The structure of the extracellular teichoic acids from the allergy-protective bacterium Lactococcus lactis G121

The Gram-positive bacterium Lactococcus lactis G121 is a farm isolate that protects mice from ovalbumin-induced asthma. To understand the molecular mechanisms of such allergy-protective properties, the isolation and characterization of cell envelope constituents is crucial. Here, structural analyses of the extracellular teichoic acid (EC TA) from L. lactis G121 are presented. Extraction with 0.9% saline afforded a crude TA fraction. Consecutive size exclusion chromatography on Biogel P60 and P10 matrix was performed to purify the sample. Chemical component analyses, high-resolution electrospray ionization Fourier-transformed ion cyclotron mass spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy were conducted for structural elucidation. The EC TA was a poly(glycosylglycerol phosphate) molecule with a repeating unit of -6)-[β-D-Glcp-(1→3)-][α-D-GlcpNAc-(1→4)-]α-D-GalpNAc-(1→3)-β-D-GlcpNAc-(1→2)-glycerol-(1-P-).