Chemical basis of rough and smooth variation in mycobacteria

Rough and smooth colony variants of Mycobacterium kansasii were compared with respect to surface glycolipid composition. Thin-layer chromatography of the native glycolipid antigens, gas chromatography of the constituent sugars, and in situ probing with an appropriate monoclonal antibody by colony dot blot enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunogold labeling demonstrated that all M. kansasii strains of smooth colony morphology contain on their surfaces the recently described trehalose-containing lipooligosaccharides, whereas all rough variants were devoid of such surface antigens. Yet all strains, rough and smooth, contained another glycolipid, the M. kansasii-specific phenolic glycolipid. Previous studies by others had shown that the rough forms of M. kansasii persist longer than smooth variants in experimentally infected mice. Therefore, this study may provide some insight into the question of the chemical basis of pathogenesis in certain mycobacteria.