Extraction, distribution and biodegradation of bacterial lipopolysaccharides in estuarine sediments

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Abstract
Lipopolysaccharides (LPS), added as whole bacteria to estuarine sediments, were extracted efficiently by both trichloroacetic acid (TCA) and phenol-water (PW). Amounts of recovered LPS were measured indirectly by analyses for ketodeoxyoctonate (KDO), β-hydroxymyristic acid, immunodominant sugars and anticomplementary (AC) activity towards human complement. TCA was judged to be better than PW for routine extraction of sediments because, although it yielded 10–20% less LPS, it avoided contamination with non-LPS, high-molecular weight material with high AC activity. In sediment samples taken as cores from estuarine beaches, the concentration of endogenous LPS diminished rapidly with depth below the topmost 1 cm. KDO disappeared more rapidly with depth than AC activity. When known LPS was incubated with estuarine beach mud at 20–22°C for 3 weeks there was extensive biodegradation of both the lipid and polysaccharide components, the latter more rapidly. LPS-degrading bacteria were isolated.

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