Role of the physical state of Salmonella lipopolysaccharide in expression of biological and endotoxic properties.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) extracted from three strains of Salmonella typhimurium, i.e., the rough Re mutant SL1102, the rough Ra mutant TV119, and the smooth strain SH4809, was first electrodialyzed (eLPS) and then divalent cation deprived by EDTA treatment and finally made monomeric by deoxycholate solubilization. The removal of excess detergent by extensive dialysis in the absence of mineral cations resulted in the reassociation of LPS subunits into monodisperse micelles of reduced aggregation number (dLPS) as estimated by electron microscopy and gel filtration chromatography. For all LPS chemotypes tested, the developed procedure reproducibly results in stable and clear solutions of dLPS in concentrations of up to 100 mg/ml. The dLPS and eLPS preparations possessed the same reactivity with monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) raised against different LPS domains. The 100% lethal dose in galactosamine-sensitized mice of 0.01 microgram for the smooth eLPS was from 10- to 100-fold lower than that of dLPS at 0.1 to 1.0 microgram. dLPS from both the smooth strain and the Ra mutant had a significantly reduced capacity to activate the proenzyme cascade in the Limulus amoebocyte lysate assay in comparison with the slightly reduced activity of dLPS from the Re mutant. In contrast, dLPS as well as the deoxycholate-dispersed and then diluted eLPS from the smooth strain had a higher mitogenic activity on splenocytes than eLPS. The results indicate that the biological and endotoxic properties of LPS are significantly influenced by the physical state of its aggregates in aqueous solutions. The approach developed for production of a stable and dispersed form of LPS should further assist in investigation of LPS properties and interpretation of the data of endotoxic research.