Immunochemical studies of partially hydrolyzed lipopolysaccharide from Fusobacterium nucleatum ATCC 10953.

Fusobacterium nucleatum ATCC 10953 LPS was split by hydrolysis with 1 per cent acetic acid into acid-soluble polysaccharide and lipid A. Gel filtration of the acid-soluble polysaccharide on Bio-Gel P-60 gave a high-molecular-weight fraction eluted with the void volume (Vo), and a fraction eluted at 2.4 x Vo. The high-molecular-weight fraction was serologically active, and contained glucose as the only sugar. The other fraction, which was serologically inactive, contained L-glycero-D-manno-heptose, galactose, glucosamine, keto-deoxy-octonate, and phosphorus. The fraction eluted at 2.4 x Vo is thought to constitute the polysaccharide core region, whereas the high-molecular-weight fraction may represent O-antigenic side chains.