Laboratory of Microbial Immunochemistry and Vaccines, Ludwik Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland
Enterobacterial common antigen (ECA) is a conserved surface antigen characteristic for Enterobacteriaceae. It is consisting of trisaccharide repeating unit, →3)-α-d-Fucp4NAc-(1→4)-β-d-ManpNAcA-(1→4)-α-d-GlcpNAc-(1→, where prevailing forms include ECA linked to phosphatidylglycerol (ECAPG) and cyclic ECA (ECACYC). Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-associated form (ECALPS) has been proved to date only for rough Shigella sonnei phase II. Depending on the structure organization, ECA constitutes surface antigen (ECAPG and ECALPS) or maintains the outer membrane permeability barrier (ECACYC). The existence of LPS was hypothesized in the 1960-80s on the basis of serological observations. Only a few Escherichia coli strains (i.e., R1, R2, R3, R4, and K-12) have led to the generation of anti-ECA antibodies upon immunization, excluding ECAPG as an immunogen and conjecturing ECALPS as the only immunogenic form. Here, we presented a structural survey of ECALPS in E. coli R1, R2, R3, and R4 to correlate previous serological observations with the presence of ECALPS. The low yields of ECALPS were identified in the R1, R2, and R4 strains, where ECA occupied outer core residues of LPS that used to be substituted by O-specific polysaccharide in the case of smooth LPS. Previously published observations and hypotheses regarding the immunogenicity and biosynthesis of ECALPS were discussed and correlated with presented herein structural data.
Fig.3a, table 2, E. coli R1
ECA-core glycoform in fractions 5 of E. coli R1.
13C NMR data:
Linkage Residue C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8
5,3,3,3,2,2 aDGalp 96.6 69.2 70.2 70.2 72.1 62.1
5,3,3,3,2 aDGalp 92.1 73.2 68.9 70.9 72.2 62.1
5,3,3,3,3,3,4,4,4 Ac
5,3,3,3,3,3,4,4 aDFucp4N 99.7 69.3 69.2 54.7 66.7 16.3
5,3,3,3,3,3,4,2 Ac
5,3,3,3,3,3,4 bDManpNA 99.8 54.3 73.3 74.9 77.2 175.1
5,3,3,3,3,3,2 Ac
5,3,3,3,3,3 bDGlcpN 102.4 56.4 72.8 79.6 75.2 61.0
5,3,3,3,3 bDGlcp 103.2 73.7 85.5 69.0 76.3 61.5
5,3,3,3 aDGlcp 95.4 73.5 78.7 68.8 72.1 61.1
5,3,3 aDGlcp 102.1 71.2 76.8 71.3 73.2 60.7
5,3,4 P
5,3,7 aXLDmanHepp 100.3 70.9 71.5 67.0 72.0 69.6 63.7
5,3 aXLDmanHepp 103.7 70.6 79.9 69.5 73.3 68.8 68.5
5,4,0,0 xXEtN 63.2 40.8
5,4,0 P
5,4 P
5 aXLDmanHepp 100.2 71.8 78.6 72.4 72.1 69.4 63.9
aXKdop ? 96.2 34.2 66.4 73.4 69.9 73.0 64.9
1H NMR data:
Linkage Residue H1 H2 H3 H4 H5 H6 H7 H8
5,3,3,3,2,2 aDGalp 5.32 3.86 3.96 4.00 4.14 3.75
5,3,3,3,2 aDGalp 5.63 4.00 4.20 3.99 4.15 3.76
5,3,3,3,3,3,4,4,4 Ac
5,3,3,3,3,3,4,4 aDFucp4N 5.36 3.65 3.97 4.21 4.19 1.06
5,3,3,3,3,3,4,2 Ac
5,3,3,3,3,3,4 bDManpNA 4.94 4.51 4.08 3.84 3.88 -
5,3,3,3,3,3,2 Ac
5,3,3,3,3,3 bDGlcpN 4.79 3.76 3.75 3.70 3.55 3.73-3.86
5,3,3,3,3 bDGlcp 4.74 3.39 3.70 3.50 3.45 3.75-3.91
5,3,3,3 aDGlcp 5.81 3.88 4.18 3.58 4.11 3.79-4.00
5,3,3 aDGlcp 5.21 3.68 4.09 3.80 3.92 3.81-3.92
5,3,4 P
5,3,7 aXLDmanHepp 5.00 3.94 3.89 3.86 3.63 4.05 3.64-3.75
5,3 aXLDmanHepp 5.11 4.40 4.12 4.42 3.81 4.23 3.61-3.77
5,4,0,0 xXEtN 4.21 3.30
5,4,0 P
5,4 P
5 aXLDmanHepp 5.21 4.02 4.09 4.64 4.24 4.11 3.73
aXKdop - - 1.91-2.27 4.13 4.18 3.70 3.81 3.47-3.94
1H/13C HSQC data:
Linkage Residue C1/H1 C2/H2 C3/H3 C4/H4 C5/H5 C6/H6 C7/H7 C8/H8
5,3,3,3,2,2 aDGalp 96.6/5.32 69.2/3.86 70.2/3.96 70.2/4.00 72.1/4.14 62.1/3.75
5,3,3,3,2 aDGalp 92.1/5.63 73.2/4.00 68.9/4.20 70.9/3.99 72.2/4.15 62.1/3.76
5,3,3,3,3,3,4,4,4 Ac
5,3,3,3,3,3,4,4 aDFucp4N 99.7/5.36 69.3/3.65 69.2/3.97 54.7/4.21 66.7/4.19 16.3/1.06
5,3,3,3,3,3,4,2 Ac
5,3,3,3,3,3,4 bDManpNA 99.8/4.94 54.3/4.51 73.3/4.08 74.9/3.84 77.2/3.88
5,3,3,3,3,3,2 Ac
5,3,3,3,3,3 bDGlcpN 102.4/4.79 56.4/3.76 72.8/3.75 79.6/3.70 75.2/3.55 61.0/3.73-3.86
5,3,3,3,3 bDGlcp 103.2/4.74 73.7/3.39 85.5/3.70 69.0/3.50 76.3/3.45 61.5/3.75-3.91
5,3,3,3 aDGlcp 95.4/5.81 73.5/3.88 78.7/4.18 68.8/3.58 72.1/4.11 61.1/3.79-4.00
5,3,3 aDGlcp 102.1/5.21 71.2/3.68 76.8/4.09 71.3/3.80 73.2/3.92 60.7/3.81-3.92
5,3,4 P
5,3,7 aXLDmanHepp 100.3/5.00 70.9/3.94 71.5/3.89 67.0/3.86 72.0/3.63 69.6/4.05 63.7/3.64-3.75
5,3 aXLDmanHepp 103.7/5.11 70.6/4.40 79.9/4.12 69.5/4.42 73.3/3.81 68.8/4.23 68.5/3.61-3.77
5,4,0,0 xXEtN 63.2/4.21 40.8/3.30
5,4,0 P
5,4 P
5 aXLDmanHepp 100.2/5.21 71.8/4.02 78.6/4.09 72.4/4.64 72.1/4.24 69.4/4.11 63.9/3.73
aXKdop 34.2/1.91-2.27 66.4/4.13 73.4/4.18 69.9/3.70 73.0/3.81 64.9/3.47-3.94