title: The structure of the cell wall of Staphylococcus aureus studied with neutron scattering and magnetic birefringence.
abstract: The cell wall complex was extracted from Staphylococcus aureus and characterized in suspension by means of small-angle neutron scattering and magnetically induced birefringence. The neutron scattering measurements show that the complex has a thickness of approximately 420 A, a mass per unit area of 93 +/- 11 daltons/A2 and is approximately 75% water by volume. The neutron scattering density is higher near the surface than in the interior in accordance with a trilamellar structure. The magnetically induced birefringence measurements demonstrate that a high degree of magnetic orientation is possible due to the anisotropic nature of the wall complex structure.
mesh_terms: D002473:Cell Wall / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008280:Magnetics; D009502:Neutrons; D012542:Scattering, Radiation; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000648:ultrastructure*