Lipopolysaccharides are amphiphilic molecules indispensable for viability and survival of Gram-negative bacteria, as they heavily contribute to the structural integrity of their outer membrane (OM) and to the protection of the bacterial cell envelope (Di Lorenzo et al. 2015). The highly ordered structure and low fluidity of the LPS layer, stabilized by electrostatic interactions between divalent cations (as Ca2+ and Mg2+) and negatively charged groups present on LPS molecules, are responsible for the increase of permeability to hydrophobic compounds and to higher molecular weight hydrophilic compounds but also for Gram-negative superior resistance to external stress factors. Indeed, only certain antibiotics directed against Gram-negative bacteria, such as polymyxin B, are able to destabilize abovementioned ionic interactions leading to the disruption of membrane integrity. In addition, since they are exposed toward the external environment, LPS molecules participate in crucial...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
References
De Castro C, Parrilli M, Holst O, Molinaro A (2010) Microbe-associated molecular patterns in innate immunity: extraction and chemical analysis of gram-negative bacterial lipopolysaccharides. Methods Enzymol 480:89–115
De Castro C, Lanzetta R, Holst O, Parrilli M, Molinaro A (2012) Bacterial lipopolysaccharides in plant and mammalian innate immunity. Prot Pept Lett 19:1040–1044
Di Lorenzo F, Silipo A, Lanzetta R, Parrilli M, Molinaro A (2015) Bacterial lipopolysaccharides: an overview of their structure, biosynthesis and immunological activity. In: Cipolla L (ed) Carbohydrates chemistry: state-of-the art and challenges for drug development. Imperial College Press, London, pp 57–89
Molinaro A, Holst O, Di Lorenzo F, Callaghan M, Nurisso A, D’Errico G, Zamyatina A, Peri F, Berisio R, Jerala R, Jiménez-Barbero J, Silipo A, Martín-Santamaría S (2015) Chemistry of lipid A: at the heart of innate immunity. Chem Eur J 21:500–519
Silipo A, Erbs G, Shinya T, Dow JM, Parrilli M, Lanzetta R, Shibuya N, Newman M-A, Molinaro A (2010) Glyco-conjugates as elicitors or suppressors of plant innate immunity. Glycobiology 20:406–419
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Section Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 European Biophysical Societies' Association (EBSA)
About this entry
Cite this entry
Molinaro, A., De Castro, C., Parrilli, M. (2018). Bacterial Lipopolysaccharide, OPS, and Lipid A. In: Roberts, G., Watts, A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Biophysics. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-35943-9_78-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-35943-9_78-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-35943-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-35943-9
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Biomedicine and Life SciencesReference Module Biomedical and Life Sciences