Analysis of E. coli K5 capsular polysaccharide heparosan

Heparosan is the key precursor for the preparation of bioengineered heparin, a potential replacement for porcine intestinal heparin, an important anticoagulant drug. The molecular weight (MW) distribution of heparosan produced by the fermentation of E. coli K5 was investigated. Large-slab isocratic and mini-slab gradient polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) were used to analyze the MW and polydispersity of heparosan. A preparative method that allowed fractionation by continuous-elution PAGE was used to obtain heparosan MW standards. The MWs of the heparosan standards were determined by electrospray ionization Fourier-transform mass spectrometry (ESI-FT-MS). A ladder of the standards was then used to determine the MW properties of polydisperse heparosan samples. Unbleached and bleached heparosan produced by fermentation of E. coli K5 had similar number-averaged MWs (M_N), weight-averaged MWs (M_W), and MW ranges of 3,000 to 150,000?Da.     

Revised structure of the capsular polysaccharide of Acinetobacter baumannii LUH5533 (serogroup O1) containing di-N-acetyllegionaminic acid

Russian Chemical Bulletin - A glycopolymer classified as an O-specific polysaccharide had earlier been isolated from the multi-drug resistant nosocomial pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii LUH5533...     

Separation of capsular polysaccharide K4 and defructosylated K4 by high-performance capillary electrophoresis

A rapid, highly sensitive and reproducible high-performance capillary electrophoresis (HPCE) method (electrokinetic chromatography with sodium dodecyl sulfate) is described for the determination of the polysaccharide from the uropathogenic Escherichia coli K4 bacteria (05:K4:H4) and its defructosylated product. The two polyanions, K4 and defructosylated K4, are separated and readily determined within 30 min on an uncoated fused-silica capillary using normal polarity at 20 kV and detection at 200 nm. A linear relationship was found for the two polysaccharides over a wide range of concentrations, from approximately 30 ng (0.5 microg/microL) to 210 ng (3.5 microg/microL). The described method was used to evaluate the defructosylation process of K4 under drastic acid conditions.     

Purification of the Escherichia coli K5 capsular polysaccharide and use of high-performance capillary electrophoresis to qualitative and quantitative monitor the process

A rapid, highly sensitive, and reproducible high-performance capillary electrophoresis (HPCE) method (electrokinetic chromatography with sodium dodecyl sulfate) is described for the determination of the polysaccharide from the uropathogenic Escherichia coli K5 bacteria Bi8337/41 010:K5:H4. This natural polysaccharide having the structure of a desulfo-heparin composed of -4)-alphaGlcUA-(1,4)-alpha-GlcNAc-(1- is separated (GlcUA = D-glucuronic acid; GlcNAc = D-glucosamine) and qualitatively and quantitatively determined within 20 min on an uncoated fused-silica capillary using normal polarity at 20 kV and detection at 200 nm. A linear relationship (correlation coefficient > approximately 0.99) was found for the polymer over a wide range of concentrations, from approx. 60 to 1500 ng, with a detection sensitivity of < approximately 60 ng. Furthermore, this qualitative and quantitative HPCE approach was applied to the K5 extraction and purification process from cultured bacteria in several stages. HPCE was also able to separate several molecular species mainly due to the presence of polysaccharides of distinct and increasing mean chain lengths. A linear relationship was found for migration time and log molecular mass of different K5 polysaccharide species, and this model was used to calculate the molecular mass of the main K5 species producing a result of approx. 17,000, also confirmed by high-performance size-exclusion chromatography analysis, yielding approx. 17 200.     

Collisional Deactivation of K(7s2S) and K(5d2D) by No

Radiative lifetimes and total deactivation cross sections of K(7²S) and K(5²D) by collision with NO are studied. The K atomic vapor in either the 7²S or the 5²D state was prepared by two- photon absorption using a dye laser. The decay signal of the time-resolved fluorescence from the 7²S – 4²P_1/2 or 5²D – 4²P_3/2 transition was then monitored. Based on a Stern-Volmer analysis, the radiative lifetimes are 155 ±8 ns and 561 ± 18 ns for the K(7²S) and K(5²D) states, respectively. The total deactivation cross sections are 88 ±1Ų and 70 ±2Ų for the K(7²S)-NO and K(5₂D)-NO collisions, respectively. In the absence of NO collisions the radiative lifetimes obtained in this work show excellent agreement with those previously reported. The quenching cross sections for NO have been measured for the first time, and have values in a reasonable range, when compared with Na-N₂ collisions.     

