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Biomedical subjects

H Mayer

Publications and source records attributed to H Mayer.

At least 307 records · Page 17Linked to original sources
PubMed1976

The linkage of lysine in the O-specific chains of Proteus mirabilis 1959.

Lipopolysaccharides of qualitatively identical but quantitatively different sugar composition were extracted from Proteus mirabilis strain 1959. The lipopolysaccharide with the higher percentage of typical O-specific constituents was subjected to partial acid hydrolysis. An oligosaccharide B22 was separated by paper chromatography and electrophoresis. It was found to be composed of equimolar amounts of D-galacturonic acid, D-galactosamine and L-lysine. Dinitrophenylation of the oligosaccharide as well as of the genuine lipopolysaccharide afforded xi-dinitrophenyl-L-lysine after acid hydrolysis, showing that lysine was linked to the disaccharide via its alpha-amino group. Further studies including the Morgan-Elson and Elson-Morgan reactions, NaBH4-reduction, hydrazinolysis and periodate oxidation revealed the structure of oligosaccharide B22 as D-galacturonyl-(1 leads to 4)-D-galactosamine with lysine attached to the carboxylic group of galacturonic acid via its alpha-amino group. Judged from its high inhibition capacity this oligosaccharide has to be considered as an essential part of the serological determinant of Proteus mirabilis 1959. The frequent occurrence of lysine and galacturonic acid in Proteus mirabilis O-serogroups and their possible significance for the respective serological specificities are discussed.

ABO Blood-Group System↗
PubMed1976

Strain-related differences in immunosuppressive effects of Enterobacteriaceae and their lipopolysaccharides on production in rabbits of antibody to enterobacterial common antigen.

Certain polysaccharides have been shown to inhibit the antibody response of rabbits to the common enterobacterial antigen (CA). The present investigation revealed that striking differences exist in the immunosuppressive effects of enteric bacteria and their lipolysaccharides (lps), depending upon CA production by the strains. Mixtures of immunogenic strains (Escherichia coli F2378 [R4], E. coli F470 [R1], or Shigella boydii F3140 [R]) and non-immunogenic CA-producing strains, such as E. coli O1, E. coli O113, Salmonella montevideo, and S. minnesota, as well as the R mutants E. coli F614 (R1), E. coli F757 (R1), and S. typhimurium his 642 (Ra), failed to elicit CA antibodies. In contrast, mixtures of the immunogen and CA-negative strains S. typhimurium his 386 (Ra) and S. minnesota P595 (Re) or R555 (Ra) yielded antibodies in titers similar to those elicited by the immunogen alone. Further, LPS of CA-positive but not of CA-negative strains exerted this immunosuppressive effect. Quantitative studies revealed that LPS of S. minnesota in amounts of 100 mug/ml was strongly immunosuppressive, in amounts of 20 mug/ml slightly effective, and in amounts of 4 mug/ml ineffective. It is postulated that hitherto unknown differences exist, either in composition or in configuration, between LPS obtained from different microorganisms to account for the strain-related differences in immunosuppressive effects and, further, that the immunosuppressive LPS interacts with immunogenic CA.

Animals↗
PubMed1976

Role of a lipopolysaccharide gene for immunogenicity of the enterobacterial common antigen.

It is known that only certain strains of the family of Enterobacteriaceae, notably rough (R) mutants with the type R1 or R4 core, evoked antibodies in high titers against the common enterobacterial antigen (CA) after immunization of rabbits with heated cell suspensions. The present investigation deals with genetic and immunochemical aspects of certain R1 and R4 mutants isolated from Escherichia coli 08 and various Shigella serotypes which, unexpectedly, do not induce CA antibody formation. Immunochemical and genetical (transduction and conjugation) experiments revealed that the rough phenotype of these special mutants was evoked by a mutation of pyrE-linked rfa gene, called rfaL, which is involved in translocation of O-specific polysaccharides onto the lipopolysaccharide core. The transduction of the defective rfaL, allele into appropriate rough recipients results in transductants which have simultaneously lost the ability to evoke CA antibodies. This finding suggests that a close connection exists between the function of the rfaL gene and the expression of CA immunogenicity in R1 and R4 mutants. One of the strains synthesized neither O-hapten nor CA, suggesting a mutation in a region equivalent to the rfe genes of Salmonella.

