Structure elucidation of capsular polysaccharides from Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 33C, 33D, and revised...

We report herein the previously unknown structures of the pneumococcal capsular polysaccharides serotype 33C and 33D, and a revised structure of serotype 33B. The syntenic pair 33B/33D has nearly identical polysaccharide repeat units with the exception of one sugar residue (→2-α-Glcp in 33B and →2-α-Galp in 33D). Serotype 33C is structurally more similar to 33B/33D than 33A/33F, in that it also possesses a backbone ribitol-phosphate group and a →3-β-GalpNAc residue, both of which are absent in the repeat units of 33A/33F. Serotype 33C is notably different from all other serogroup 33 polysaccharides, as there is no →3-β-Glcp residue and the location of the O-acetylation of the →5-β-Galf residue (O-6) differs from the other serogroup 33 polysaccharides (O-2). This completes the structural assignments of polysaccharides within serogroup 33 and provides a framework for understanding the recognition of epitopes by serogroup 33 typing sera based on observed cross-reactivities reported in the literature.