Separation of capsular polysaccharide K4 and defructosylated K4 derived disaccharides by high-performance capillary electrophoresis and high-performance liquid chromatography

A rapid, highly sensitive and reproducible high-performance capillary electrophoresis (HPCE) method (electrokinetic chromatography with sodium dodecyl sulfate) is described for the determination of disaccharides present in the polysaccharide from the uropathogenic Escherichia coli K4 bacteria (05:K4:H4) and its defructosylated product. Following chondroitinase digestion of K4 and its derivative, the two disaccharides, DeltaHexAFrc-GalNAc for K4 and deltaHexA-GalNAc for defructosylated K4, are separated and readily determined within 20 min on an uncoated fused-silica capillary using normal polarity at 20 kV and detection at 230 nm. Comparison was made by separation of these two disaccharides in isocratic strong-anion exchange HPLC. A linear relationship was found for the two unsaturated disaccharides over a wide range of concentrations, from approximately 0.5 to 5 micro g for high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and from approximately 0.06 to 0.3 micro g for HPCE. The HPCE separation produced a greater detection sensitivity (about 10 times greater) than HPLC. The described methods were used to evaluate the defructosylation process of K4 under drastic acid conditions. Good correspondence was found for the amount of unsaturated disaccharides for the two techniques.     

Structure of the N-acetylpseudaminic acid-containing capsular polysaccharide of Acinetobacter baumannii NIPH67

Capsular polysaccharide (CPS) was isolated from a nosocomial pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii (A. baumannii) NIPH67 and studied by sugar analysis, Smith degradation, and ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. The CPS was found to contain 5,7-diacetamido-3,5,7,9-tetradeoxy-l-glycero-l-manno-non-2-ulosonic acid (di-N-acetylpseudaminic acid, Pse5Ac7Ac), and the structure of the linear trisaccharide repeating unit of the CPS was established as →4)-α-Psep5Ac7Ac-(2→6)-β-d-Galp-(1→3)-α-d-GalpNAc-(1→. The genetic content of the capsule biosynthesis cluster of A. baumannii NIPH67, designated KL33, is consistent with the established CPS structure, and thus the capsule of the investigated strain was assigned to K33 group. Functions of proteins including two glycosyltransferases encoded by the genes of the K33 locus were assigned based on the structure of CPS and by the comparison with related proteins of other capsular types of A. baumannii.     

Synthesis of 1,2,3-triazolyl analog of Neisseria meningitidis A capsular polysaccharide

Abstract

Towards constructing a stable, non-hydrolyzable linkage for Neisseria meningitidis type A (MenA) polysaccharide, the phosphate bridge of its (1→6)-linked 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-α-D-mannopyranosyl phosphate repeating unit was replaced by a triazolyl analog using Cu(I) catalyzed click reaction. The synthesis involved anomeric azidation of N-acetyl-D-mannosamine derivative from its acetate precursor using stoichiometric amount of FeCl₃ and one-pot synthesis of precursors for di- and tri- triazolyl saccharides with an azidoethyl spacer at the reducing end for bioconjugation.     

Total synthesis of fully acetylated N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac), 2-deoxy-beta-Neu5Ac, and 4-epi-2-deoxy-beta-Neu5Ac from D-glucose

Sialic acid and its analogues have been synthesized using a salenCo(II) complex catalyzed hetero Diels-Alder reaction and oxidative azidation (CAN/NaN3) of silyl enol ether as the key steps.     

A synthetic glycan array containing Cryptococcus neoformans glucuronoxylomannan capsular polysaccharide fragments allows the mapping of protective epitopes

A convergent synthetic strategy to Cryptococcus neoformans glucuronoxylomannan (GXM) capsular polysaccharide part structures was developed based on di-, tri-, tetra-, penta- and hexasaccharide thioglycoside building blocks. The approach permitted the synthesis of a library of spacer-containing serotype A and D related GXM oligosaccharide structures, ranging from di- to octadecasaccharides. Ten deprotected GXM compounds (mono- to decasaccharide) were printed onto microarray plates and screened with seventeen mouse monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to GXM. For the first time a GXM oligosaccharide structure (a serotype A decasaccharide), capable of being recognized by neutralizing forms of these GXM-specific mAbs, has been identified, offering insight into the binding epitopes of a range of protective monoclonal antibodies and furthering our efforts to develop semi-synthetic conjugate vaccine candidates against C. neoformans.

A library of Cryptococcus neoformans glucuronoxylomannan (GXM) oligosaccharides was synthesized using a thioglycoside building block strategy. The first GXM microarray was printed, allowing mapping of epitopes of antibodies directed towards GXM.     

