1. Specificities of blood group substances A, B, and C in the R form bacteria would assumedly be determined by a special arrangement of galactose, combined to N-acetyl-D-galactosamine.
2. The low-grade O(H) specific activity of the heterophile human red cell antigen in the S form
Sh. dysenteriae disappears when this bacterium becomes R form through variation. This fact can be explained by the loss of a particular arrangement of galactose necessary for the manifestation of this activity. The disappearance of high-grade O(H) specific activity, related to the somatic antigen 13 of
Salm. poona, upon variaion from S into R form can be explained by the loss of fucose, which is the determinant group of this activity.
3. F
A specific activity of Forssman antigen, which is found in the S form of
Salm. paratyphi B in association with somatic antigen 5 and the specific activity of A substance, which is found in
Salm. riogrande and
E. freundii B
90 in association with somatic antigen 40, disappear when these bacteria become R forms through variation. This fact can be explained by the loss of a particular arrangement of N-acetyl-D-galactosamine required for the manifestation of this activity.
E. freundii B
124 and B
131, unlike B
90, manifest strong A activities only after variation into their R forms.
4. The partial disappearance, after variation into R form, of the specific activity of B substance, which is found in the S form of
E. coli O
86 in association with somatic antigen 43 of
Salmonella, can be explained by the disappearance of a special arrangement of galactose necessary for the manifestation of this activity.
5. The S form of
E. coli O
127a and of
E. coli O
127a, O
127b not only possess similar O(H) activity, determined by fucose, but also similar sugar composition as that of the S form of
Salm. Poona.
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