Animals↗
PubMed1976

Presence of rfe genes in Escherichia coli: their participation in biosynthesis of O antigen and enterobacterial common antigen.

In Salmonella, ilv-linked rfe genes participate in the biosynthesis of the enterobacterial common antigen (CA) as well as of certain types of O antigen (serogroups C1 and L). rff genes, probably in the same cluster with rfe, are required for CA synthesis (P.H. Mäkelä et al., in preparation). Several Escherichia coli strains were studied to determine whether they also have rfe-rff genes that are involved in the synthesis of O antigen and CA, or of CA only. In a first approach, E, coli K-12 F-prime factors carrying the genes ilv and argH or argE and presumably rfe-rff genes were introduced into CA-negative Salmonella mutants that are blocked in CA synthesis because of mutated rfe or rff genes. All resulting ilv+ hybrids were CA positive. In recipients with group C1-derived rfb genes, the synthesis of O6,7-specific antigen was also restored. This result shows that E. coli K-12 has rfe and rff genes providing the functions required in the synthesis of CA and Salmonella 6,7-specific polysaccharide. By introduction of defective rfe regions from suitable Salmonella donors into E. coli O8, 09, and O100 strains, the synthesis of CA as well as of the O-specific polysaccharides was blocked. This indicates that in the E. coli strains tested the rfe genes are involved in the synthesis of both O antigen and CA. This suggestion was confirmed by the finding of E. coli rough mutants that had simultaneously become CA negative. In transduction experiments it could be shown that the appearance of the rough and CA- phenotype was due to a defect in the ilv-linked rfe region.

Antigens, Bacterial↗
PubMed1976

Enterobacterial common antigen in rfb deletion mutants of Salmonella typhimurium.

The his-rfb deletion series of Salmonella typhimurium mutants characterized previously by Nikaido et al. was examined for the presence of the enterobacterial common antigen (ECA). All deletions not extending further to the left than the genes for cytidine phosphoabequose synthesis were ECA positive, whereas longer deletions (extending to the genes for thymidine diphosphorhamnose synthesis or further) were ECA negative. When these long-his-rfb deletion strains were studied further, it became clear that they (four out of four studied) had accumulated a second mutation, called rff, close to ilv, which prevented the synthesis of ECA. When rff- was replaced by rff+, the recombinants, now having the his-rfb deletion only, produced traces of ECA, showed reduced viability, increased sensitivity to sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and to a lesser extent, to other anionic detergents, and accumulated secondary "suppressor" mutations upon storage. Such suppressor-containing mutants could be isolated by selecting for resistance to 1% SDS. Thirty of 46 SDS-resistant mutants studied had a second mutation, which alone prevented the synthesis of ECA, close to ilv. This ilv-linked mutation was similar to the rff mutation of the strains studied originally. The new rff mutation was similar to previously described rfe mutations in its close linkage to ilv and association with an ECA-negative phenotype. It differed from rfe, however, by not affecting the synthesis of the O antigens (O-6,7) of group C1. In Salmonella group C1, all ECA genes identified thus far are linked to ilv (rfe and/or rff) and none is linked to rfb.

Antigens, Bacterial↗
PubMed1975

Identification of a 2, 3-diamino-2, 3-dideoxyhexose in the lipid A component of lipopolysaccharides of Rhodopseudomonas viridis and Rhodopseudomonas palustris.

A hitherto unknown amino sugar (Compound A), detected in acid hydrolyzates of lipopolysaccharides of Rhodopseudomonas viridis and Rhodopseudomonas palustris, is present in the Lipid A component but not in the O-specific part of the lipopolysaccharides. 2-Amino-2-deoxy-D-glucose is lacking in the purified Lipid A of both strains. Compound A, characterized by a very high migration in paper electrophoresis was obtained in a pure state by ion-exchange chromatography and shown by m.s. of the alditol acetate to be a 2, 3-diamino-2, 3-dideoxyhexose. G.l.c. and periodate oxidation excluded all possible stereoisomers with the exception of 2, 3-diamino-2, 3-dideoxyglucose and 2, 3-diamino-2, 3-dideoxydose. G.l.c. of the alditol acetates of Compound A and of the glucose derivative suggests that Compound A is 2, 3-diamino-2, 3-dideoxyglucose. The significance of the occurrence of this new aminodeoxy sugar in the Lipid A component of Rhodopseudomonas viridis and Rhodopseudomonas palustris O-antigens for the biological properties of the respective lipopolysaccharides and for the taxonomy of the Rhodospirillaceae family is discussed.

