Selection of bacterial mutants from Salmonella specifically recognizing determinants on the cell surface of activated T lymphocytes. A novel system to define cell surface structures.

The isolation of bacterial mutants from Salmonella is described with specific binding capacities to allogeneically or concanavalin A-activated T lymphocytes. The enrichment of these mutants was achieved by separation of T cell blasts with adhering mutants from nonresponsive lymphocytes and nonadhering bacteria through 1 x g sedimentation. Binding of the mutants was specific for T cells early after antigen or mitogen stimulation. No adherence was observed with unstimulated T or B lymphocytes and with B cell blasts. Further results suggested that the binding of Salmonella mutants was mediated by the heteropolysaccharide moiety of lipopolysaccharides with a specificity for protein receptor sites on activated T lymphocytes. Significantly, these heteropolysaccharides also inhibited the differentiation of prekiller to killer cells from allogeneic mixed lymphocyte cultures but did not depress the proliferative response or the activity of cytotoxic effector cells. Bacterial adherence, as well as polysaccharide activity in functional tests, showed strain specificity since reactivity could only be obtained with activated T cells from AKR, C57BL/6, C3H but not with BALB/c and A/J strain mice. It is discussed whether the heteropolysaccharides mimic the structure of naturally occurring molecules and thus compete for their receptor sites. Selection of bacterial mutants with adherence properties may become a general procedure for detecting cell surface molecules on lymphoid and nonlymphoid cells.

Lipopolysaccharides of Salmonella T mutants.

The composition of lipopolysaccharides derived from various Salmonella T forms was studied. All T1-form lipopolysaccharides examined contained 14 to 22% each of both d-galactose and pentose in addition to 4 to 9% each of ketodeoxyoctonic acid, heptose, d-glucosamine, and d-glucose. The pentose was identified as d-ribose. The T2-form lipopolysaccharide examined did not contain a significant amount of pentose, nor more than the usual amounts of d-galactose. Periodate oxidation of T1 (lipo) polysaccharides followed by NaBH(4) reduction revealed that ribose was almost quantitatively protected, galactose was destroyed, and threitol and mannose were newly formed. The latter two products probably originated from 4-linked galactose and heptose, respectively. Ribose and galactose were found in specific precipitates of T1 lipopolysaccharide with anti-T1 antiserum but were not found in specific precipitates of alkali-treated T1 lipopolysaccharide and of Freeman degraded polysaccharide with anti-T1 serum Ribose and galactose are present in these degraded preparations in the form of nondialyzable polymers. The T1-form mutant lipopolysaccharides lacked the O-specific sugars constituting the side-chains in the wild-type antigens. They did not produce the soluble O-specific haptenic polysaccharide known to be accumulated in RI strains. With these properties, T1 lipopolysaccharides resemble RII lipopolysaccharides. Like RII degraded polysaccharides, T1-degraded polysaccharides also contained glucosamine. Furthermore, strong cross-reactions were found to exist between T1 and RII lipopolysaccharides in both hemagglutination inhibition assays and in precipitation tests. It is proposed that T1 lipopolysaccharides represent RII lipopolysaccharides to which polymers consisting of ribose and galactose are attached.

Occurrence of 3-amino-3,6-dideoxyhexoses in Salmonella and related bacteria.

Several species of Salmonella, Citrobacter, and Arizona were examined for the presence of 3-amino sugars, which were isolated from lipopolysaccharide hydrolysates by cation exchange chromatography and identified by paper and cation exchange chromatography in several systems and by specific colorimetric procedures. 3-Amino-3,6-dideoxyglucose was identified in C. freundii 8090, C. freundii 869, S. halle, S. telaviv, S. dakar, S. wandsworth, and S. champaign; 3-amino-3,6-dideoxygalactose was found in S. tranoroa and Arizona 24. Evidence suggests that these 3-amino sugars occur in lipopolysaccharides as the N-acetyl derivatives. The composition of the lipopolysaccharides containing the 3-amino sugars was determined, and the lipopolysaccharides were compared serologically in order to correlate chemotypes with serotypes. The lipopolysaccharides containing 3-amino-3,6-dideoxyglucose reacted with serogroups 28 or 39; those containing 3-amino-3,6-dideoxygalactose were found to react with group 55 antisera. The preparation of a lipopolysaccharide from the phenol phase of the 44% aqueous phenol extraction procedure is also reported.