Temperature-dependent incorporation of 4-amino-l-arabinose in lipid A of distinct Gram-negative bacteria

The presence and the relative amount of 4-amino-L-arabinose in lipopolysaccharides of members of the Enterobacteriaceae family and in a single strain of Chromobacterium violaceum has been studied with regard to growth-temperature dependent variations. Changes in the presence and the amount of 4-amino-L-arabinose (4-AA) were observed in almost all cases, but the variations observed were not consistent among different species. While Salmonella minnesota and Proteus mirabilis showed higher levels of incorporation at higher temperatures, the S- and R-forms of Yersinia enterocolitica showed the opposite effect, i.e. only marginal incorporation by growth at 37°C, in contrast to rather high values by growth at 10°C. Chromobacterium violaceum, however, showed no significant alteration in the 4-amino-L-arabinose content when growth either at 14 or at 37°C. DOC-PAGE pattern of isolated lipopolysaccharides showed characteristic profiles indicating that the O-chain-synthesis of distinct Enterobacteriaceae is also differently influenced by changes in growth temperature.