title: Chemical composition and turnover of peptidoglycan in Neisseria gonorrhoeae.
abstract: The peptidoglycan of all four colonial types of a number of strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae constituted 1 to 2% of the dry weight of the cell. The chemical composition of cell types examined was similar with molar ratios of 1:1:2:1:1 for muramic acid, glucosamine, alanine, glutamic acid, and diaminopimelic acid, respectively. Ninety-six percent of the mass of the peptidoglycan was composed of these compounds. A lipoprotein analogous to that observed in Escherichia coli was not detected. The chain length of the glycan varied from 80 to 110 disaccharide units. The peptide contained equimolar amounts of D- and L-alanine. The rate of turnover of peptidoglycan in strain RD5 was 50% per generation. Turnover proceeded without a lag and followed first-order kinetics.
mesh_terms: D000409:Alanine / Q000032:analysis; D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000032:analysis; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000378:metabolism; D003960:Diaminopimelic Acid / Q000032:analysis; D005944:Glucosamine / Q000032:analysis; D005971:Glutamates / Q000032:analysis; D005998:Glycine / Q000032:analysis; D009112:Muramic Acids / Q000032:analysis; D009344:Neisseria gonorrhoeae / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D010457:Peptidoglycan / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D013912:Threonine / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D005971:Glutamates; D009112:Muramic Acids; D010457:Peptidoglycan; D013912:Threonine; D001224:Aspartic Acid; D003960:Diaminopimelic Acid; D005944:Glucosamine; D000409:Alanine; D005998:Glycine