S. A. Konnova

Structure of the O-specific polysaccharide of the lipopolysaccharide of Azospirillum brasilense Sp245.

An O-specific polysaccharide was isolated from the lipopolysaccharide of a plant-growth-promoting bacterium Azospirillum brasilense Sp245 and studied by sugar analyses along with one- and two-dimensional 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy, including NOESY. The polysaccharide was found to be a new rhamnan with a pentasaccharide repeating unit having the following structure:-->2)-beta-D-Rhap-(1-->3)-alpha-D-Rhap-(1-->3)-alpha-D-Rhap-(1-->2)-alpha-D-Rhap-(1-->2)-alpha-D-Rhap-(1-->

Involvement of the Lipopolysaccharides of Azospirilla in the Interaction with Wheat Seedling Roots

The present study was undertaken to comparatively investigate the attachment capacities of Azospirillum brasilenseSp245 and its lipopolysaccharide-defective Omegon-Km mutants KM018 and KM252, as well as their activities with respect to the alteration of the morphology of wheat seedling root hairs. The adsorption dynamics of the parent Sp245 and mutant KM252 strains of azospirilla on the seedling roots of the soft spring wheat cv. Saratovskaya 29 were similar; however, the attachment capacity of the mutant KM252 was lower than that of the parent strain throughout the incubation period (15 min to 48 h). The mutation led to a considerable decrease in the hydrophobicity of the Azospirillumcell surface. The lipopolysaccharides extracted from the outer membrane of A. brasilenseSp245 and mutant cells with hot phenol and purified by chromatographic methods were found to induce the deformation of the wheat seedling root hairs, the lipopolysaccharide of the parent strain being the most active in this respect. The role of the carbohydrate moiety of lipopolysaccharides in the interaction of Azospirillumcells with plants is discussed.

Structural analysis of the O-polysaccharide from the lipopolysaccharide of Azospirillum brasilense S17

A mixture of two structurally distinct neutral O-polysaccharides was obtained by mild acid degradation of the lipopolysaccharide isolated by the phenol/water extraction from the asymbiotic diazotrophic rhizobacterium Azospirillum brasilense S17. The following structures of the O-polysaccharides were established by composition and methylation analyses, Smith degradation, and 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy, including a 2D NOESY experiment: [Formula: see text] where L-Rha2Me stands for 2-O-methyl-L-rhamnose and SHb for the (S)-3-hydroxybutanoyl group. The occurrence of two distinct polysaccharides is reported for the first time in Azospirillum spp.

Chemical and serological studies of liposaccharides of bacteria of the genus Azospirillum

The analysis of the lipopolysaccharides (LPS) of nine strains of azospirilla revealed the presence of the characteristic components of these glycopolymers: carbohydrates, hydroxylated fatty acids, and 2-keto-3-deoxyoctonic acid (KDO). SDS electrophoresis revealed the heterogeneous nature and the strains differences in the ratio of the molecular S and R forms present in the LPS. Polyclonal rabbit antibodies (Ab) were obtained against the isolated LPSCd, LPSSp59b, LPSSp7, LPSS17, and LPSKBC1 preparations. Based on the results of the serological studies of the LPS, the bacterial strains investigated in the work were divided into two main serogroups. Based on the immunoblotting data, AbSp59b and AbCd were found to be formed in response to both the S and R forms of the LPS molecules, whereas all the rest formed in response to the S forms only. It was shown that the heterogeneity of the antigenic determinants is typical of the second LPS group. It was suggested that rhamnose plays one of the key roles in the specific interactions between the azospirillum membrane LPS and Ab.

Protective role of the polysaccharide-containing capsular components of Azospirillum brasilense

The involvement of the carbohydrate components of the Azospirillum brasilenseSp245 capsules in bacterial protection from the action of extreme factors was investigated. The survival of encapsulated and non-encapsulated azospirilla exposed to elevated (46–48°C) and below-freezing (–20 and –70°C) temperatures, extreme pH values (2 and 10), and to drying was studied. High-molecular-weight carbohydrate-containing complexes (lipopolysaccharide–protein complex and polysaccharide–lipid complex) were isolated from the capsular material of azospirilla. It was shown that the addition of these complexes to the suspension of decapsulated cells before exposing them to extreme factors enhanced their survival rates by 15 to 51%.

