Weakening effect of cell permeabilizers on gram-negative bacteria causing biodeterioration.

Gram-negative bacteria play an important role in the formation and stabilization of biofilm structures on stone surfaces. Therefore, the control of growth of gram-negative bacteria offers a way to diminish biodeterioration of stone materials. The effect of potential permeabilizers on the outer membrane (OM) properties of gram-negative bacteria was investigated and further characterized. In addition, efficacy of the agents in enhancing the activity of a biocide (benzalkonium chloride) was assessed. EDTA, polyethylenimine (PEI), and succimer (meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic) were shown to be efficient permeabilizers of the members of Pseudomonas and Stenotrophomonas genera, as indicated by an increase in the uptake of a hydrophobic probe (1-N-phenylnaphthylamine) and sensitization to hydrophobic antibiotics. Visualization of Pseudomonas cells treated with EDTA or PEI by atomic force microscopy revealed damage in the outer membrane structure. PEI especially increased the surface area and bulges of the cells. Topographic images of EDTA-treated cells were compatible with events assigned for the effect of EDTA on outer membranes, i.e., release of lipopolysaccharide and disintegration of OM structure. In addition, the effect of EDTA treatment was visualized in phase-contrast images as large areas with varying hydrophilicity on cell surfaces. In liquid culture tests, EDTA and PEI supplementation enhanced the activity of benzalkonium chloride toward the target strains. Use of permeabilizers in biocide formulations would enable the use of decreased concentrations of the active biocide ingredient, thereby providing environmentally friendlier products.

Effect of EDTA on Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium involves a component not assignable to lipopolysaccharide release.

The effect of EDTA on Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium was studied in different growth phases with cells grown with or without Ca(2+) and Mg(2+) supplementation. EDTA affected the outer membrane much more strongly in the early exponential phase than in the mid- or late exponential phase, as indicated by uptake of 1-N-phenylnaphthylamine (a nonpolar hydrophobic probe, M(r) 219), and detergent (SDS) susceptibility. This effect was, however, not paralleled by LPS release (determined by measuring LPS-specific fatty acids or 14C-labelled LPS in cell-free supernatants, per a standardized cell density), which remained unchanged as a function of the growth curve. The conclusion from these results is that in the early exponential phase the effect of EDTA in S. enterica involves a component that is independent of LPS release.

Characterisation of aerobic gram-negative bacteria from subgingival sites of dogs--potential bite wound pathogens.

Ninety-eight aerobic, gram-negative bacterial isolates from subgingival samples from family-owned dogs with naturally occurring periodontitis were characterised phenotypically by conventional biochemical testing, by cellular fatty acid profiling and by the use of commercial identification systems. The majority (48, 81%) of the fermentative isolates but only 18% of the non-fermenters were identified by conventional biochemical testing alone. With additional cellular fatty acid profiling, another 7 (12%) fermentative and 23 (59%) non-fermentative isolates were identified to genus or group level. Cellular fatty acid analysis was essential for the identification of most non-fermenters, many of which are difficult to identify due to a paucity of positive reactions in routine biochemical tests. Commercial identification systems were less useful and did not contribute to further identification of these problematic isolates. This study underlines the difficulties encountered in the identification of canine oral bacteria--a group of potential bite wound pathogens--and presents schemes for microbiology laboratories to characterise such isolates.

Chitosan disrupts the barrier properties of the outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria.

The mode of antimicrobial action of chitosan (polymeric beta-1,4-N-acetylglucosamine) on gram-negative bacteria was studied with special emphasis on its ability to bind to and weaken the barrier function of the outer membrane (OM). Chitosan (250 ppm) at pH 5.3 induced significant uptake of the hydrophobic probe 1-N-phenylnaphthylamine (NPN) in Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella typhimurium. The effect was reduced (E. coli, salmonellae) or abolished (P. aeruginosa) by MgCl2. No NPN uptake was observed during exposure of the salmonellae to chitosan at pH 7.2. Chitosan also sensitized P. aeruginosa and the salmonellae to the lytic effect of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS); such sensitization was not blocked by MgCl2 and was reversible by washing chitosan-treated cells prior to SDS exposure. Chemical and electrophoretic analyses of cell-free supernatants of chitosan-treated cell suspensions showed that interaction of chitosan with E. coli and the salmonellae involved no release of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or other membrane lipids. However, chitosan rendered E. coli more sensitive to the inhibitory action of dyes and bile acids used in selective media. Highly cationic mutants of S. typhimurium were more resistant to chitosan than the parent strains. Electron microscopy showed that chitosan caused extensive cell surface alterations and covered the OM with vesicular structures. Chitosan thus appeared to bind to the outer membrane, explaining the loss of the barrier function. This property makes chitosan a potentially useful indirect antimicrobial for food protection.

