Skip to main content
PMC home page
The Journal of Experimental Medicine logoLink to The Journal of Experimental Medicine
. 1971 Sep 1;134(3):565–576. doi: 10.1084/jem.134.3.565

IMMUNOCHEMISTRY OF THE COMMON ANTIGEN OF ENTEROBACTERIACEAE (KUNIN)

RELATION TO LIPOPOLYSACCHARIDE CORE STRUCTURE

Sten Hammarström 1, Hans Erik Carlsson 1, Peter Perlmann 1, Sigfrid Svensson 1
PMCID: PMC2139096  PMID: 4936563

Abstract

Preparations of E. coli 014 lipopolysaccharide (LPS) contain a common enterobacterial antigen (CA) in large amounts or in an immunogenic form. Chemical analysis revealed, in addition to o-acetyl groups, only those sugars which are present in the basal core structure of the E. coli or Salmonella LPS (e.g., galactose, glucose, glucosamine, heptose, and ketodeoxyoctonate). On treatment with acetic acid (pH 3.2) at 100°C for 1.5 hr, a fragment was liberated which after gel filtration on Sephadex G-50 appeared in the molecular weight range of 2–3 x 103. The fragment inhibited precipitation of alkali-treated E. coli 014 LPS by antibodies to CA from anti-E. coli 014 serum. It also inhibited hemagglutination between anti-CA antibodies and red cells coated with E. coli 08 LPS. Chemical analysis of the fragment indicated that it corresponded to the core region of E. coli 014 LPS. It contained a heptose and ketodeoxyoctonate in addition to glucose and galactose. However the fraction lacked glucosamine. Enterobacterial CA has previously been found to cross-react with colon antigen of ulcerative colitis. These results should provide a chemical basis for further studies of this cross-reactivity.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (631.9 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Aoki S., Merkel M., McCabe W. R. Immunofluorescent demonstration of the common enterobacterial antigen. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1966 Jan;121(1):230–234. doi: 10.3181/00379727-121-30744. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Dröge W., Lehmann V., Lüderitz O., Westphal O. Structural investigations on the 2-keto-3-deoxyoctonate region of lipopolysaccharides. Eur J Biochem. 1970 May 1;14(1):175–184. doi: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1970.tb00276.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Dröge W., Ruschmann E., Lüderitz O., Westphal O. Biochemical studies on lipopolysaccharides of Salmonella R mutants. 4. Phosphate groups linked to heptose units and their absence in some R lipopolysaccharides. Eur J Biochem. 1968 Mar;4(1):134–138. doi: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1968.tb00183.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. KUNIN C. M., BEARD M. V. SEROLOGICAL STUDIES OF O ANTIGENS OF ESCHERICHIA COLI BY MEANS OF THE HEMAGGLUTINATION TEST. J Bacteriol. 1963 Mar;85:541–548. doi: 10.1128/jb.85.3.541-548.1963. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. KUNIN C. M. SEPARATION, CHARACTERIZATION, AND BIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF A COMMON ANTIGEN IN ENTEROBACTERIACEAE. J Exp Med. 1963 Oct 1;118:565–586. doi: 10.1084/jem.118.4.565. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Lagercrantz R., Hammarström S., Perlmann P., Gustafsson B. E. Immunological studies in ulcerative colitis. IV. Origin of autoantibodies. J Exp Med. 1968 Dec 1;128(6):1339–1352. doi: 10.1084/jem.128.6.1339. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Mayer H. D-Mannosaminuronsäure-Baustein des K7-antigens von Escherichia coli. Eur J Biochem. 1969 Mar;8(1):139–145. doi: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1969.tb00506.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Perlmann P., Hammarström S., Lagercrantz R., Campbell D. Autoantibodies to colon in rats and human ulcerative colitis: cross reactivity with Escherichia coli O:14 antigen. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1967 Jul;125(3):975–980. doi: 10.3181/00379727-125-32253. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. SCHIFFMAN G., KABAT E. A., THOMPSON W. IMMUNOCHEMICAL STUDIES ON BLOOD GROUPS. XXX. CLEAVAGE OF A, B, AND H BLOOD-GROUP SUBSTANCES BY ALKALI. Biochemistry. 1964 Jan;3:113–120. doi: 10.1021/bi00889a018. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. SUZUKI T., GORZYNSKI E. A., NETER E. SEPARATION BY ETHANOL OF COMMON AND SOMATIC ANTIGENS OF ENTEROBACTERIACEAE. J Bacteriol. 1964 Nov;88:1240–1243. doi: 10.1128/jb.88.5.1240-1243.1964. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Schmidt G., Jann B., Jann K. Immunochemistry of R lipopolysaccharides of Escherichia coli. Different core regions in the lipopolysaccharides of O group 8. Eur J Biochem. 1969 Oct;10(3):501–510. doi: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1969.tb00717.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. WHANG H. Y., NETER E. Immunological studies of a heterogenetic enterobacterial antigen (Kunin). J Bacteriol. 1962 Dec;84:1245–1250. doi: 10.1128/jb.84.6.1245-1250.1962. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Whang H. Y., Lüderitz O., Westphal O., Neter E. Inhibition by lipoid A of formation of antibodies against common antigen of enterobacteriaceae. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1965 Nov;120(2):371–374. doi: 10.3181/00379727-120-30540. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The Journal of Experimental Medicine are provided here courtesy of The Rockefeller University Press

RESOURCES