Structural analysis of the O-polysaccharide of the lipopolysaccharide from Azospirillum brasilense Jm6B2 containing 3-O-methyl-D-rhamnose (D-acofriose).

Two types of neutral O-polysaccharides were obtained by mild acid degradation of the lipopolysaccharide isolated by phenol-water extraction from the asymbiotic diazotrophic rhizobacterium Azospirillum brasilense Jm6B2. The following structure of the major O-polysaccharide was established by composition and methylation (ethylation) analyses, Smith degradation, and 1D and 2D (1)H and (13)C NMR spectroscopy: [structure: see text] where a non-stoichiometric (~60%) 3-O-methylation of D-rhamnose is indicated by italics.

Structural and functional peculiarities of the lipopolysaccharide of Azospirillum brasilense SR55, isolated from the roots of Triticum durum.

Azospirillum brasilense SR55, isolated from the rhizosphere of Triticum durum, was classified as serogroup II on the basis of serological tests. Such serogroup affiliation is uncharacteristic of wheat-associated Azospirillum species. The lipid A of A. brasilense SR55 lipopolysaccharide contained 3-hydroxytetradecanoic, 3-hydroxyhexadecanoic, hexadecanoic and octadecenoic fatty acids. The structure of the lipopolysaccharide's O polysaccharide was established, with the branched octasaccharide repeating unit being represented by l-rhamnose, l-3-O-Me-rhamnose, d-galactose and d-glucuronic acid. The SR55 lipopolysaccharide induced deformations of wheat root hairs. The lipopolysaccharide was not involved in bacterial cell aggregation, but its use to pretreat wheat roots was conducive to cell adsorption. This study shows that Azospirillum bacteria can utilise their own lipopolysaccharide as a carbon source, which may give them an advantage in competitive natural environments.