Permeability barrier of the gram-negative bacterial outer membrane with special reference to nisin.

The effect of nisin pretreatment on organic acid-induced permeability increase in strains of Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, P. marginalis, and Salmonella enterica sv. Typhimurium was investigated, using assays based on the uptake of a fluorescent dye 1-N-phenylnaphthylamine (NPN) and on the bacterial susceptibility to detergent-induced bacteriolysis. The outer membrane of bacteria which had been pretreated with nisin was shown to be less stable against 1 mM EDTA, as indicated by their significantly higher NPN uptake levels as compared to untreated bacteria. Upon challenge with a tenfold lower concentration of EDTA (0.1 mM) some nisin-treated strains (Typhimurium, P. marginalis) exhibited, however, NPN uptake levels which were lower than those seen in control bacteria, suggesting that nisin had stabilized their outer membrane. Nisin pretreatment also decreased the NPN uptake induced by citric or lactic acid or both in E. coli, P. marginalis, and Typhimurium, whereas in P. aeruginosa the pretreatment resulted in increased NPN uptake in response to citric and lactic acid. These results suggest that, with the exception of P. aeruginosa, nisin could protect bacteria from the outer membrane-disrupting effect caused by the acids. P. aeruginosa was, however, shown to be protected against bacteriolysis induced by the detergents sodium dodecylsulfate and Triton X-100. With a pair of isogenic mutants of Typhimurium differing in their cell surface charge it was shown that the NPN uptake response to I mM EDTA of the abnormally cationic strain was not significantly affected by nisin, whereas in the normal anionic strain nisin strongly strengthened the uptake. Our hypothesis based on these findings is that the normally anionic cell surface of Gram-negative bacteria has a tendency to bind the cationic nisin. The binding of nisin to the surface does not proceed to the cytoplasmic membrane, but in the outer membrane the bound nisin actually stabilizes its structure through electrostatic interactions. With the exception of EDTA, the organic acids at pH 4 did not cause leakage of cell contents from Typhimurium, indicating that these acids do not permeabilize the outer membrane to an extent required for cytoplasmic pore formation by nisin.

Lactic acid permeabilizes gram-negative bacteria by disrupting the outer membrane.

The effect of lactic acid on the outer membrane permeability of Escherichia coli O157:H7, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium was studied utilizing a fluorescent-probe uptake assay and sensitization to bacteriolysis. For control purposes, similar assays were performed with EDTA (a permeabilizer acting by chelation) and with hydrochloric acid, the latter at pH values corresponding to those yielded by lactic acid, and also in the presence of KCN. Already 5 mM (pH 4.0) lactic acid caused prominent permeabilization in each species, the effect in the fluorescence assay being stronger than that of EDTA or HCl. Similar results were obtained in the presence of KCN, except for P. aeruginosa, for which an increase in the effect of HCl was observed in the presence of KCN. The permeabilization by lactic and hydrochloric acid was partly abolished by MgCl(2). Lactic acid sensitized E. coli and serovar Typhimurium to the lytic action of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) more efficiently than did HCl, whereas both acids sensitized P. aeruginosa to SDS and to Triton X-100. P. aeruginosa was effectively sensitized to lysozyme by lactic acid and by HCl. Considerable proportions of lipopolysaccharide were liberated from serovar Typhimurium by these acids; analysis of liberated material by electrophoresis and by fatty acid analysis showed that lactic acid was more active than EDTA or HCl in liberating lipopolysaccharide from the outer membrane. Thus, lactic acid, in addition to its antimicrobial property due to the lowering of the pH, also functions as a permeabilizer of the gram-negative bacterial outer membrane and may act as a potentiator of the effects of other antimicrobial substances.

Fluorometric assessment of gram-negative bacterial permeabilization.

