Electrophoretic resolution of microheterogeneity in Vibrio cholerae lipopolysaccharide

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Vibrio cholerae has been analysed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Under normal conditions of electrophoresis which resolve Escherichia coli LPS, V. cholerae LPS shows two diffuse and unresolved bands. However, on long gels at low concentration it can be resolved into two major band types. There are at least 10 slow moving, discrete bands of regular periodicity and three fast moving bands. Comparison with LPS from E. coli indicates that the heterogeneity occurs over a much smaller range of molecular weight in V. cholerae LPS, with the entire spectrum of discrete bands being contained within the space of four E. coli repeating units.