Chromatography, Gas↗
PubMed1975

Lipophilic O-antigens containing D-glycero-D-mannoheptose as the sole neutral sugar in Rhodopseudomonas gelatinosa.

Lipopolysaccharides (LPS, O-antigens) of 12 strains of the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodopseudomonas gelatinosa were obtained by the phenol/chloroform/petroleum ether method, recommended for extracting lipophilic glycolipids of enterobacterial R-mutants. All R. gelatinosa LPS have essentially the same chemical composition. Similar to LPS of Salmonella R-mutants of chemotypes Rd1 and Rd2, the sole neutral sugar constituent is an aldoheptose. The heptose of R. gelatinosa LPS has the D-glycero-D-manno- configuration, in contrast to the L-glycero-D-mannoheptose of enterobacterial LPS. 2-Keto-3-deoxyoctonate forms the acid-labile linkage between the lipid moiety (lipid A) and the oligosaccharide moiety of R. gelatinosa LPS. Like enterobacterial lipid A, lipid A of this species contains phosphate and D-glucosamine as the sole amino sugar. The fatty acid spectrum conprises beta-hydroxycapric, lauric, and myristic acids. Beta-Hydroxymyristic acid, the typical fatty acid of enterobacterial LPS, is lacking. The R. gelatinosa LPS show O-antigenic acitivity; passive hemagglutinations with untreated or heat-treated (not well alkali-treated) LPS and antisera prepared against heat-killed cells yield high titers. According to the serological cross-reactions observed, the LPS of the 12 strains could be arranged into two different serotypes: serotype I comprising strains 29/1, 29/2, 25/2, and serotype II comprising strains 44/K/6, 3/1, IS/10, 39/2, Dr2, 2150, P8P9, K32, P18f3.1. No serological cross-reactions were observed between LPS of these two different serotypes in passive hemagglutinations.

Caprylates↗
PubMed1975

Low-molecular-weight polysaccharide antigens isolated from Rhodopseudomonas gelatinosa.

Strain-specific low-molecular-weight polysaccharides of different chemical compositions were obtained from cells of nine different wild-type strains of the phototrophic bacterium Rhodopseudomonas gelatinosa. The polysaccharides are free of typical capsule components like hexuronic or aminohexuronic acids but contain (except that of strain 39/2) substantial amounts of phosphorus. A number of unusual o-methyl sugars (2-o-methyl-D-galactose, 2,3-di-o-methyl-D-galactose, 2-o-methyl-L-fucose) as well as 3,6-dideoxy-D-xylo-hexose (abequose) were identified in the R. gelatinosa polysaccharides. o-Methyl and dideoxy sugars however, are typical constituents of O-specific chains of the lipopolysaccharides of gram-negative bacteria (Rhodospirillaceae and Enterobacteriaceae, respectively). Considering both the R-type character of the R. gelatinosa lipopolysaccharides and the occurrence of these strain-specific ETEROPOLYSACCHARIDES, THE ASSUMPTION SEEMS TO BE JUSTIFIED THAT THE LOW-MOLECULAR-WEIGHT POLYSACCHARIDES ARE RELATED TO O-specific chains of lipopolysaccharides (haptens) rather than to capsular or slime antigens. In serological terms the polysaccharides of R. gelatinosa have to be classified as K-antigens. They are able to cover the O-specificity of the respective different strains and confer on them additional specificity which is demonstrable by bacterial agglutination.

Cross Reactions↗
PubMed1975

[Heart as mirror of the soul (findings and status)].

It took a period of five thousand years to proceed from the assumption of the heart being the origin of life, and "seat" of soul to today's point of view, that heart function is a mere indicator of psychophysic activation. Both advanced electronic technologies and mathematical procedures had to be developed to be able to separate the informational constituents of the cardiac signals. Even today the problems of specificity concerning the different variances and patterns are not solved at all. Many failures in research derive from overestimation of single values in correlational statistics. There are indications that, on the basis of consequent application of pattern recognition techniques, it would be possible to obtain major progress in the field of psychophysiological covariance research.

Culture↗