A unique tetrasaccharide-containing anchor glycolipid of lipoteichoic acid is commonly found in Lactobacillus gasseri and Lactobacillus paragasseri.

Lipoteichoic acid (LTA) is a cell surface molecule with physiologically important roles in Gram-positive bacteria. Previously, we identified a novel tetrasaccharide-containing anchor glycolipid in the Lactobacillus gasseri JCM 1131T LTA. However, it is unclear whether this tetrasaccharide-containing anchor glycolipid structure is characteristic of JCM 1131T alone or is commonly found in other L. gasseri-related isolates. Lactobacillus paragasseri has been proposed as a new species, separated from the L. gasseri. In the present study, we characterized chemical structures of LTA from two strains of L. gasseri and four strains of L. paragasseri. All six strains shared a polymer comprising repeating units of glycerophosphate with partial D-alanine substitutions, as well as L. gasseri JCM 1131T. Anchor glycolipid structure suggested that all strains shared a tetrasaccharide-containing glyceroglycolipid with two and three acyl groups. Focusing on LTA from L. gasseri and L. paragasseri species, a tetrasaccharide-containing anchor glycolipid is a specific feature.