Vibrio cholerae lipopolysaccharide (V. cholerae LPS)

Vibrio cholerae lipopolysaccharide is a large, amphiphilic molecule found on the outer membrane surface of the Gram-negative bacterium Vibrio cholerae. LPS is composed of three main structural domains: lipid A (the hydrophobic anchor and toxic component), the core oligosaccharide, and the highly variable O-antigen polysaccharide chain, which determines serogroup specificity. The lipid A component can be modified (for example, by acylation changes) to enhance resistance to cationic antimicrobial peptides such as polymyxin B and to modulate immune detection. Variation in the O-antigen structure underpins the more than 200 serogroups of V. cholerae, with O1 and O139 being the most clinically important, causing epidemic cholera. The LPS molecule is critical for virulence through biofilm formation, intestinal adherence, and immune evasion, and it serves as a major antigen for diagnosis and vaccine development. LPS can also act as a receptor for bacteriophage infection and as an adhesin aiding bacterial colonization. The endotoxic activity of the lipid A portion contributes to the inflammatory response and sepsis risk during severe infections.

Other names

Vibrio cholerae LPSCholera lipopolysaccharideV. cholerae O-antigenVibrio cholerae endotoxin

Disruption of outer membrane by cationic peptides (e.g., polymyxin B binds to lipid A, causing membrane destabilization) Elicitation of host immune response as a pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP)