Structure of the LPS O-chain from Fusobacterium nucleatum strain 12230.

Fusobacterium nucleatum is an anaerobic bacterium found in the human mouth where it causes periodontitis. It was also found in colorectal cancer tissues and is linked with pregnancy complications, including pre-term and still births. Cell surface structures of the bacterium could be implicated in pathogenesis. Here we report the following structure of the lipopolysaccharide O-chain of F. nucleatum strain 12230: -6-α-d-Glc-4-β-d-GlcNHBu3NHBuA-3-β-d-QuiNAc4NABu- where ABu and HBu indicate (R)-3-aminobutanoyl and (R)-3-hydroxybutanoyl, respectively; all monosaccharides are in the pyranose form.