Biological Role of Lectins from the Nitrogen-Fixing Paenibacillus polymyxa Strain 1460 During Bacterial–Plant-Root Interactions

Enzyme-lectins LI and LII from Paenibacillus polymyxa 1460, when incubated with the carbohydrate moiety of the wheat-root exocomponent fraction, showed an increase in their proteolytic activity. This increase may be associated with the presence of lectin-specific carbohydrates in the root fraction. The lectins of the nitrogen-fixing paenibacilli enhance cellulose degradation in the plant cell, thus increasing the activity of β-glucosidase in the wheat-root cell wall.

The Role of Cell-Surface Lectins in the Aggregation of Azospirilla

The mutant strain Azospirillum brasilenseSp7.2.3 with impaired lectin activity exhibited poorer cell aggregation than its parent strain A. brasilenseSp7(S) both in the exponential and stationary growth phases. The pretreatment of bacterial cells with the specific haptens (L-fucose and D-galactose) of a lectin located at the cell surface of the mutant strain was found to inhibit the aggregation of azospirilla. The specific binding of the A. brasilenseSp7(S) lectin to the extracellular polysaccharide-containing complexes of this strain was revealed by dot immunoblotting on nitrocellulose membrane filters. The interaction of the lectins of A. brasilense75, A. brasilenseSp7, and A. lipoferum59b with the polysaccharide-containing complexes that were isolated from these strains was not specific. No interstrain cross-interaction between the exopolysaccharides and lectins of azospirilla was found. A coflocculation of A. brasilenseSp7 cells with Bacillus polymyxa1460 cells was shown. The involvement of autogenous lectins in the aggregation of bacterial cells is discussed.

Structural studies of the O-specific polysaccharide(s) from the lipopolysaccharide of Azospirillum brasilense type strain Sp7

Lipopolysaccharide was obtained by phenol-water extraction from dried bacterial cells of Azospirillum brasilense type strain Sp7. Mild acid hydrolysis of the lipopolysaccharide followed by GPC on Sephadex G-50 resulted in a polysaccharide mixture, which was studied by composition and methylation analyses, Smith degradation and (1)H and (13)C NMR spectroscopy. The following polysaccharide structures were established, where italics indicate a non-stoichiometric (∼40%) 2-O-methylation of l-rhamnose.

Structural peculiarities of the O-specific polysaccharides of Azospirillum bacteria of serogroup III

Lipopolysaccharides and O-specific polysaccharides were isolated from the outer membrane of bacterial cells of three strains belonging to two Azospirillum species, and their structures were established by monosaccharide analysis including determination of the absolute configurations, methylation analysis, and one- and two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy. It was shown that while having the identical composition, the O-polysaccharides have different branched tetrasaccharide repeating units. Two neutral polysaccharides were found in the lipopolysaccharide of A. brasilense 54, and the structure for the predominant O-polysaccharide was determined. The structural data, together with results of serological studies, enabled assignment of strains examined to a novel serogroup, III. The chemical basis for the serological relatedness among the azospirilla of this serogroup is presumably the presence of a common →3)-α-L-Rhap-(1→2)-α-L-Rhap-(1→3)-α-L-Rhap-(1→oligosaccharide motif in their O-polysaccharides.

Structural analysis of the O-antigen of the lipopolysaccharide from Azospirillum lipoferum SR65

A neutral O-polysaccharide was obtained by mild acid degradation of the lipopolysaccharide isolated by phenol/water extraction from the asymbiotic diazotrophic rhizobacterium Azospirillum lipoferum SR65. The following structure of the O-polysaccharide was established by composition and methylation analyses, Smith degradation, and (1)H and (13)C NMR spectroscopy, including a 2D ROESY experiment: formula see text.