Structural studies of a phosphocholine substituted beta-(1,3);(1,6) macrocyclic glucan from Bradyrhizobium japonicum USDA 110.

In our previous in vivo 31P study of intact nitrogen-fixing nodules (Rolin, D.B., Boswell, R.T., Sloger, C., Tu, S.I. and Pfeffer, P.E., 1989 Plant Physiol. 89, 1238-1246), we observed an unknown phosphodiester. The compound was also observed in the spectra of isolated bacteroids as well as extracts of the colonizing Bradyrhizobium japonicum USDA 110. In order to characterize the phosphodiester in the present study, we took advantage of the relatively hydrophobic nature of the material and purified it by elution from a C-18 silica reverse-phase chromatography column followed by final separation on an aminopropyl silica HPLC column. Structural characterization of this compound with a molecular weight of 2271 (FAB mass spectrometry), using 13C-1H and 31P-1H heteronuclear 2D COSY and double quantum 2D phase sensitive homonuclear 1H COSY NMR spectra, demonstrated that the molecule contained beta-(1,3); beta-(1,6); beta-(1,3,6) and beta-linked non-reducing terminal glucose units in the ratio of 5:6:1:1, respectively, as well as one C-6 substituted phosphocholine (PC) moiety associated with one group of (1,3) beta-glucose residues. Carbohydrate degradation analysis indicated that this material was a macrocyclic glucan, (absence of a reducing end group) with two separated units containing three consecutively linked beta-(1,3) glucose residues and 6 beta-(1,6) glucose residues. The sequences of beta-(1,3)-linked glucose units contained a single non-reducing, terminal, unsubstituted glucose linked at the C-6 position and a PC group attached primarily to an unsubstituted C-6 position of a beta-(1,3)-linked glucose.

Partitioning of Intermediary Carbon Metabolism in Vesicular-Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Leek.

Vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi are symbionts for a large variety of crop plants; however, the form in which they take up carbon from the host is not established. To trace the course of carbon metabolism, we have used nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy with [13C]glucose labeling in vivo and in extracts to examine leek (Allium porrum) roots colonized by Glomus etunicatum (and uncolonized controls) as well as germinating spores. These studies implicate glucose as a likely substrate for vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in the symbiotic state. Root feeding of 0.6 mM 1-[13C]glucose labeled only the fungal metabolites trehalose and glycogen. The time course of this labeling was dependent on the status of the host. Incubation with 50 mM 1-[13C]glucose caused labeling of sucrose (in addition to fungal metabolites) with twice as much labeling in uncolonized plants. There was no detectable scrambling of the label from C1 glucose to the C6 position of glucose moieties in trehalose or glycogen. Labeling of mannitol C1,6 in the colonized root tissue was much less than in axenically germinating spores. Thus, carbohydrate metabolism of host and fungus are significantly altered in the symbiotic state.

The structure of the acidic exopolysaccharide of Pseudomonas marginalis strains PF-05-2 and PM-LB-1.

The structure of an acidic exopolysaccharide of two strains of Pseudomonas marginalis, a bacterium which causes soft rots of various vegetables, has been determined to consist of a repeating unit of: ----4) beta-D-Manp-(1----3)alpha-D-Glcp-(1----4)alpha-L-Rhap-(1-. The glucose is pyruvated at O-4 and O-6 and the mannose is acetylated at either O-2 or O-3.

The structure of the acidic exopolysaccharide produced by Pseudomonas "gingeri" strain Pf9.

The structure of the acidic exopolysaccharide produced by the mushroom pathogen Pseudomonas "gingeri" strain Pf9, a bacterium which causes ginger blotch, was investigated by chemical analysis, mass spectrometry and 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy. The polysaccharide consists of the linear trisaccharide repeating unit [formula: see text] where the cyclic pyruvic acetal groups at O-4 and O-6 of the mannopyranosyl residues have the S-configuration. Methylation analysis under neutral conditions and NMR data showed that the mannose residues are acetylated at O-2. This exopolysaccharide has the same structure as the E. coli K55 capsular polysaccharide and differs from the Klebsiella K5 capsular polysaccharide only in the position of acetylation (C-2 of the glucopyranose residue).

