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J. Bacteriol., Jan 1996, 175-183, Vol 178, No. 1
D Mack, W Fischer, A Krokotsch, K Leopold, R Hartmann, H Egge and R Laufs
The primary attachment to polymer surfaces followed by accumulation in
multilayered cell clusters leads to biofilm production of Staphylococcus
epidermidis, which is thought to contribute to virulence in
biomaterial-related infections. We purified a specific polysaccharide
antigen of biofilm-producing S. epidermidis 1457 and RP62A, which was
recently shown to have a function in the accumulative phase of biofilm
production by mediating intercellular adhesion (D. Mack, M. Nedelmann, A.
Krokotsch, A. Schwarzkopf, J. Heesemann, and R. Laufs, Infect. Immun.
62:3244-3253, 1994). Following Sephadex G-200 gel filtration, this antigen
was separated by Q-Sepharose chromatography into a major polysaccharide,
polysaccharide I (> 80%), which did not bind to Q-Sepharose, and a minor
polysaccharide, polysaccharide II (< 20%), which was moderately anionic.
As shown by chemical analyses and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy,
polysaccharide I is a linear homoglycan of at least 130 beta-1,6-linked
2-deoxy-2-amino-D- glucopyranosyl residues. On average, 80 to 85% of them
are N acetylated; the rest are non-N-acetylating and positively charged.
Chain cleavage by deamination with HNO2 revealed a more or less random
distribution of the non-N-acetylated glucosaminyl residues, with some
prevalence of glucosaminyl-rich sequences. Cation-exchange chromatography
separated molecular species whose content of non-N- acetylated glucosaminyl
residues varied between 2 and 26%. Polysaccharide II is structurally
related to polysaccharide I but has a lower content of non-N-acetylated
D-glucosaminyl residues and contains phosphate and ester-linked succinate,
rendering it anionic. Enzyme- linked immunosorbent assay inhibition with
various monosaccharides revealed the beta-anomeric form and the acetylated
amino group of the D- glucosaminyl residues as important for reactivity
with the specific antiserum. The unbranched polysaccharide structure favors
long-range contacts and interactions between polysaccharide strands and the
cell wall and/or lectin-like proteins, leading to intercellular adhesion
and biofilm accumulation. The structure of the polysaccharide is, so far,
considered to be unique and, according to its function, is referred to as
S. epidermidis polysaccharide intercellular adhesin (PIA).
Copyright © 1996, American Society for Microbiology
The intercellular adhesin involved in biofilm accumulation of Staphylococcus epidermidis is a linear beta-1,6-linked glucosaminoglycan: purification and structural analysis
Institut fur Medizinische Mikrobiologie und Immunologie, Universitatskrankenhaus Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
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