The Mycobacterium smegmatis arabinogalactan polysaccharide has been isolated from the cell wall by saponification and extraction to remove lipids and subsequent solubilization by treatment with lysozyme. Analysis for neutral sugars demonstrated the presence of d-arabinose and d-galactose in a ratio of 3:1, respectively. Reductive cleavage of the fully methylated polysaccharide in the presence of triethylsilane and trimethylsilyl trifluoromethanesulfonate and subsequent acetylation in situ gave six partially methylated 1,4-anhydroalditol acetates as the major products and three partially methylated 1,5-anhydroalditol acetates as minor products. Partially methylated 1,5-anhydroalditol acetates were not formed when reductive cleavage was accomplished with triethylsilane and a mixture of trimethylsilyl methanesulfonate and boron trifluoride etherate as the catalyst, demonstrating that the polysaccharide is exclusively comprised of furanosyl residues. The partially methylated anhydroalditols so produced were identified by comparison to authentic standards. Their identities are consistent with the presence in the M. smegmatis arabinogalactan of an octasaccharide repeating unit comprised of a nonreducing terminal d-arabinofuranosyl group, a 2-O-linked d-arabinofuranosyl residue, three 5-O-linked d-arabinofuranosyl residues, a 3,5-di-O-linked d-arabinofuranosyl residue, a 5-O-linked d-galactofuranosyl residue, and a 6-O-linked d-galactofuranosyl residue. © 1990.
