Structural studies on the linkage unit between poly(N-acetylglucosamine 1-phosphate) and peptidoglycan in cell walls of Bacillus pumilus AHU 1650.
Structural studies were carried out on the polymer chains and their linkage regions in two kinds of teichoic acids, poly(N-acetylglucosamine 1-phosphate) [poly(GlcNAc-1-P)] and glycerol teichoic acid, bound to peptidoglycan in the cell walls of Bacillus pumilus AHU 1650. The poly(GlcNAc-1-P)-glycan complex isolated from lysozyme digests of the cell walls contained mannosamine and glycerol as minor components. On the basis of proton NMR spectroscopic data and isolation of N-acetylglucosamine 4-phosphate from acid hydrolysates, the poly(GlcNAc-1-P) was shown to be a polymer in which N-acetylglucosamine 1-phosphate units are joined at C-4 of the glucosamine residues. Mild alkaline hydrolysis of the poly(GlcNAc-1-P)-glycan complex gave a mannosamine-linked glycan fragment and the acidic polymer fraction that contained glycerol residues. Mild acid treatment of the mannosamine-linked glycan fragment gave the linkage disaccharide, ManNAc(beta 1----4)GlcNAc, whereas the acidic polymer fraction was degraded by this treatment into N-acetylglucosamine 4-phosphate and a glycerol-containing fragment characterized as P-(Gro-P)7 (Gro = glycerol). On the other hand, direct mild acid hydrolysis of the complex gave a fragment characterized as P-(Gro-P)7-ManNAc(beta 1----4)GlcNAc. These results lead to a conclusion that in the cell walls the poly(GlcNAc-1-P) chain is attached to peptidoglycan through a linkage unit, (Gro-P)7-ManNAc(beta 1----4)GlcNAc. By means of similar procedures, it was shown that the other cell wall polymer, glycerol teichoic acid, is also attached to peptidoglycan through the same disaccharide, ManNAc(beta 1----4)GlcNAc.
D000117:Acetylglucosamine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000032:analysis; D001407:Bacillus / Q000032:analysis*; D001665:Binding Sites; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000032:analysis*; D055598:Chemical Phenomena; D002621:Chemistry; D004187:Disaccharides / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005944:Glucosamine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D005994:Glycerophosphates / Q000302:isolation & purification; D010457:Peptidoglycan / Q000032:analysis*; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis*; D013682:Teichoic Acids / Q000302:isolation & purification
D004187:Disaccharides; D005994:Glycerophosphates; D010457:Peptidoglycan; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial; D013682:Teichoic Acids; C019049:poly(N-acetylglucosamine 1-phosphate); D005944:Glucosamine; D000117:Acetylglucosamine