The glycerol teichoic acid from the walls of Staphylococcus albus N.T.C.C. 7944

Abstract

A glycerol teichoic-acid from the walls of Staphylococcus albus-N.T.C.C. 7944 is not associated covalently with mucopeptide. It was isolated from the supernatant after removal of walls by centrifuging at 100,000 g, whereupon it sedimented with ribosomal material. Acid hydrolysis gave galacto-samine or, (under milder conditions), N-acetylgalactosamine, together with glycerol and its mono- and di-phosphates and alanine. The alanine has the D-configuration and is joined to OH groups in glycerol through labile ester linkages. From optical rotation and enzyme studies it is concluded that most of the glycosidic linkages have the [alpha] - configuration, but a small proportion of [beta]-linkages may occur. Several stable phosphodiesters were among the products of alkali hydrolysis. These included the diglycerol triphosphate, isomeric galactosaminyldiglycerol-diphosphates and the galactosaminyl-triglycerol-tetraphosphate. The structure consists of a chain comprising about 18 glycerol phosphate units; approximately every third glycerol bears a N-acetylgalactosaminyl residue.