Uptake of the fluorescent probe 1-N-phenylnaphthylamine (NPN), as adapted to an automated spectrofluorometer enabling multiwell reading of microtitre plates, was applied to determine permeability changes in Gram-negative bacteria. An intact outer membrane is a permeability barrier, and excludes hydrophobic substances such as NPN but, once damaged, it can allow the entry of NPN to the phospholipid layer, resulting in prominent fluorescence. With Escherichia coli O157, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Salmonella typhimurium as test organisms and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and sodium hexametaphosphate as the model permeabilizers, quantitative and highly reproducible NPN uptake levels were obtained that differed characteristically between the test bacteria. Furthermore, citric acid was shown to be a potent permeabilizer at millimolar concentrations, its effect being partly (Ps. aeruginosa, Salm. typhimurium) or almost totally (E. coli O157) abolished by MgCl2, suggesting that part of the action occurs by chelation. Sodium citrate induced weak NPN uptake, which was totally abolished by MgCl2. In conclusion, the NPN uptake assay with the automated spectrofluorometer serves as a convenient method in analysing and quantifying the effects of external agents, including potential food preservatives, on Gram-negative bacteria.

Phosphate groups in lipopolysaccharides of Salmonella typhimurium rfaP mutants.

Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) of Salmonella typhimurium rfaP mutants and of a galE strain as a control were subjected to analysis by 31P-NMR in order to assess the location of phosphate groups. This was done to obtain direct proof for our earlier finding by chemical analysis that phosphate was lacking in the core oligosaccharide part of the mutant LPS, whereas the core oligosaccharide normally contains several phosphate groups. Such phosphate deficiency has been associated with the increased susceptibility of the rfaP mutants to hydrophobic antibiotics and detergents. Analysis of the de-O-acylated LPS derivatives of S. typhimurium rfaP strains SH7770, SH8551, and SH8572 by 31P-NMR revealed an almost total lack of phosphate groups in the core oligosaccharide part, the LPS phosphates being largely accounted for by the two monophosphate monoesters of lipid A, linked to positions C-1 and C-4' of the lipid A backbone. Core oligosaccharide-linked phosphates were detected in minor proportions only, indicating the presence of some normally phosphorylated core oligosaccharide, due to the inherently leaky nature of the mutation.

Biological characterization of Campylobacter fetus lipopolysaccharides.

Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) of three strains of Campylobacter fetus (subspp. fetus and venerealis, and serotypes A and B), a bacterium of veterinary importance but also a cause of various infections in humans, were assessed for their ability to induce mitogenicity, gelation of Limulus amebocyte lysate, lethal toxicity in mice, and pyrogenicity in rabbits. All C. fetus LPS exhibited activities lower than those of Salmonella typhimurium LPS. LPS of C. fetus subsp. fetus serotype A had the lowest activity in all assays. Since the majority of C. fetus subsp. fetus isolates from humans are serotype A, the lower biological activities of this LPS may aid the pathogenesis of such strains. The lower activities of C. fetus LPS compared with those of S. typhimurium LPS may reflect the presence of longer fatty acid chains in the lipid A of C. fetus LPS, whereas interstrain differences in C. fetus LPS bioactivities may be related to some property influenced by composition of the saccharide moiety.

The secG deletion mutation of Escherichia coli is suppressed by expression of a novel regulatory gene of Bacillus subtilis.

SecG, a membrane component of E. coli protein translocase, stimulates the translocation of proteins across the cell membrane through the cycle of topology inversion, which is coupled to the membrane-insertion and deinsertion cycle of SecA [Nishiyama et al. (1996) Cell 85, 71-81]. A gene of B. subtilis able to suppress the cold-sensitive phenotype of the secG deletion mutant of E. coli was cloned and found to encode a novel regulatory protein, ScgR. Similarity search revealed homology with known proteins such as GlnR of B. subtilis. Plasmid-encoded ScgR stimulated protein translocation in the deletion mutant. ScgR increased the proportion of cardiolipin at the expense of phosphatidylglycerol, but did not affect the composition of other lipid components of the cell, suggesting that the increased cardiolipin level compensates for the SecG function and thereby stimulates protein translocation.

Characterization of lipopolysaccharides of polymyxin-resistant and polymyxin-sensitive Klebsiella pneumoniae O3.