The structure of the exopolysaccharide of Pseudomonas fluorescens strain H13.

An acidic exopolysaccharide was isolated from P. fluorescens strain H13. The structure of the polysaccharide repeating unit was determined using chemical methods and 1D and 2D NMR techniques. The repeating unit was characterized as a trisaccharide composed of D-glucose, 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-glucose and 4-O-acetyl-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-mannuronic acid.

Cyclolaminarinose. A new biologically active beta-(1-->3) cyclic glucan.

A unique glucan has been isolated from a recombinant strain of a Rhizobium meliloti TY7, a cyclic beta-(1-->2) glucan mutant carrying a locus specifying beta-(1-->3; 1-->6) glucan synthesis from Bradyrhizobium japonicum USDA110. This compound, which appears to have considerable hydrophobic affinity, was separated from a perchloric acid cell extract by adsorption to a C-18 silica column. Unlike those cyclic glucans previously isolated from Rhizobium meliloti or Bradyrhizobium japonicum, this molecule contains neither phosphoglycerol nor phosphocholine substituents, respectively. 2D NMR, FAB mass spectrometric analysis and high-performance anion exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection (HPAEC-PAD) confirmed that this glucan is a single, cyclic decasaccharide (cyclolaminarinose) in which one of the residues is substituted in its 6-position with beta-laminarabiose. This structural assignment was confirmed by mass spectral and NMR analyses of the product obtained from two consecutive Smith degradations. Unlike the complex 13C spectrum of the unoxidized material, the spectrum of this product consisted of only six resonances due to rapid time averaging of its symmetrical structure on the relatively slow NMR timescale. Synthesis of this newly described cyclic beta-glucan in the R. meliloti ndvB mutant restored the symbiotic and hypoosmotic adaptation characteristics of the R. meliloti wild type strain.

Preparation, isolation, and characterization of cutin monomers and oligomers from tomato peels.

Cutin in tomato peels was depolymerized in methanolic base to yield cutin monomers or a mixture of cutin oligomers. These products were isolated by typical solvent extraction methods or by precipitation, and the isolates were characterized by chromatographic and spectroscopic analyses. It was determined that the compositions of the isolates from both isolation procedures were similar, although solvent extraction gave higher yields. However, the precipitation method, which is easy to carry out and avoids the use of undesirable organic solvents, may be preferable in commercial processes for recovering these compounds.

Effects of bis homoallylic and homoallylic hydroxyl substitution on the olefinic 13C resonance shifts in fatty acid methyl esters.

Substitution of a hydroxyl group at the bis homoallylic position (OH group located three carbons away from the olefinic carbon) in C18 unsaturated fatty acid esters (FAE) induces a 0.73 +/- 0.05 ppm upfield and a 0.73 +/- 0.06 ppm downfield shift on the delta and epsilon olefinic 13C resonances relative to the unsubstituted FAE, respectively. If the hydroxyl group is located on the carboxyl side of the double bond of the bis homoallylic hydroxy fatty acid esters (BHAHFA), the olefinic resonances are uniformly shifted apart by [formula: see text] where delta delta dbu represents the absolute value of the double bond resonance separation in the unsubstituted FAE and 1.46 ppm is the sum of the absolute values of the delta and epsilon shift parameters. With hydroxyl substitution on the terminal methyl side of the double bond, the olefinic shift separation is equal to [formula: see text] In homoallylic (OH group located two carbons away from the olefinic carbon) substituted FAE the gamma and delta induced hydroxyl shifts for the cis double bond resonances are +3.08 and -4.63 ppm, respectively while the trans double bond parameters are +4.06 and -4.18 ppm, respectively. The double bond resonance separation in homoallylic hydroxy fatty acid esters (HAHFA) can be calculated from the formula [formula: see text] for cis and [formula: see text] for the trans case when the OH substitution is on the carboxyl side of the double bond. Conversely, when the OH resides on the terminal methyl side, the double bond shift separations for cis and trans isomers are [formula: see text] and [formula: see text] respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Structure of an acidic exopolysaccharide of Pseudomonas marginalis HT041B.

