Structural studies of the O-specific polysaccharide from detergent degrading bacteria Pseudomonas putida TSh-18.

An O-specific polysaccharide was obtained by mild acid degradation of the lipopolysaccharide of bacteria Pseudomonas putida TSh-18, capable of degrading non-ionogenic technical detergents. The polysaccharide was found to contain a rarely occurring sugar derivative 4,6-dideoxy-4-[(R)-3-hydroxybutanoylamino]-d-galactose [d-Fucp4N(RHb)]. Sugar and methylation analyses, Smith degradation, solvolysis with CF3 CO2 H, and 1 H and 13 C NMR spectroscopy enabled elucidation of the following structure of the branched trisaccharide repeating units of the polysaccharide.