Immuno-electron microscopic localization of lipopolysaccharide antigens on ultrathin sections of Salmonella typhimurium.

Lipopolysaccharide antigens were demonstrated on ultrathin sections of styrene-embedded Salmonella typhimurium by direct postembedding staining with ferritin-labeled antibodies. The antigenicity, partially masked in the embedding process, could be satisfactorily recovered by treatment of ultrathin sections with nonspecific protease. As judged from the reaction site of the ferritin-labeled antibodies, the lipopolysaccharides were localized in two zones. The broader zone of densely distributed ferritin molecules was superimposed over the whole outer cellwall, and a smaller zone revealing antigenicity was found over the cell membrane, which strongly supports the concept that the latter is the site of synthesis of lipopolysaccharides. The well-defined labeled areas between these two antigenic zones may be the routes whereby the synthesized polysaccharide molecules reach the cell wall.