Lipopolysaccharides isolated from the polymyxin-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae O3 mutant OM-5 and its polymyxin-sensitive parent LEN-1 were analyzed for chemical composition, and their lipid A portions were structurally characterized. The lipopolysaccharide of OM-5 contained approximately five times more 4-amino-4-deoxy-L-arabinopyranose than that of LEN-1. Other saccharide and phosphate components exhibited no significant differences. Structural characterization, including analyses by phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy and by fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry, revealed a novel type of lipid A. In the OM-5 lipopolysaccharide, both phosphates of lipid A were almost totally present as phosphodiesters with 4-amino-4-deoxy-L-arabinopyranose. In the sensitive-type LEN-1 lipid A, the extent of this substitution was much lower, especially in the glycosidically linked phosphate. Phosphate in these K. pneumoniae lipopolysaccharides was almost exclusively found in lipid A. These results show that cationic substituents of phosphates of lipid A play a decisive role in determining polymyxin reactivity. OM-5 was also found to contain a large proportion of heptaacyl lipid A, which represented only a small fraction of lipid A in LEN-1.

Structures of the O-specific polysaccharide chains of Pectinatus cerevisiiphilus and Pectinatus frisingensis lipopolysaccharides.

Mild acid hydrolysis of the smooth-type lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of Pectinatus frisingensis afforded no polysaccharide but monomeric 6-deoxy-L-altrose (L-6dAlt) which was identified by anion-exchange chromatography in borate buffer, GLC/MS, 1H-NMR spectroscopy, and optical rotation. LPS was degraded with alkali under reductive conditions to give a completely O-deacylated polysaccharide, which was studied by methylation analysis, 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR spectroscopy, including sequential, selective spin-decoupling, two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy (COSY), COSY with relayed coherence transfer, two-dimensional heteronuclear 13C, 1H-COSY, one-dimensional NOE and two-dimensional rotating-frame NOE spectroscopy. It was found that the O-specific polysaccharide chain of P. frisingensis LPS is a homopolymer of 6-deoxy-L-altrofuranose built up of tetrasaccharide-repeating units having the following structure: [sequence: see text] Similarly, mild acid degradation of smooth-type LPS of Pectinatus cerevisiiphilus resulted in depolymerisation of the polysaccharide chain to give a disaccharide consisting of D-glucose and D-fucose. Study of the disaccharide by methylation analysis and alkali-degraded LPS by one-dimensional and two-dimensional 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR spectroscopy showed that the O-specific polysaccharide of P. cerevisiiphilus has the following structure: -->2)-beta-D-Fucf-(1-->2)-alpha-D-Glcp-(1-->.

Lipopolysaccharides of polymyxin B-resistant mutants of Escherichia coli are extensively substituted by 2-aminoethyl pyrophosphate and contain aminoarabinose in lipid A.

Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) of two polymyxin-resistant (pmr) mutants and the corresponding parent strain of Escherichia coli were chemically analysed for composition and subjected to 31P-NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) for assessment of phosphate substitution. Whereas the saccharide portions, fatty acids, and phosphate contents were similar in wild-type and pmr LPS, the latter contained two- to threefold higher amounts of 2-aminoethanol. The pmr LPS also contained 4-amino-4-deoxy-L-arabinopyranose (L-Arap4N), which is normally not a component of E. coli LPS. This aminopentose has been assigned to be linked to the 4'-phosphate of lipid A. Comparative 31P-NMR analysis of the de-O-acylated LPS of the wild-type and pmr strains revealed that phosphate groups of the pmr LPS were mainly (71-79%) diphosphate diesters, which accounted for only 20% in the wild-type LPS. Diphosphate monoesters were virtually nonexistent in the pmr LPS, whereas they accounted for 42% of all phosphates in wild-type LPS. In the lipid A of the pmr strains, the 4'-phosphate was to a significant degree (35%) substituted by L-Arap4N, whereas in the wild-type LPS the L-ArapN was absent. In the pmr lipid A, 2-aminoethanol was completely substituting the glycosidic pyrophosphate but not the glycosidic monophosphate, forming a diphosphate diester linkage at this position in 40% of lipid A molecules. In the wild-type LPS the glycosidic position of lipid A carried mostly unsubstituted monophosphate and pyrophosphate. Thus the polymyxin resistance was shown to be associated, along with the esterification of the lipid A 4'-monophosphate by aminoarabinose, with extensive esterification of diphosphates in LPS by 2-aminoethanol.

