Lipopolysaccharide structure influences the macrophage response via CD14-independent and CD14-dependent pathways.

CD14, a protein expressed on the surface of monocytes and neutrophils, is a major receptor for lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Studies with normal and CD14-deficient macrophages show that responses to low concentrations of LPS require expression of CD14, whereas responses to high concentrations of LPS are CD14-independent. Since LPS isolated from different bacterial species shows structural variability, studies were performed to determine whether differences in LPS structure influence CD14-dependent and CD14-independent responses. Studies with LPS purified from Escherichia coli, Salmonella abortus subspecies equi, Salmonella minnesota, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Neisseria meningitidis, Bacteroides fragilis, and Rhodobacter sphaeroides show that the strongest CD14-dependent responses require a typical O-antigen, long carbohydrate chains, at least 6 acyl chains in their lipid A, and 2-phosphorylated Kdo moieties; wild-type LPS lacking a typical O-antigen and containing short carbohydrate chains and 2-phosphorylated Kdo moieties induces the strongest CD14-independent response.