Structure of the O-specific side chain of the lipopolysaccharide from Escherichia coli O126.

The polysaccharide isolated from Escherichia coli O126 lipopolysaccharide contains D-galactose, D-mannose, L-fucose, and 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-glucose in the molar ratios 1:1:1:1. The structure of the O-antigen of the lipopolysaccharide from E. coli O126 was established by compositional analysis, partial degradation, methylation analysis, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. These studies revealed that the O-antigen is branched and built up of tetrasaccharide repeating units having the following structure: [formula: see text]