Similarity of "core" structures in two different glycans of tyrosine-linked eubacterial S-layer glycoproteins

Previously, the repeating-unit structure of the S-layer glycoprotein from the eubacterium Bacillus alvei CCM 2051 has been determined to be [-->3)-beta-D-Galp-(1-->4)-[alpha-D-Glcp-(1-->6)-]-beta-D-ManpNAc- (1-->]n (E. Altman, J.-R. Brisson, P. Messner, and U. B. Sleytr, Biochem. Cell Biol. 69:72-78, 1991). Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic reexamination of this glycan reveals that the O-antigen-like domain of the polysaccharide is [see text] connected with the S-layer polypeptide through the "core" structure -->3)-alpha-L-Rhap-(1-->3)-alpha-L-Rhap-(1-->3)-alpha-L-R hap-(1-->3)-beta-D-Galp-(1-->O)-Tyr. Except for the substitution in position 4 of the nonreducing rhamnose with the modified glyceric acid phosphate residue GroA-2-->OPO2-->4-beta-D-ManpNAc-(1-->, this core is identical to the core of the tyrosine-linked glycan from the S-layer glycoprotein of Thermoanaerobacter thermohydrosulfuricus L111-69 (K. Bock, J. Schuster-Kolbe, E. Altman, G. Allmaier, B. Stahl, R. Christian, U. B. Sleytr, and P. Messner, J. Biol. Chem. 269:7137-7144, 1994).