title: Distribution of teichoic acid in the cell wall of Bacillus subtilis.
abstract: Hydrolysis of the cell wall of Bacillus subtilis 168 by autolysins or lysozyme resulted in the exposure of glucosylated teichoic acid molecules as evidenced by increased precipitation of [14C] concanavalin A. The number of concanavalin A-reactive sites increased significantly after only limited enzymatic digestion of the walls. Quantitative analyses of [14C] concanavalin A-treated wall or wall hydrolysate complexes indicate that approximately one-half of the teichoic acid molecules are surface-exposed, whereas the remainder are probably embedded within the peptidoglycan matrix. Treatment of the cell walls with sodium  dodecyl sulfate or Triton X-100 did not result in new concanavalin A-reactive sites. Partial autolysis diminished the ability of the cell walls to adsorb bacteriophage phi25. Fluorescein-labeled concanavalin A bound intensely over the entire surface of growing B. subtilis 168 cells, suggesting that teichoic acid molecules are located on the total solvent-exposed surface area of the bacteria.
mesh_terms: D000327:Adsorption; D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D001665:Binding Sites; D002458:Cell Fractionation; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D011232:Chemical Precipitation; D003090:Coliphages; D003208:Concanavalin A / Q000378:metabolism; D004267:DNA Viruses; D004798:Enzymes / Q000378:metabolism; D005452:Fluoresceins; D006868:Hydrolysis; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D009113:Muramidase / Q000378:metabolism; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000494:pharmacology; D012967:Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate / Q000494:pharmacology; D013682:Teichoic Acids / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004798:Enzymes; D005452:Fluoresceins; D013682:Teichoic Acids; D003208:Concanavalin A; D012967:Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D009113:Muramidase