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• NMR spectroscopy is used to characterize reactivity in bromoacetyl-dPRP. • Reaction with 2-mercapto imidazole provides proton NMR assignments in BrAc-dPRP. • Bromine loss from BrAc-dPRP before conjugation can be monitored using NMR. PedvaxHIB® is a highly purified capsular polysaccharide (polyribosylribitol phosphate or PRP) of Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) that is covalently linked to an outer membrane protein complex (OMPC) of Neisseria meningitidis pediatric vaccine. This Hib protein conjugate vaccine is very effective in protecting infants from invasive gram-negative bacterium Hib. Before conjugation of PRP to OMPC, PRP is first derivatized with butadiamine and bromoacetyl group which reacts with thiolated OMPC. This report describes an NMR method to analyze the reactivity of bromoacetyl group in derivatized PRP (BrAc-derivatized PRP) toward small molecule thiol group, 2-mercapto imidazole (MI) which is used as a surrogate for thiolated OMPC. Reaction with MI helped identify observable amide protons in BrAc-derivatized PRP according to presence or absence of bromine. Furthermore, the new method can be used to monitor the percent of bromoacetylation during manufacturing and potentially a stability indicating assay for loss of bromine in BrAc-derivatized PRP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NMR spectroscopy can be used to characterize bacterial polysaccharides such as that of Streptococcus pneumoniae type 1 which is a component of the 23-valent pneumococcal vaccine in clinical use. This particular polysaccharide gives NMR spectra with wide lines apparently due to restricted molecular mobility and chain flexibility which leads to rapid dipolar T2 relaxation limiting the possibility of detailed spectral analysis. Removal of O-acetyl groups found on approximately two thirds of the repeating subunits of pneumococcal type 1 capsule leads to narrower NMR lines facilitating a complete assignment of the 1H and 13C NMR spectra. Degradation of the polysaccharide by periodate oxidation followed by base treatment leads to an oligosaccharide fragment of approximately three repeating trisaccharide units. This oligosaccharide has narrow NMR lines and 1H and 13C assignments very similar to those of the O-deacetylated polysaccharide. In the native polysaccharide, O-acetyl groups are located on the 2- and 3-positions of the 4-linked galacturonic acid residue providing protection against periodate oxidation. Analysis of NOESY spectra combined with molecular modeling of the oligosaccharide shows that flexibility occurs in certain of the saccharide linkages. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Colonization of implanted medical devices by coagulase-negative staphylococci such as Staphylococcus epidermidis is mediated by the bacterial polysaccharide intercellular adhesin (PIA), a polymer of β-(1→6)-linked glucosamine substituted with N-acetyl and O-succinyl constituents. The icaADBC locus containing the biosynthetic genes for production of PIA has been identified in both S. epidermidis and S. aureus. Whereas it is clear that PIA is a constituent that contributes to the virulence of S. epidermidis, it is less clear what role PIA plays in infection with S. aureus. Recently, identification of a novel polysaccharide antigen from S. aureus termed poly N-succinyl β-(1→6)-glucosamine (PNSG) has been reported. This polymer was composed of the same glycan backbone as PIA but was reported to contain a high proportion of N-succinylation rather than acetylation. We have isolated a glucosamine-containing exopolysaccharide from the constitutive over-producing MN8m strain of S. aureus in order to prepare polysaccharide–protein conjugate vaccines. In this report we demonstrate that MN8m produced a high-molecular-weight (>300,000 Da) polymer of β-(1→6)-linked glucosamine containing 45–60% N-acetyl, and a small amount of O-succinyl (approx 10% mole ratio to monosaccharide units). By detailed NMR analyses of polysaccharide preparations, we show that the previous identification of N-succinyl was an analytical artifact. The exopolysaccharide we have isolated is active in in vitro hemagglutination assays and is immunogenic in mice when coupled to a protein carrier. We therefore conclude that S. aureus strain MN8m produces a polymer that is chemically and biologically closely related to the PIA produced by S. epidermidis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Bile acid binding to sevelamer HCl. Background. Clinical studies have shown sevelamer HCl (Renagel®) to be effective for the reduction of serum phosphate in hemodialysis patients. These studies also consistently have demonstrated a significant reduction of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol following treatment with sevelamer. Methods. Equilibrium binding of bile acids and oleic acid was determined by incubating sevelamer with ligand containing buffer. Aliquots of the solution were filtered and the free ligand concentrations quantitated by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). Flow kinetics were determined using a cylindrical flow cell containing trapped sevelamer. Bile acid and oleic acid were pumped through the stirred cell in a manner designed to mimic the in vivo situation. Binding was monitored by HPLC. Results. Sevelamer binds bile acids cooperatively and with high capacity. At low binding densities, the presence of the more hydrophobic bile acids enhances the binding of the less hydrophobic bile acids, and the presence of oleic acid enhances the binding of all bile acids. At saturating oleic acid concentrations, the bile acid binding capacity of sevelamer is reduced by only a factor of two. Moreover, the presence of oleic acid dramatically diminishes the release rate of bile acids from sevelamer. Conclusions. The favorable bile acid binding characteristics of sevelamer provide a compelling explanation for its ability to lower LDL cholesterol in hemodialysis patients and in healthy volunteers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]