The 6-O-Methylglucose-containing Lipopolysaccharide of Mycobacterium phlei

The 6-O-methylglucose-containing lipopolysaccharide from Mycobacterium phlei has been resolved into four components. These differ from each other in total charge owing to the presence of 0, 1, 2, or 3 monoesterified succinate residues. In addition, each component contains four other acyl groups. These have been identified as acetate, propionate, isobutyrate, and octanoate. Preliminary evidence suggests that they are present in the molar ratios of 3:1:1:1. The same lipopolysaccharides have been isolated from Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Ra and Mycobacterium smegmatis. However, M. tuberculosis (Lederle) yielded a single form of the lipopolysaccharide, which contained only one acyl group, octanoate. The possibility exists that this latter finding is an artifact, resulting from the method of preparation.