Serotype-specific immunity

An interesting alternative to NMR investigations for the assignment of the configuration of the cyclic acetal of pyruvated polysaccharides uses quantitative inhibition of specific immune precipitation techniques [25]. Thus, synthetic (R) and (S) 4,6-pyruvated methyl galactosides were applied as inhibitors for the precipitation reaction of Klebsiella polysaccharides with the respective antisera. The (R) isomer was revealed to be a potent inhibitor, and thus proved the K. serotype Kll and K21 polysaccharides to contain 4,6-0-[(R)-l-carboxy-ethylidene]-galactopyranosyl residues. 

K. Amano, T. Nishihara, N. Shibuya, T. Noguchi, and T. Koga, Immunochemical and structural characterization of a serotype-specific polysaccharide antigen from Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans Y4 (serotype b), Infect. Immun., 57 (1989) 2942-2946. 

De Castro, C., Kenyon, J., Cunneen, M.M., Reeves, P.R., Molinaro, A., Holst, O., Skumik, M. Genetic characterization and structural analysis of the O-specific polysaccharide of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis serotype 0 1c. Innate Immun In press (2010). 

Avery and Goebel applied this concept to cellobiouronic acid [70], and also to the Sp serotype 3 CPS. Both conjugates to horse semm globuhn were able to induce polysaccharide specific antibodies and remarkably they conferred immunity to challenge by live Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 3. 

McNeil, M., A.Y. Tsang, and P.J. Brennan Structure and Antigenicity of the Specific Oligosaccharide Hapten from the Glycopeptidolipid Antigen of Mycobacterium avium serotype A, the Dominant Mycobacterium Isolated from Patients with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. J. Biol. Chem. 262, 2630 (1987). 

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