Solution conformation and dynamics of the trisaccharide fragments of the O-antigen of Vibrio cholerae O1, serotypes Inaba and Ogawa

The conformational behavior of the trisaccharide fragments of the Ogawa and Inaba Vibrio cholera serotypes has been studied using NMR and molecular dynamics (MD). The obtained results indicate that there are no significant differences in the major conformation and in the extent of motion of the glycosidic torsions of these molecules. The differences in biological activity are probably not due to conformational effects but to van der Waals and/or hydrogen bonding interactions between the antigens and the biological receptor.