Lipid A: Chemical Structure and Biological Activity

• Published in: The Journal of infectious diseases Vol. 128; no. Supplement-1; pp. S17 - S29
• Main Authors: Lüderitz, Otto, Galanos, Chris, Lehmann, Volker, Nurminen, Marjatta, Rietschel, Ernst T., Rosenfelder, Günter, Simon, Markus, Westphal, Otto
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States The University of Chicago Press 01-07-1973; University of Chicago Press
• Subjects: Antibodies; Antibodies, Bacterial; Antibody Specificity; Antigens, Bacterial; Bacteria; Cell Wall; Complement Fixation Tests; Cross Reactions; Diphosphates; Disaccharides; Endotoxins; Escherichia coli; Fatty acids; Glucosamine; Glycolipids; Hydroxy acids; Lipids; Lipopolysaccharides; Lipopolysaccharides - biosynthesis; Lipopolysaccharides - metabolism; Models, Structural; Salmonella; Salmonella - immunology; Session I: Chemistry; Structure-Activity Relationship
• ISSN: 0022-1899; 1537-6613
• DOI: 10.1093/infdis/128.Supplement_1.S17

Further details of the chemical structure of lipid A of Salmonella have been evaluated. It was found that pyrophosphate bridges interlink β-1,6-linked glucosamine disaccharide units, which are esterified by lauric, palmitic, and 3-d-myristoxymyristic acid and which are substituted at the amino groups by 3-d-hydroxymyristic acid. Lipid A is the biologically active component of lipopolysaccharides. Free lipid A, solubilized by complexing with bovine serum albumin, exhibits strong endotoxic activity in a number of biological tests. Lipid A exhibits immunogenic properties when suitably exposed on the bacterial surface. Immunization of rabbits with lipid A leads to the production of specific antibodies to lipid A that are capable of cross-reacting with a large variety of lipopolysaccharides.