[Structure of shigella antigens. Heterogeneity of specific polysaccharides of 2 Shigella flexneri strains and 2 Sh. flexneri/Escherichia coli hybrids].

The S-specific polysaccharide from 2 Sh. flexneri wild strains (with serological var. X- and var. Y-specificity, respectively) and 2 Sh. flexneri E. coli hybrids (with the same specificities) can be separated by means of gel chromatography on Sephadex G-200 and G-50 into altogether 6 fractions per strain. Fraction G-200/1 (molecular weight greater than 10(6)D) represents a polymer consisting nearly exclusively of glucose and is present mainly in the two Y-type strains, much less in the two X-type strains. Fractions G-200/2 and G-200/3 (molecular weight approximately 10(5)D and approximately 2 - 10(4)D, respectively) seem to consist mainly of the S-specific side chains while fraction G-50/2 (molecular weight approximately 2000 D) presumably contains an SR-polysaccharide (core with one repeating unit.) Fraction G-50/3 (molecular weight approximately 100 D) contains the core polysaccharide and fraction G-50/4 splitting products (mainly KDO). No significant differences in chromatographical behaviour and quantitative composition could be found between the polysaccharides of the wild strains and the hybrid strains. Because of the well-known stability of the glucosaminyl linkages the sugar analysis was not only performed after acidic hydrolysis. In some cases the acid hydrolysate was reacted with HNO2 to cleave the glucosaminyl linkages. In most cases the values obtaines now were higher than those obtained directly.