Synthesis and structure of K10Tl7: the first binary trielide containing naked pentagonal bipyramidal Tl7 clusters

The title compound is synthesized by direct fusion of the elements at 400 degrees C followed by annealing at 330 degrees C, quenching to room temperature, and subsequent annealing at 120 and 100 degrees C for days to weeks. The compound crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P21/c (No. 14), with Z = 4, a = 10.132(1) A, b = 22.323(2) A, c = 13.376(1) A, and beta = 93.14(1)degrees, and consists of Tl7(7-) clusters embedded in a matrix of potassium ions. The cluster is an axially compressed pentagonal bipyramid close to D5h symmetry. The apex-apex bond distance (3.462(1) A) is little longer than the bonds in the pentagonal waist (3.183(1)-3.247(1) A). Structurally the compound is not electron-precise: K10Tl7 has three extra electrons per Tl7 cluster and is Pauli paramagnetic (chi300 = 2.25 x 10(-4) emu/mol).     

Structural studies of the Klebsiella type 57 capsular polysaccharide.

The structure of the capsular polysaccharide from Klebsiella type 57 has been investigated. Methylation analysis, uronic acid degradation, modified Smith degradation and graded acid hydrolysis were the principle methods used. Pure oligomeric fragments were isolated using the three methods of degradation and characterized by chemical and physical methods. These studies show the structure to consist of a tetrasaccharide repeating unit (all sugar residues have the D-configuration and are pyranosidic).     

Collisional deactivation of Ba 5d7p (3)D1 by noble gases

Collisional deactivation of the 5d7p (3)D1 state of Ba by noble gases is studied by time- and wavelength-resolved fluorescence techniques. A pulsed, frequency-doubled dye laser at 273.9 nm excites the 5d7p (3)D1 level from the ground state, and fluorescence at 364.1 and 366.6 nm from the 5d7p (3)D1 --> 6s5d (3)D1 and 5d7p (3)D1 --> 6s5d (3)D2 transitions, respectively, is monitored in real time to obtain the deactivation rate constants. At 835 K these rate constants are as follows: He, (1.69 +/- 0.08) x 10(-9) cm(3) s(-1); Ne, (3.93 +/- 0.14) x 10(-10) cm(3) s(-1); Ar, (4.53 +/- 0.15) x 10(-10) cm(3) s(-1); Kr, (4.64 +/- 0.13) x 10(-10) cm(3) s(-1); Xe, (5.59 +/- 0.22) x 10(-10) cm(3) s(-1). From time-resolved 5d7p (3)D1 emission in the absence of noble gas and from the intercepts of the quenching plots, the lifetime of this state is determined to be 100 +/- 1 ns. Using time- and wavelength-resolved Ba emission with a low background pressure of noble gas, radiative lifetimes of several near-resonant states are determined from the exponential rise of the fluorescence signals. These results are as follows: 5d6d (3)D3, 28 +/- 3 ns; 5d7p (3)P1, 46 +/- 2 ns; 5d6d (3)G3, 21.5 +/- 0.8 ns; 5d7p (3)F3, 48 +/- 1 ns. Integrated fluorescence signals are used to infer the relative rate constants for population transfer from the 5d7p (3)D1 state to eleven near-resonant fine structure states.     

Synthesis and preliminary biological evaluation of carba analogues from Neisseria meningitidis A capsular polysaccharide

The Gram-negative encapsulated bacterium Neisseria meningitidis type A (MenA) is a major cause of meningitis in developing countries, especially in the sub-Saharan region of Africa. The development and manufacture of an efficient glycoconjugate vaccine against MenA is greatly hampered by the poor hydrolytic stability of its capsular polysaccharide, consisting of (1→6)-linked 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-α-d-mannopyranosyl phosphate repeating units. The replacement of the ring oxygen with a methylene group to get a carbocyclic analogue leads to the loss of the acetalic character of the phosphodiester and consequently to the enhancement of its chemical stability. Here we report the synthesis of oligomers (mono-, di- and trisaccharide) of carba-N-acetylmannosamine-1-O-phosphate as candidates for stabilized analogues of the corresponding fragments of MenA capsular polysaccharide. Each of the synthesized compounds contains a phosphodiester-linked aminopropyl spacer at its reducing end to allow for protein conjugation. The inhibition abilities of the synthetic molecules were investigated by a competitive ELISA assay, showing that only the carba-disaccharide is recognized by a polyclonal anti-MenA serum with an affinity similar to a native MenA oligosaccharide with average polymerization degree of 3.     

Three novel 5(6-->7)abeoabietane-type diterpenes from the bark of Taiwania cryptomerioides

Three new 5(6-->7)abeoabietane diterpenes with the uncommon skeleton of fused 6-5-6 rings were isolated from the bark of Taiwania cryptomerioides designated as taiwaniaquinone F (8), taiwaniaquinol C (9) and taiwaniaquinol D (10). Meanwhile, two known compounds, taiwaniaquinones A (1) and D (4), were also obtained. Their structures were determined principally from spectral evidence.     

