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J Bacteriol. 1965 September; 90(3): 571-574
Copyright © 1965 American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Immunochemistry of the Group-Specific Polysaccharide of Nocardia brasiliensis

Departamento de Microbiología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, México, D.F., México
Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México, D.F., México

ABSTRACT

ESTRADA-PARRA, SERGIO (Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, México, D.F., México), ABEL ZAMORA, AND L. F. BOJALIL. Immunochemistry of the group-specific polysaccharide of Nocardia brasiliensis. J. Bacteriol. 90:571–574. 1965.—The group-specific polysaccharide of Nocardia brasiliensis was further purified, yielding an amorphous white material with the following characteristics: []^D₂₀ = + 48; nitrogen, 0.5%; phosphorus, 0.1%; and ash as sodium, 0.8%. The polymer is made of D-arabinose and D-galactose in a molar ratio of 3:1, and no other sugars were detected. Mild hydrolysis liberates mainly arabinose. The polysaccharide consumes 3.46 µmoles of periodate per mg of polymer in 15 days at 4 C (this value remains constant after 4 more days). Oxidation results in destruction of two of the arabinose, with the formation of two glycerols after borohydride reduction and hydrolysis. The polysaccharide oxidized by periodate and reduced under mild acid hydrolysis at 20 C yields glycerol and a polymer formed by galactose and arabinose (in a ratio of 1:1) which is resistant to a second oxidation. Therefore, the polysaccharide is probably formed by a main chain of glactose linked 1,3 and arabinose linked 1,2 or 1,3 or both, and nonreducing side chains of arabofuranose residues. The intact polysaccharide cross-reacts with sera from patients with active tuberculosis, and this, as well as the homologous reaction, is abolished by oxidation with periodate.