The exopolysaccharide of Pseudomonas marginalis HT041B has been characterized as a 1,3-linked galactoglucan in which galactose and glucose are in the alpha- and beta-anomeric configurations, respectively. The polysaccharide is substituted with pyruvate at the 4 and 6 positions of galactose and with succinic acid at either the 2 or 4 position of glucose. This polysaccharide has been given the trivial name marginalan.

Auxin production by plant-pathogenic pseudomonads and xanthomonads.

Pathogenic strains of Xanthomonas campestris pv. glycines which cause hypertrophy of leaf cells of susceptible soybean cultivars and nonpathogenic strains which do not cause hypertrophy were compared for their ability to produce indole compounds, including the plant hormone indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) in liquid media with or without supplementation with l-tryptophan. Several additional strains of plant-pathogenic xanthomonads and pseudomonads were also tested for IAA production to determine whether in vitro production of IAA is related to the ability to induce hypertrophic growth of host tissues. Indoles present in culture filtrates were identified by thin-layer chromatography, high-performance liquid chromatography, UV spectroscopy, mass spectroscopy, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and were quantitated by high-performance liquid chromatography. All strains examined produced IAA when liquid media were supplemented with l-tryptophan. The highest levels of IAA were found in culture filtrates from the common bean pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae, and this was the only bacterium tested which produced IAA without addition of tryptophan to the medium. Additional indoles identified in culture filtrates of the various strains included indole-3-lactic acid, indole-3-aldehyde, indole-3-acetamide, and N-acetyltryptophan. Pseudomonads and xanthomonads could be distinguished by the presence of N-acetyltryptophan, which was found only in xanthomonad culture filtrates.

Characterization of exopolysaccharides produced by plant-associated fluorescent pseudomonads.

A total of 214 strains of plant-associated fluorescent pseudomonads were screened for the ability to produce the acidic exopolysaccharide (EPS) alginate on various solid media. The fluorescent pseudomonads studied were saprophytic, saprophytic with known biocontrol potential, or plant pathogenic. Approximately 10% of these strains exhibited mucoid growth under the conditions used. The EPSs produced by 20 strains were isolated, purified, and characterized. Of the 20 strains examined, 6 produced acetylated alginate as an acidic EPS. These strains included a Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain reported to cause a dry rot of onion, a strain of P. viridiflava with soft-rotting ability, and four strains of P. fluorescens. However, 12 strains of P. fluorescens produced a novel acidic EPS (marginalan) composed of glucose and galactose (1:1 molar ratio) substituted with pyruvate and succinate. Three of these strains were soft-rotting agents. Two additional soft-rotting strains of P. fluorescens produced a third acidic novel EPS composed of rhamnose, mannose, and glucose (1:1:1 molar ratio) substituted with pyruvate and acetate. When sucrose was present as the primary carbon source, certain strains produced the neutral polymer levan (a fructan) rather than an acidic EPS. Levan was produced by most strains capable of synthesizing alginate or the novel acidic EPS containing rhamnose, mannose, and glucose but not by strains capable of marginalan production. It is now evident that the group of bacteria belonging to the fluorescent pseudomonads is capable of elaborating a diverse array of acidic EPSs rather than solely alginate.

Synergistic interaction between potato glycoalkaloidsα-solanine andα-chaconine in relation to destabilization of cell membranes: Ecological implications.

In studies of the lysis of rabbit erythrocytes, red beet cells, andPenicillium notatum protoplasts by the potato glycoalkaloids α-solanine and α-chaconine, the latter was consistently the more membrane-disruptive compound and erythrocytes the more susceptible cell type. A 1∶1 mixture of solanine and chaconine produced pronounced synergistic effects in all three test systems. In beet cells, such effects were apparent from an early stage of treatment and persisted over a period of several hours. With erythrocytes and fungal protoplasts, the synergism was maximal with mixtures containing approximately 70% chaconine, whereas with beet cells it peaked at approximately 40% chaconine. Synergistic interactions between solanine and chaconine also occurred with regard to cholesterol binding in vitro, with a maximum response corresponding to the 50% mixture. The implications of these findings for the nature and efficacy of chemical defense systems in plants are discussed.