Lipopolysaccharides of Escherichia coli K12 strains that express cloned genes for the Ogawa and Inaba antigens of Vibrio cholerae O1: identification of O-antigenic factors.

Structural and serological studies were performed with the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) expressed by Escherichia coli K12 strains No. 30 and No. 64, into which cosmid clones derived from Vibrio cholerae O1 NIH 41 (Ogawa) and NIH 35A3 (Inaba) had been introduced, respectively. The two recombinant strains, No. 30 (Ogawa) and No. 64 (Inaba), produced LPS that included, in common, the O-polysaccharide chain composed of an alpha (1-->2)-linked N-(3-deoxy-L-glycero-tetronyl)-D-perosamine (4-amino-4,6-dideoxy-D-manno-pyranose) homopolymer attached to the core oligosaccharide of the LPS of E. coli K12. Structural analysis revealed the presence of N-(3-deoxy-L-glycero-tetronyl)-2-O-methyl-D-perosamine at the non-reducing terminus of the O-polysaccharide chain of LPS from No. 30 (Ogawa) but not from No. 64 (Inaba). Serological analysis revealed that No. 30 (Ogawa) and No. 64 (Inaba) LPS were found to share the group antigen factor A of V. cholerae O1. They were distinguished by presence of the Ogawa antigen factor B [co-existing with relatively small amounts of the Inaba antigen factor (c)] in the former LPS and the Inaba antigen factor C in the latter LPS. It appears, therefore, that No. 30 (Ogawa) and No. 64 (Inaba) have O-antigenic structures that are fully consistent with the AB(c) structure for the Ogawa and the AC structure for the Inaba O-forms of V. cholerae O1, respectively. Thus, the present study clearly confirmed our previous finding that the Ogawa antigenic factor B is substantially related to the 2-O-methyl group at the non-reducing terminus of the alpha (1-->2)-linked N-(3-deoxy-L-glycero-tetronyl)-D-perosamine homopolymer that forms the O-polysaccharide chain of LPS of V. cholerae O1 (Ogawa).