Development of a Specific and Sensitive HPAEC-PAD Method for Quantification of Vi Polysaccharide Applicable to other Polysaccharides Containing Amino Uronic Acids.

Typhoid fever is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in developing countries. Vaccines based on the Vi capsular polysaccharide are licensed or in development against typhoid fever. Vi content is a critical quality attribute for vaccines release, to monitor their stability and to ensure appropriate immune response.

Structural investigation of the lipopolysaccharide O-chain isolated from Burkholderia fungorum strain DSM 17061.

Gram-negative bacteria exhibit lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) on their outer membrane surface. LPS is considered one of the most potent bacterial virulence factors. Here we report the elucidation of the LPS O-chain structure isolated from Burkholderia fungorum, a bacterium isolated from the white-rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium that can act as a pathogen for plants and domesticated animals.

Serotype O:8 isolates in the Yersinia pseudotuberculosis complex have different O-antigen gene clusters and produce various forms of rough LPS.

In Yersinia pseudotuberculosis complex, the O-antigen of LPS is used for the serological characterization of strains, and 21 serotypes have been identified to date. The O-antigen biosynthesis gene cluster and corresponding O-antigen structure have been described for 18, leaving O:8, O:13 and O:14 unresolved. In this study, two O:8 isolates were examined.

Structure, genetics and function of an exopolysaccharide produced by a bacterium living within fungal hyphae.

The rice seedling blight fungus Rhizopus microsporus has an unusual symbiosis with a bacterium, Burkholderia rhizoxinica, which lives within the fungal cytosol and produces a potent phytotoxin that causes severe losses in agriculture. To gain insight into symbiosis factors we investigated the endosymbiont's exopolysaccharide (EPS), a secreted matrix that plays pivotal roles in mediating cell-environment interactions. By a combination of homo- and heteronuclear 2D NMR experiments, we elucidated a previously unknown EPS structure: a repeating tetrasaccharide unit bearing a nonstoichiometric acetyl group on a mannose residue.

Structural and conformational study of the O-polysaccharide produced by the metabolically versatile photosynthetic bacterium Rhodopseudomonas palustris strain BisA53.

Rhodopseudomonas palustris is a purple photosynthetic bacterium characterized by a versatile nature and a remarkable ability to adapt to various environments. In this work, we focused our attention to its membrane characteristics and defined the structural and conformational features of the O-chain polysaccharide of LPS isolated from R. palustris strain BisA53.