A newly discovered cholesteryl galactoside from Borrelia burgdorferi

G Ben-Menachem, J Kubler-Kielb… - Proceedings of the …, 2003 - National Acad Sciences
G Ben-Menachem, J Kubler-Kielb, B Coxon, A Yergey, R Schneerson
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2003National Acad Sciences
Two major glycolipids, which comprise≈ 36% of the total lipid mass from Borrelia
burgdorferi, the etiological agent of Lyme disease, were investigated. We determined the
fatty acid type, sugar identity, anomeric configuration, and substituent type and position. The
structures were identified as cholesteryl 6-O-acyl-β-d-galactopyranoside (B. burgdorferi
glycolipid 1, BbGL-I), and 1, 2-di-O-acyl-3-O-α-d-galactopyranosyl-sn-glycerol (BbGL-II). The
major fatty acids were palmitate and oleate. The structures were corroborated by gas–liquid …
Two major glycolipids, which comprise ≈36% of the total lipid mass from Borrelia burgdorferi, the etiological agent of Lyme disease, were investigated. We determined the fatty acid type, sugar identity, anomeric configuration, and substituent type and position. The structures were identified as cholesteryl 6-O-acyl-β-d-galactopyranoside (B. burgdorferi glycolipid 1, BbGL-I), and 1,2-di-O-acyl-3-O-α-d-galactopyranosyl-sn-glycerol (BbGL-II). The major fatty acids were palmitate and oleate. The structures were corroborated by gas–liquid chromatography MS, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight spectroscopy, fast atom bombardment MS, detailed NMR spectrometry, and metabolic labeling. This is a previously undescribed demonstration of a cholesteryl galactoside in bacteria. Lipopolysaccharide was not detected in B. burgdorferi. The two glycolipids have several properties suggesting they may function as lipopolysaccharide: both are main components of the bacterial membrane, surface exposed, and have a three-domain structure. BbGL-I elicited specific antibodies in mice and rabbits, and BbGL-II elicited antibodies that reacted with both glycolipids.
National Acad Sciences