COMPARISON OF LIPIDS AND LIPOPOLYSACCHARIDE FROM THE BACILLARY AND L FORMS OF PROTEUS P18

Abstract

Nesbitt, J. A., III (The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Md.), and W. J. Lennarz. Comparison of lipids and lipopolysaccharides from the bacillary and L forms of Proteus P18. J. Bacteriol. 89:1020-1025. 1965.-Comparative studies on the L form of Proteus P18 and the parent bacterium grown in a defined medium showed that the L form contained 1.5 times as much extractable lipid (dry weight) as the bacillary form. The composition of the lipids extractable by chloroform-methanol was quite similar in the two bacterial forms. The occurrence of myristate and beta-hydroxymyristate in the bound, nonextractable lipid was found to be a reflection of the presence of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in each organism. The bacillary organism contains three to four times as much LPS as the L form. The LPS isolated from both organisms contains heptose, hexosamine, phosphorus, 3-deoxyoctulosonate, glucose, galactose, and fatty acids.