COMPARISON OF EXOPOLYSACCHARIDES FROM MUCOID AND NONMUCOID STRAINS OF CLAVIBACTER-MICHIGANENSIS SUBSPECIES SEPEDONICUS

The exopolysaccharides produced by six strains of Clavibacter michiganensis ssp. sepedonicus were isolated and purified by liquid chromatography. Neutral sugar composition and molecular weights were determined for each polysaccharide fraction, using gas chromatography and high-performance size-exclusion chromatography. The serological reaction of each fraction was tested using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Exopolysaccharide from nonmucoid strains contained only low molecular weight polysaccharides (1.5 x 10(3) to 1.1 X 10(4)). Exopolysaccharide from mucoid and intermediate strains could be separated into low (4.0 x 10(3) to 1.1 X 10(4)) Molecular weight and high (5.0 x 10(5) to 1.6 x 10(6)) molecular weight fractions. High molecular weight polysaccharides were composed almost exclusively of galactose, glucose, and fucose. The ratios of these sugars were highly variable among strains. Low molecular weight polysaccharides were primarily composed of galactose with significant and varying amounts of glucose, rhamnose, mannose, and ribose. All polysaccharide fractions except one, produced by a nonmucoid strain, reacted in the immunoassay test.