Structural characterisation of a rhamnan and a fucorhamnan, both present in the lipopolysaccharide of Burkholderia vietnamiensis strain LMG 10926.

The polymeric fraction isolated after mild acid hydrolysis of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Burkholderia vietnamiensis strain LMG 10926 contained L-rhamnose (Rha) and D-fucose (Fuc). From NMR studies supported by the results of methylation analysis and Smith degradation, it could be inferred that the material was probably a mixture of two glycans. One component was a linear rhamnan with a trisaccharide repeating unit (1); the other was a branched fucorhamnan with a tetrasaccharide repeating unit (2). The presence of two distinct polymeric fractions in LPS is a common feature for Burkholderia species. [structures: see text]