Teichoic acids: antigenic determinants, chain separation, and their location in the cell wall.

Abstract

Purified [Streptococcus faecalis] teichoic acids were rendered immunogenic and their antigenically active groups were determined and found to be the sugar substituents of the polymer backbone. Rabbit antisera with known specificities made it possible to establish the fact that teichoic acids were probably mixtures of completely glycosylated and completely ungly cosylated chains. Partially glycosylated polymers were not detected. Polymers similar to teichoic acids containing more than one type of sugar were also mixtures of homogeneous polymers, each molecule carrying only one type of sugar. Polymers in the cell wall were found to be available to their antibodies to different degrees. This is thought to reflect their relative depth of location in the cell wall.