Structural elucidation of the sialylated lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) strain 486 has been achieved by the application of high-field NMR techniques and ESI-MS along with composition and linkage analyses on O-deacylated LPS and oligosaccharide samples. It was found that the LPS contains the common element of H. influenzae, L-alpha -D-Hepp-(1-->2)][PEtn-->6]-L-alpha -D-Hepp-(1-->3)-[beta -D-Glcp-( 1-->4)]-L-alpha -D-Hepp-(1-->5)- [PPEtn-->4]-alpha -Kdop- (2-->6)-Lipid A, but instead of glycosyl substitution of the terminal heptose residue (HepIII) at the O2 position observed in other H. influenzae strains, HepIII is chain elongated at the O3 position by either lactose or sialyllactose (i.e. alpha -Neu5Ac(2-->3)-beta -D-Galp-(1-->4)-beta -D-Glcp). The LPS is substituted by an O-acetyl group linked to the O2 position of HepIII and phosphocholine (PCho) which was located at the O6 position of a terminal alpha -D-Glcp, residue attached to the central heptose, a molecular environment different from what has been reported earlier for PCho. In addition, minor substitution by O-linked glycine to the LPS was observed. By investigation of LPS from a lpsA mutant of NTHi strain 486, it was demonstrated that the lpsA gene product also is responsible for chain extension from HepIII in this strain. The involvement of lic1 in expression of PCho was established by investigation of a lic1 mutant of NTHi strain 486.

Structural analysis of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae strain 1003 has been achieved by the application of high-field NMR techniques, ESI-MS. capillary electrophoresis coupled to ESI-MS. composition and linkage analyses on O-deacylated LPS and core oligosaccharide material. It was found that the LPS contains the common structural element of H. influenzae, L-alpha-D-Hepp-(1 --> 2)-[PEtn --> 6]-L-alpha-D-Hepp-(1 --> 3)-[beta-D-Glcp-(1 --> 4)]-L-alpha-D-Hepp-(1 --> 5)-[PP Etn --> 4]-alpha-Kdop-(2 --> 6)-Lipid A. in which the beta-D-Glcp residue is substituted by phosphocholine at O-6 and an acetyl group at O-4. A second acetyl group is located at O-3 of the distal heptose residue (HepIII). HepIII is chain elongated at O-2 by either a beta-D-Glcp residue (major), lactose or sialyllactose (minor, i.e. alpha-Neu5Ac-(2 --> 3)-beta-D-Galp-(1 --> 4)-beta-D-Glcp), where a third minor acetylation site was identified at the glucose residue. Disialylated species were also detected. In addition. a minor substitution of ester-linked glycine at HepIII and Kdo was observed.

Structural analysis of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae strain 981 has been achieved using NMR spectroscopy and ESI-MS on O-deacylated LPS and core oligosaccharide (OS) material as well as by ESI-MSn on permethylated dephosphorylated OS. A heterogeneous glycoform population was identified, resulting from the variable length of the OS branches attached to the glucose residue in the common structural element of H. influenzae LPS, L-alpha-d-Hepp -(1-->2)-[P Etn-->6]-L-alpha-d-Hepp -(1-->3)-[beta-d-Glcxp-(1-->4)]-L-alpha-d-Hepp -(1-->5)-[PP Etn-->4]-alpha-Kdop -(2-->6)-Lipid A. Notably, the O-6 position of the beta-d-Glcp residue was either substituted by P Cho or the disaccharide branch beta-d-Galp-(1-->4)-d-alpha-d-Hepp, while the O-4 position was substituted by the globotetraose unit, beta-d-Galp NAc-(1-->3)-alpha-d-Galp -(1-->4)-beta-d-Galp -(1-->4)-beta-d-Glcp, or sequentially truncated versions thereof. This is the first time a branching sugar residue has been reported in the outer-core region of H. influenzae LPS. Additionally, a P Etn group was identified at O-3 of the distal heptose residue in the inner-core.