Natalia V. Potekhina

Cell wall polymers of Actinomadura carminata INA 4281

The cell walls of Actinomadura carminata INA 4281 were found to contain peptidoglycan, teichoic acid, and nonpeptidoglycan amino acids. The peptidoglycan was of the A1γ type and contained a small amount of ll-DAP in addition to m-DAP. The teichoic acid was an 1,3-poly(glycerol phosphate) chain composed of about eight glycerophosphate units, two of which had a 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-α-d-galactopyranosyl substituent and one, a 3-O-methyl-β-d-galactopyranosyl-(1 → 3)-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-α-d-galactopyranosyl residue at C2 of glycerol. The structure of the polymer was identified by chemical analysis and 13C-NMR spectroscopy. The teichoic acid contained 3-O-methyl-d-galactose (madurose) — the first ever finding of this compound within a teichoic acid. The nonpeptidoglycan amino acids made up some 30% of the cell walls dry weight, about a quarter of the amino acids being removable with sodium dodecyl sulfate. Further treatment of the cell walls with LiCl and guanidine hydrochloride caused only a small loss of the amino acids and slight changes in their molar ratio.

Teichoic, teichulosonic and teichuronic acids in the cell wall of Brevibacterium aurantiacum VKM Ac-2111(Т).

Two different teichoic acids, along with a teichulosonic and a teichuronic acids, were identified in the cell wall of Brevibacterium aurantiacum VKM Ac-2111(Т). One teichoic acid is 1,3-poly(glycerol phosphate) with 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-α-D-galactopyranose and L-glutamic acid as non-stoichiometric substituents at O-2 of the glycerol residue. The second one is a poly(glycosylglycerol phosphate) with -4)-α-D-Galp-(1 → 2)-sn-Gro-(3-P- and/or -6)-α-D-Galp-(1 → 2)-sn-Gro-(3-P- units in the main chain. The structure of the first has not been reported so far, while the latter one is new for actinobacteria. The teichulosonic acid with α-3-deoxy-β-D-glycero-D-galacto-non-2-ulopyranosonic acid (Kdn) and β-D-glucopyranose residues in the backbone represents a novel polymer: → 8)-α-Kdn-(2 → 6)-β-D-Glcp-(1 →. The teichuronic acid has also hitherto unknown structure: → 3)-β-D-Galf(2OAc)0.3-(1 → 3)-β-D-GlcpА-(1 → and is found in members of the genus Brevibacterium for the first time. The polymer structures were elucidated using 1D- and 2D-NMR spectroscopy: (1)H,(1)H COSY, TOCSY, ROESY, (1)H,(13)C HSQC, HSQC-TOCSY, and (1)H,(13)C and (1)H,(31)P HMBC.

New structures and composition of cell wall teichoic acids from Nocardiopsis synnemataformans , Nocardiopsis halotolerans , Nocardiopsis composta and Nocardiopsis metallicus : a chemotaxonomic value

The structures of the cell wall teichoic acids (TA) from some species of the genus Nocardiopsis were established by chemical and NMR spectroscopic methods. The cell walls of Nocardiopsis synnemataformans VKM Ac-2518T and Nocardiopsis halotolerans VKM Ac-2519T both contain two TA with unique structures—poly(polyol phosphate-glycosylpolyol phosphate)—belonging to the type IV TA. In both organisms, the minor TA have identical structures: poly(glycerol phosphate-N-acetyl-β-galactosaminylglycerol phosphate) with the phosphodiester bond between C-3 of glycerol and C-4 of the amino sugar. This structure is found for the first time. The major TA of N. halotolerans has a hitherto unknown structure: poly(glycerol phosphate-N-acetyl-β-galactosaminylglycerol phosphate), the N-acetyl-β-galactosamine being acetalated with pyruvic acid at positions 4 and 6. The major TA of N. synnemataformans is a poly(glycerol phosphate-N-acetyl-β-galactosaminylglycerol phosphate) with the phosphodiester bond between C-3 of glycerol and C-3 of the amino sugar. The cell walls of Nocardiopsis composta VKM Ac-2520 and N. composta VKM Ac-2521T contain only one TA, namely 1,3-poly(glycerol phosphate) partially substituted with N-acetyl-α-glucosamine. The cell wall of Nocardiopsis metallicus VKM Ac-2522T contains two TA. The major TA is 1,5-poly(ribitol phosphate), each ribitol unit carrying a pyruvate ketal group at positions 2 and 4. The structure of the minor TA is the same as that of N. composta. The results presented correlate well with the phylogenetic grouping of strains and confirm the species and strain specific features of cell wall TA in members of the genus Nocardiopsis.