Physical Structure of a Native Protoplasmic Polysaccharide from Escherichia Coli

Abstract

The physical structure of naturally occurring polysaccharides found in protoplasmic extracts of Escherichia coli was investigated. These materials were found to be linear molecules with particle weights averaging 163,000 and diameters and lenghths of about 16 Å and 1300 Å, respectively. The molecules were not composed of micellar arrays of smaller subunit molecules, as has been shown in endotoxins of E. coli. Therefore, basic structural differences between the endotoxin and NPP molecules have been demonstrated.