Biochemical characterization of Campylobacter fetus lipopolysaccharides.

Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) of five strains of the human and animal pathogen Campylobacter fetus were electrophoretically and chemically characterized. Analysis with sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that all the strains produced smooth-form LPS with O side chains of relatively constant chain length. Upon extraction, LPS partitioned into both the water and phenol phases of phenol-water extracts, which showed that two chemical species of LPS were present in each C. fetus strain. Constituents common to all the LPS, though differing in molar ratios, were L-rhamnose, L-fucose, D-mannose, D-glucose, D-galactose, L-glycero-D-manno-heptose, and D-glycero-D-manno-heptose. L-Acofriose (3-O-methyl-L-rhamnose) was present in only two of the C. fetus strains. On the basis of these differences, it was possible to distinguish between LPS from strains of different serotypes and biotypes. Furthermore, chemical analysis indicated that the phenol phase LPS had a lower level of substitution by certain neutral sugars than did water phase LPS. N-Acetylneuraminic (sialic) acid and D-galactosamine were present in all the C. fetus LPS. Constituents normally found in the core and lipid A regions of LPS, 3-deoxy-D-manno-2-octulosonic acid, D-glucosamine, ethanolamine and its phosphorylated derivatives, and fatty acids [14:0, 16:0 14:0(3-OH), and 16:0(3-OH)] were detected. Unlike Campylobacter jejuni, in which 2,3-diamino-2,3-dideoxy-D-glucose occurs as a constituent of the lipid A backbone, this amino sugar was absent from C. fetus LPS, indicating major structural differences in the lipid A's of these species.

Chemical structure of the lipid A component of lipopolysaccharides of the genus Pectinatus.

The chemical structure of the lipid A components of smooth-type lipopolysaccharides isolated from the type strains of strictly anaerobic beer-spoilage bacteria Pectinatus cerevisiiphilus and Pectinatus frisingensis were analyzed. The hydrophilic backbone of lipid A was shown, by controlled degradation of lipopolysaccharide combined with chemical assays and 31P-NMR spectroscopy, to consist of the common beta 1-6-linked disaccharide of pyranosidic 2-deoxy-glucosamine (GlcN), phosphorylated at the glycosidic position and at position 4'. In de-O-acylated lipopolysaccharide, the latter phosphate was shown to be quantitatively substituted with 4-amino-4-deoxyarabinose, whereas the glycosidically linked phosphate was present as a monoester. Laser-desorption mass spectrometry of free dephosphorylated lipid A revealed that the distal (non-reducing) GlcN was substituted at positions 2' and 3' with (R)-3-(undecanoyloxy)tridecanoic acid, whereas the reducing GlcN carried two unsubstituted (R)-3-hydroxytetradecanoic acids at positions 2 and 3. The lipid A of both Pectinatus species were thus of the asymmetric hexaacyl type. The linkage of lipid A to polysaccharide in the lipopolysaccharide was relatively resistant to acid-catalyzed hydrolysis, enabling the preparation of a dephosphorylated and deacylated saccharide backbone. Methylation analysis of the backbone revealed that position 6' of the distal GlcN of lipid A was the attachment site of the polysaccharide. Despite the quantitative substitution of the lipid A 4'-phosphate by 4-amino-4-deoxyarabinose, which theoretically should render the bacteria resistant to polymyxin, P. cerevisiiphilus was shown to be susceptible to this antibiotic. P. cerevisiiphilus was, however, also susceptibile to vancomycin and bacitracin, indicating that the outer membrane of this bacterium does not act as an effective permeability barrier.

Alkali-treated LPS of Yersinia enterocolitica does not induce expression of E-selectin, ICAM-1 or VCAM-1 on endothelial cells but may mediate antibody- and complement-dependent cell injury.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) prepared from a rough mutant of Salmonella typhimurium and deacylated enzymatically (dLPS) does not promote neutrophil adherence to human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). This paper reports that similarly, a smooth form of LPS prepared from Yersinia enterocolitica O:3, a serotype known to trigger reactive arthritis in humans, and treated with alkali (yersinia LPS-OH) failed to augment neutrophil adherence to HUVECs. Studies of the mechanism underlying the poor augmentation revealed that neither enzymatically deacylated LPS from Escherichia coli J5 (J5 dLPS) nor yersinia LPS-OH stimulated expression of endothelial cell adhesion molecules E-selectin, VCAM-1 and ICAM-1, whereas both intact J5 LPS and yersinia LPS were stimulatory. Impaired up-regulation could not be explained by decreased binding of yersinia LPS-OH to HUVECs. Furthermore, 51Cr-labelled HUVECs treated with different concentrations of yersinia LPS-OH released 51Cr in the presence of anti-yersinia anti-O antibody and complement. J5 dLPS and yersinia LPS-OH inhibited up-regulation of the adhesion molecules induced by J5 LPS and yersinia LPS but not that induced by tumour necrosis factor alpha. Taken together, the results suggest that although yersinia LPS-OH can depress development of acute inflammation by inhibiting up-regulation of endothelial-cell adhesion molecules, sufficient LPS-OH is bound to induce cell injury and thereby inflammation in the presence of specific antibody and complement. The findings may have pathogenetic implications in yersinia-triggered reactive arthritis characterized by dissemination of yersinia LPS throughout the body.

Increased substitution of phosphate groups in lipopolysaccharides and lipid A of the polymyxin-resistant pmrA mutants of Salmonella typhimurium: a 31P-NMR study.

De-O-acylated lipopolysaccharides (LPS) of three polymyxin-resistant Salmonella typhimurium pmrA mutants and their parent strains were analysed by 31P-NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) in order to assess, in relation to polymyxin resistance, the types and degree of substitution of phosphates of the LPS and lipid A. In the pmrA mutant LPS phosphate diesters predominated over phosphate monoesters, whereas the latter were more abundant in the parent wild-type LPS. The increase in the proportion of phosphate diesters was traced to both the core oligosaccharide and the lipid A part. In the latter, the ester-linked phosphate at position 4' was to a large extent (79-88%) substituted with 4-amino-4-deoxy-L-arabinose, whereas in the wild-type LPS the 4'-phosphate was mainly present as monoester. In each LPS, regardless of the pmrA mutation, the glycosidically linked phosphate of lipid A was largely unsubstituted.

Outer Membrane Proteins and Lipopolysaccharides in Pathovars of Xanthomonas campestris.

Variations in the outer membrane proteins (OMPs) and lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) of 54 isolates belonging to 16 different pathovars of Xanthomonas campestris were characterized. OMP samples prepared by sarcosyl extraction of cell walls and LPS samples prepared by proteinase K treatment of sonicated cells were analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of 4 M urea. In general, the OMP and LPS profiles within each pathovar were very similar but different from the profiles of other pathovars. Heterogeneity in OMP and LPS profiles was observed within X. campestris pv. campestris, X. campestris pv. translucens, and X. campestris pv. vesicatoria. LPSs were isolated from six X. campestris pathovars, which fell into two major groups on the basis of O antigenicity. The O antigens of X. campestris pv. begoniae, X. campestris pv. graminis, and X. campestris pv. translucens cross-reacted with each other; the other group consisted of X. campestris pv. campestris, X. campestris pv. pelargonii, and X. campestris pv. vesicatoria. A chemical analysis revealed a significant difference between the compositions of the neutral sugars of the LPSs of those two groups; the LPSs of the first group contained xylose and a 6-deoxy-3-O-methyl hexose, whereas the LPSs of the other group lacked both sugars.

Biological activities of lipoteichoic acid and peptidoglycan-teichoic acid of Bacillus subtilis 168 (Marburg).

To evaluate the suitability of Bacillus subtilis as a production host of heterologous proteins for pharmaceutical purposes, we assessed the biological activity of this bacterium and its major cell envelope components, lipoteichoic acid (LTA) and peptidoglycan-teichoic acid complex (PG-TA) in several eukaryotic effector assays. LTA and PG-TA were found to be non-toxic for mice and guinea-pigs in a short-term toxicity assay. PG-TA was weakly pyrogenic and weakly mitogenic. Both LTA and PG-TA acted as immunologic adjuvants in mice and when injected in mice, also caused an increase in the number of granulocyte-monocyte colony-forming cells in the bone marrow probably via stimulation of production of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor.