Structure of O-specific polysaccharide of Oligotropha carboxidovorans OM5 - a wastewater bacterium

Oligotropha carboxidovorans strain OM5 (previously known as Pseudomonas carboxydovorans OM5) is a rod-shaped Gram-negative bacterium isolated from wastewater. This bacterium is able to live in aerobic and, facultatively, in autotrophic conditions. For autotrophic growth, the bacteria can utilize carbon monoxide or hydrogen as a source of energy. The O-specific polysaccharide isolated from O. carboxidovorans OM5 lipopolysaccharide was structurally characterized using chemical analyses, 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy, and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry techniques. The polysaccharide was found to be a homopolymer built up of 3-O-methyl-α-d-mannose residues linked by (1 → 2)-glycosidic bonds. The degree of polymerization of high-molecular-weight polysaccharide was estimated at approximately 35-40 units. The structure of the homopolymer is depicted below: [Formula: see text].