The intracellular teichoic acid from Staphylococcus aureus H

Abstract

The intracellular teichoic acid from a ribosomal fraction of S. aureus His a glycerol-l,3-phosphate polymer with D-alanine ester residues at position- 2 on most of the glycerol units and a small number of sugar residues attached glycosidically to glycerol. All of the glucose occurs as genitiobiosyl [[beta]-D-glucopyranosyl-(1[forward arrow]6)-O-D-glucopyranosyl]re-sidues attached in [beta]-glycosidic linkage to position-2 in glycerol. 2-O-[beta]-Gentiobiosylglycerol has been isolated from an alkaline hydrolysate. A small amount of N-acylglucosamine is attached to glycerol at position-2. Whether gentiobiosyl and acylglucosaminyl residues occur in a single polymer or the preparations contain 2 or more chemically different teichoic-acids is not known.