Studies on the interaction of bacterial capsular polysaccharide- Klebsiella K16 with cationic and mixed surfactants

The spectral studies of cationic dyes, pinacyanol chloride (PCYN) and acridine orange (AO) with capsular polysaccharide Klebsiella K16 (PK16) biopolymer in micellar media reveal many interesting phenomena. Intensity of the metachromatic band (μ) at 490 nm decreases gradually on addition of cationic single surfactant to the biopolymer PK16–dye system of P/D = 30, whereas the intensity of α and β bands reach to the value of original pure dye. As a result, the cationic surfactant destroys the metachromatic compound and forms a new complex with biopolymer PK16 by freeing the dye molecule. Enhancement of fluorescence intensity of AO-PK16 system with cationic surfactant is another evidence for the binding between the biopolymer and the surfactant. Interaction between the biopolymer and mixed surfactant has also been studied. Finally, the binding ability of cationic surfactants with or without non ionic surfactant, the idea of the critical aggregation concentration (cac) of the surfactant, mole fraction and the charge density of mixed surfactant for binding with PK16 and also the site of interaction have been pointed out.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of phosphono analogues of capsular polysaccharide fragments from Neisseria meningitidis A

Neisseria meningitidis type A (MenA) is a Gram-negative encapsulated bacterium that may cause explosive epidemics of meningitis, especially in the sub-Saharan region of Africa. The development and manufacture of an efficient glycoconjugate vaccine against Neisseria meningitidis A is greatly hampered by the poor hydrolytic stability of its capsular polysaccharide, which is made up of (1-->6)-linked 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-alpha-D-mannopyranosyl phosphate repeating units. Since this chemical lability is a product of the inherent instability of the phosphodiester bridges, here we report the synthesis of phosphonoester-linked oligomers of N-acetyl mannosamine as candidates for stabilised analogues of the corresponding phosphate-bridged saccharides. The installation of each interglycosidic phosphonoester linkage was achieved by Mitsunobu coupling of a glycosyl C-phosphonate building block with the 6-OH moiety of a mannosaminyl residue. Each of the synthesised compounds contains an O-linked aminopropyl spacer at its reducing end (alpha- or beta-oriented) to allow for protein conjugation. The relative affinities of the synthetic molecules were investigated by a competitive ELISA assay and showed that a human polyclonal anti-MenA serum can recognise both the phosphonoester-bridged fragments 1-3 and their monomeric subunits, glycosides 20 and 21. Moreover, the biological results suggest that the abilities of these compounds to inhibit the binding of a specific antibody to MenA polysaccharide are dependent on the chain lengths of the molecules, but independent on the orientations of the anomeric linkers.     

Synthesis of the trisaccharide repeating unit of capsular polysaccharide from Klebsiella pneumoniae

The incidences of primary, pyrogenic liver abscess complicated by meningitis and septic endophthalmitis caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae has increased globally. Earlier studies have shown that the capsular polysaccharide (CPS) of Klebsiella pneumoniae plays an important role in the resistance to phagocytosis and related pathogenicity. The first chemical synthesis of the trisaccharide repeating unit of this CPS has been achieved via stereoselective glycosylation with orthogonal and appropriate protecting groups. A new method for the pyruvylation of trans diol was developed.     

Na(23)K(9)Tl(15.3): An Unusual Zintl Compound Containing Apparent Tl(5)(7)(-), Tl(4)(8)(-), Tl(3)(7)(-), and Tl(5)(-) Anions

Reaction of the neat elements in tantalum containers at 400 degrees C and then 150 degrees C gives the pure title phase. X-ray crystallography shows that the hexagonal structure (P6(3)/mmc, Z = 2, a = 11.235(1) ?, b = 30.133(5) ?) contains relatively high symmetry clusters Tl(5)(7)(-) (D(3)(h)()), Tl(4)(8)(-) (C(3)(v)(), approximately T(d)), and the new Tl(3)(7)(-) (D(infinity)(h)()) plus Tl(5)(-), the last two disordered over the same elongated site in 1:2 proportions. Cation solvation of these anions is tight and specific, providing good Coulombic trapping of weakly bound electrons on the isolated cluster anions. The observed disorder makes the compound structurally a Zintl phase with a closed shell electron count. EHMO calculations on the novel Tl(3)(7)(-) reveal some bonding similarities with the isoelectronic CO(2), with two good sigma(s,p) bonding and two weakly bonding pi MO's. The Tl-Tl bond lengths therein (3.14 ?) are evidently consistent with multiple bonding. The weak temperature-independent paramagnetism and metallic conductivity (rho(293) approximately 90 &mgr;Omega.cm) of the phase are discussed.