The structure of the O-specific polysaccharide of the lipopolysaccharide from Yersinia enterocolitica serotype O:50 strain 3229

The genus Yersinia represents Gram-negative bacteria that are widely distributed in the environment and possess lipopolysaccharide (LPS) as a major molecule on the surface of the bacterial envelope. LPS is composed of an anchoring lipid, termed lipid A, and a polysaccharide part which not only determines the bacterial serotype but may also serve as a bacteriophage receptor. Here we present the structure of the O-polysaccharide (O-PS) of Yersinia enterocolitica O:50 phage ΦR1-37-sensitive strain 3229. The structural characterization was performed utilizing 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and chemical analyses. The structure of the O-PS biological repeating unit was identified as →2)-α-L-Rhap-(1→3)-α-L-FucpNAc-(1→3)-α-L-FucpNAc-(1→3)-β-D-GlcpNAc-(1→.