* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received April 21, 2009; Revision received November 19, 2009
This review covers data on composition and structure of lipid A, core, and O-polysaccharide of the known lipopolysaccharides from Gram-negative bacteria. The relationship between the structure and biological activity of lipid A is discussed. The data on roles of core and O-polysaccharide in biological activities of lipopolysaccharides are presented. The structural homology of some oligosaccharide sequences of lipopolysaccharides to gangliosides of human cell membranes is considered.
KEY WORDS: lipopolysaccharide (endotoxin), lipooligosaccharide, lipid A, core, O-antigen, gangliosides, cytokinesDOI: 10.1134/S0006297910040012