A new type of serine-containing glycopeptidolipid from Mycobacterium xenopi

An unknown immunogenic glycopeptidolipid, named GPL X-1, was isolated from Mycobacterium xenopi, which is a nontuberculous mycobacterium responsible for pulmonary and disseminated infectious diseases mainly occurring in immunocompromised patients. The glycopeptidolipid was purified until homogeneity, in the native form, by direct phase high performance liquid chromatography. A new route is proposed for the structural elucidation of its unusual lipopeptidic core. The presence of allothreonine (aThr), phenylalanine, and serine in the molecular ratio 1:1:2, respectively, was established by reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography analysis of the phenylthiocarbamyl amino acid derivatives. From the molecular mass (1828 Da) of the native glycopeptidolipid, determined by cesium ion liquid secondary ion mass spectrometry using the amphipathic triethylene glycol monobutyl ether matrix, it was deduced that the tetrapeptide was amidified by a dodecanoic acid. The complete structure, C12-Ser-Ser-Phe-aThr-OCH3, of the lipopeptidic core was established by pyrolysis electron impact-mass spectrometry of the native glycopeptidolipid. To date, this is the first example of a mycobacterial glycopeptidolipid with a C12-tetrapeptidic core containing serine. A novel approach, based on two dimensional 1H,1H correlated spectroscopy analysis of the native and peracetylated GPL X-1, was developed, allowing the structural determination of the monosaccharidic residues with their alkali-labile groups "in situ" on the whole complex molecule. 2-O-Acyl-alpha-L-Rhap, alpha-L-Rhap, 2,4-di-O-acyl-6-deoxy-alpha-L-Glcp, 2,3,4-tri-O-Me-alpha-L-Rhap, and 3-O-Me-6-deoxy-alpha-L-Talp were identified, where Me, Rhap, and Talp are methyl, rhamnopyranosyl, and talopyranosyl, respectively. The latter two were localized at the carbohydrate non-reducing ends, and the C-3's of the remaining monosaccharide residues were found involved in the interglycosidic linkage. The alpha anomeric configurations were inferred from the JC-1,H-1 heteronuclear coupling constants, and the L absolute configurations for all the monosaccharide residues were established by gas chromatography analysis of the trimethylsilyl (+/-)-2-butyl glycosides. Finally, by pyrolysis electron impact mass spectrometry of peracetylated GPL X-1, the following tetrasaccharide appendage structure was proposed: 2,3,4-tri-O-Me-L-Rhap(alpha 1----3)-2-O-lauryl-L-Rhap(alpha 1----3)-L-Rhap- (alpha 1----3)-2,4-di-O-(acetyl,lauryl)-6-deoxy-alpha-L-Glcp. Compared to the oligosaccharidic glycopeptidolipid structures, the particular features of the GPL X-1 tetrasaccharide structure arise from the presence of monosaccharide residues esterified by C12 fatty acids and from the absence of the basal disaccharide core, L-Rhap-(alpha 1----2)-6-deoxy-alpha-L-Talp.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)