Chemical and physical properties of lipopolysaccharide of Yersinia pestis.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) prepared from Yersinia pestis 195/P contained d-glucose, d-glycero-d-mannoheptose, l-glycero-d-mannoheptose, glucosamine, 3-deoxyoctulosonic acid, lipid A, beta-hydroxymyristate, acetyl, phosphate, and protein. Traces of ethanolamine, mannose, and galactose were also detected. The lipid A moiety was composed of glucosamine substituted with phosphate, amide-linked beta-hydroxymyristate, and amide-bound acetate. The absence of significant amounts of additional fatty acids indicates a lipid A structure somewhat less complex than that of other gram-negative bacteria. The sugars identified are those generally found in the "core" region of LPS from the Enterobacteriaceae, with the exception of the d-glycero-d-mannoheptose. The molecular weight of the aggregated LPS was estimated to be 1.6 x 10(8).