Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1965 Sep;90(3):571–574. doi: 10.1128/jb.90.3.571-574.1965

Immunochemistry of the Group-Specific Polysaccharide of Nocardia brasiliensis

Sergio Estrada-Parra 1,2, Abel Zamora 1,2, L F Bojalil 1,2
PMCID: PMC315693  PMID: 16562050

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: [α]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.

Full text

PDF
571

Selected References

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

  1. AVIGAD G., AMARAL D., ASENSIO C., HORECKER B. L. The D-galactose oxidase of Polyporus circinatus. J Biol Chem. 1962 Sep;237:2736–2743. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. BISHOP C. T., BLANK F. The chemical composition of the Actinomycetales: isolation of a polysaccharide containing D-arabinose and D-galactose from Nocardia asteroides. Can J Microbiol. 1958 Feb;4(1):35–42. doi: 10.1139/m58-005. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. BOJALIL L. F., ZAMORA A. Precipitin and skin tests in the diagnosis of mycetoma due to Nocardia brasiliensis. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1963 May;113:40–43. doi: 10.3181/00379727-113-28270. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. DYER J. R. Use of periodate oxidations in biochemical analysis. Methods Biochem Anal. 1956;3:111–152. doi: 10.1002/9780470110195.ch5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Markham R. A steam distillation apparatus suitable for micro-Kjeldahl analysis. Biochem J. 1942 Dec;36(10-12):790–791. doi: 10.1042/bj0360790. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. PARK J. T., JOHNSON M. J. A submicrodetermination of glucose. J Biol Chem. 1949 Nov;181(1):149–151. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. ZAMORA A., BOJALIL L. F., BASTARRACHEA F. IMMUNOLOGICALLY ACTIVE POLYSACCHARIDES FROM NOCARDIA ASTEROIDES AND NOCARDIA BRASILIENSIS. J Bacteriol. 1963 Mar;85:549–555. doi: 10.1128/jb.85.3.549-555.1963. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Bacteriology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES