Amylooligosaccharides from Mycobacterium smegmatis.

In early stationary phase of growth, Mycobacterium smegmatis cultures accumulate amylooligosaccharides (alpha 1 leads to 4-glucooligosaccharides) up to the undecasaccharide. Although M. smegmatis also makes an acylated polymethylpolysaccharide that is predominantly and alpha 1 leads to 4-glucan, we conclude that these oligosaccharides are precursors of glycogen rather than lopopolysaccharide.