3-deoxyoctonic acid was not detected. Several unidentified sugars were present. The fatty acid composition resembled that found in lipopolysaccharides isolated from various pseudomonads. Two major regions were identified in the polysaccharide moiety, one apparently corresponding to the core polysaccharide and the other corresponding to the side-chain polysaccharide as in enterobacterial and pseudomonad lipopolysaccharides. The side chains were obtained as low-molecular-weight material and their structure was partially elucidated by the isolation and partial characterization of N-acetylglucosaminyl-(1 leads to 4)-rhamnose.