Mass spectrometric analysis of lipo-chitin oligosaccharides-Signal molecules mediating the host-specific legume-rhizobium symbiosis

摘要: Lipo-chitin oligosaccharides (LCOs) are novel bacterial glycolipid signal molecules that mediate the species-specific symbiosis between rhizobial bacteria and leguminous plants. Nodulation of legume roots nitrogen-fixation in resulting nodules by Rhizobia is controlled nodulation genes encode LCO biosynthetic enzymes. The length chitin backbone, degree unsaturation fatty acyl chain attached to it, combination different chemical substituents on reducing- nonreducing-terminal residues all contribute species-specificity signal. LCOs bioactive nanomolar subnanomolar concentration range produced as heterogeneous mixtures, making determination their structures a difficult task, most successfully approached application modern mass spectrometric methods with specific treatments aimed at identifying moieties. This review presents an overview these they being used for structural elucidation LCOs, discusses role diversity mediating species-specificity. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Mass Spec Rev 17, 75–95, 1998