Premium
Ionizing groups in lipopolysaccharides of Pseudomonas cepacia in relation to antibiotic resistance
Author(s) -
Cox A. D.,
Wilkinson S. G.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
molecular microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.857
H-Index - 247
eISSN - 1365-2958
pISSN - 0950-382X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2958.1991.tb00735.x
Subject(s) - residue (chemistry) , biology , lipid a , pseudomonas , phosphate , microbiology and biotechnology , biochemistry , antibiotics , bacteria , lipopolysaccharide , bacterial outer membrane , pseudomonas aeruginosa , glucosamine , stereochemistry , chemistry , escherichia coli , genetics , gene , endocrinology
Summary Contrary to previous reports, lipopolysaccharides from Pseudomonas cepacia contain a 3‐deoxyoct‐2‐ulosonic acid (probably a single residue). The lipopolysaccharides contain only two phosphate residues, one of which apparently forms a phosphodiester bridge between 4‐amino‐4‐deoxyarabinose and a glucosamine residue in lipid A. The second, unlocated phosphate residue occurs mainly as a monoester in some lipopolysaccharides, and mainly as a diester in others. All lipopolysaccharides lack pyrophosphate residues. The results support the view that the resistance of P. cepacia to cationic antibiotics stems from ineffective binding to the outer membrane, as a consequence of the low number of phosphate and carboxylate groups in the lipopolysaccharide, and the presence of the protonated aminodeoxypentose.