The immunochemistry of Salmonella chemotype VI O-antigens. The structure of oligosaccharides from Salmonella group N (o 30) lipopolysaccharides.

1. The lipopolysaccharides isolated from ;smooth' (S) strains of Salmonella godesberg and Salmonella urbana by the phenol-water method were purified in the ultracentrifuge. 2. These lipopolysaccharides have the same O-antigenic structure and on partial hydrolysis the same series of oligosaccharides was obtained in each instance. 3. The results of quantitative microanalysis, borohydride reduction, periodate oxidation, Morgan-Elson reactions and enzymic hydrolysis with alpha- and beta-glucosidases on the isolated oligosaccharides indicated that the O-specific side chains of these S-lipopolysaccharides have a repeating tetrasaccharide unit that is beta-d-glucosyl-(1-->3)-N-acetylgalactosaminyl-(1-->4)-l-fucose with a further glucose residue bound at the 4-position on the N-acetylgalactosamine. 4. Another oligosaccharide, a glucosylgalactose, has also been isolated and is indistinguishable from an oligosaccharide isolated from Salmonella R-lipopolysaccharides. These findings provide further evidence supporting the view that all Salmonella S-lipopolysaccharides have a core consisting of R-lipopolysaccharide.