Lipoarabinomannan and lipid-free arabinomannan antigens of Mycobacterium paratuberculosis.

Lipoarabinomannan (LAM) and lipid-free arabinomannan (AM) were prepared from Mycobacterium paratuberculosis. Purification of LAM was done by ultracentrifugation of the phenol-water-extracted crude polysaccharide, followed by affinity and anion exchange chromatography. AM was purified from the supernatant of the ultracentrifuged polysaccharide or from alkaline-extracted material by gel filtration and anion exchange chromatography. Chemical analysis revealed arabinose and mannose in LAM (1.4:1) and AM (3.5:1) and the presence of palmitic, stearic, and tuberculostearic acids for a total of 7.8% lipid in LAM. Traces of phosphorus were found in the AMs, particularly LAM (0.05%). Nuclear magnetic resonance confirmed the presence of alpha-arabinosyl residues and the acylated nature of LAM. LAM exhibited lipid-dependent aggregation, as indicated by a Triton-induced decrease in molecular weight. By using bovine sera, LAM was found to be active in the complement fixation test, whereas AM was inactive and inhibited this activity. Thus, the presence of AM in crude polysaccharide could explain the variable complement fixation results. Triton-dissociated LAM exhibited a precipitin (Cl) in common with that of AM, confirming shared determinants. LAM in its lipid-dependent aggregated form, however, exhibited a second precipitin (C2), which may be due to the disparity in antigen size or a novel epitope. The lipid content of LAM rendered it 100 times more effective for coating plates in the enzyme immunoassay than lipid-free AM.