Structure of a peptidoglycan-related polysaccharide from Providencia alcalifaciens O45

A polysaccharide was isolated from the opportunistic human pathogen Providencia alcalifaciens O45:H26 by extraction with aqueous phenol and studied by sugar and methylation analyses along with (1)H and (13)C NMR spectroscopy, including two-dimensional ROESY and H-detected (1)H,(13)C HSQC experiments. The polysaccharide contains N-acetylglucosamine and N-acetylmuramic acid (D-GlcpNAc3Rlac) amidated with L-alanine and has the following structure: →4)-β-D-GlcpNAc-(1→4)-β-D-GlcpNAc3(Rlac-L-Ala)-(1→. The polysaccharide possesses a remarkable structural similarity to the bacterial cell wall peptidoglycan. It is not unique to the strain studied but is common to strains of at least four P. alcalifaciens O-serogroups (O3, O24, O38, and O45). No evidence was obtained that the polysaccharide is associated with the LPS, and hence it might represent a bacterial capsule component.