Role of lipopolysaccharide in adsorption of coliphage T4D to Escherichia coli B.

Coliphage T4D was strongly adsorbed to intact lipopolysaccharides and alkaline and lipase-treated lipopolysaccharides from cells of Escherichia coli B, but was not so adsorbed to heat-treated cells. In contrast, coliphage T2h was not adsorbed to lipopolysaccharides and the heat-treated cells. Acid hydrolysate of lipopolysaccharides strongly inhibited the adsorption of phage T4D to acetone and ether-treated cells. The adsorption of phage T4D to the acetone and ether-treated cells was markedly inhibited by authentic D-glucosamine, N-acetyl-D-glucosamine, alpha-methyl-N-acetyl-D-glucosaminide, alpha-methyl-D-glucoside, and D-maltose. Authentic D-glucose and E,L-2,6-diaminopimelic acid also showed similar activity. These compounds did not affect the adsorption of phage T2h to the acetone- and ether-treated cells. Concanavalin A and wheat-germ agglutinin inhibited phage T4D adsorption to the acetone and ether-treated cells probably by blocking the phage-receptor sites on the cell wall. The blocking by concanavalin A and by wheat-germ agglutinin was reversed by alpha-methyl-D-glucoside and by alpha-methyl-N-acetyl-D-glucosaminide, respectively. Results suggested the possibility that coliphage T4D requires N-acetyl-D-glucosaminyl-glucose or glucosyl-D-glucosamine residues of the core of lipopolysaccharides for the initial attachment to the cell wall of Escherichia coli B.