Application of Mass Spectrometry to Rapid Analysis of Bacterial Polysaccharides

Bacterial polysaccharides are present at the outer surface of the bacteria and constitute the principal antigens in most pathogenic bacteria. Comprehensive structural studies have been carried out on a number of capsular polysaccharides and lipopolysaccharides using chemical degradation techniques and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. However, these studies require milligram quantities of the purified polysaccharide and are not amenable to microanalysis. Mass spectrometry has proven to be a powerful tool for rapid analysis and structural characterization of bacterial polysaccharides on a microscale, including analysis of bacterial cells directly. Of the many mass spectrometric techniques that have been applied to the analysis of polysaccharides, electrospray ionization\u2013mass spectrometry is probably the most significant one. This chapter discusses the present state of our knowledge concerning the methods of isolation, analysis, and mass spectrometry-based characterization of these important biomolecules.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye