This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Caroff, M. Articles by Karibian, D. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Caroff, M. Articles by Karibian, D. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Contribution of 252Cf-plasma desorption mass spectrometry to structural analysis of lipids A: examples of non-conservatism in lipid A structure

Equipe `Endotoxines', Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Biochimie, Université de Paris-Sud, Orsay, France

L. Aussel

Equipe `Endotoxines', Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Biochimie, Université de Paris-Sud, Orsay, France

H. Zarrouk

Equipe `Endotoxines', Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Biochimie, Université de Paris-Sud, Orsay, France

M.B. Perry

Institute for Biological Sciences, National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

D. Karibian

Equipe `Endotoxines', Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Biochimie, Université de Paris-Sud, Orsay, France

The great majority of lipids A studied so far have the enterobacterial lipid A-type skeleton: a bisphosphorylated glucosamine disaccharide, with fatty acids amidating the 2 amino groups and esterifying the C3 and C3' positions. Differences between these lipids A occur in the nature and localization of the fatty acids. Such differences have been put forward as a possible taxonomic tool. It is now relatively easy to determine these differences using plasma desorption mass spectrometry (PDMS) if one knows the overall composition of the pure, native lipids A. We have used this technique to compare the lipids A of 2 or more species of several bacterial genera and found considerable conservatism within genera and sometimes between closely related genera (Salmonella and Escherichia ). An exception was Bordetella of which different species varied in the nature and/or the localization of their fatty acids. B. parapertussis , like B. pertussis, had a single C₁₀OH but at a different location, and quite unusually had a non-hydroxylated fatty acid (C₁₆ ) directly esterifying glucosamine I. On the other hand, 2 strains of B. bronchiseptica had a C₁₂OH in place of the C ₁₀OH of B. pertussis, whereas a third strain replaced the C ₁₂OH by a C₁₂, again a primary non-hydroxylated fatty acid. PDMS has allowed us to conclude that the combined pattern of fatty acids in lipids A is not a reliable taxonomic tool.

Journal of Endotoxin Research, Vol. 5, No. 1-2, 86-89 (1999)
DOI: 10.1177/09680519990050010801


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?