title: Identification of a lipoarabinomannan-like lipoglycan in Corynebacterium matruchotii.
abstract: The oral organism Corynebacterium matruchotii was investigated for the presence of lipoteichoic acid, as this common polyanionic macroamphiphilic component of Gram-positive bacteria has been implicated in phenomena related to calcium binding. Phenol-water extraction followed by a small-scale, hydrophobic-interaction chromatography step yielded carbohydrate-containing preparations that were distinguished from lipoteichoic acid by their low phosphorus content. Subsequently, large-scale phenol-water extracts from each of three strains of C. matruchotii were purified by hydrophobic-interaction chromatography and shown to contain a heterogeneous lipoglycan fraction. The major fatty acids present were the same as for the whole-cell fatty acid profiles but differed in their relative amounts. Qualitative analysis of the lipoglycan fractions revealed similarities of carbohydrate composition with a previously characterized lipoglycan fraction from C. diphtheriae and with the lipoarabinomannan/lipomannans found in the genus Mycobacterium. The carbohydrate composition and the low phosphorus content indicated that lipoteichoic acid was absent from C. matruchotii. The calcium-binding properties of C. matruchotii therefore cannot be attributed to lipoteichoic acid.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Biology, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, U.K.
authors.forename: I C
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Sutcliffe
mesh_terms: D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D002241:Carbohydrates / Q000032:analysis; D002855:Chromatography, Thin Layer; D003352:Corynebacterium / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000382:microbiology; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000032:analysis*; D010636:Phenols; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000032:analysis; D012967:Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate; D013682:Teichoic Acids / Q000032:analysis; D014867:Water
chemical_list: D002241:Carbohydrates; D005227:Fatty Acids; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D010636:Phenols; D013682:Teichoic Acids; C050016:lipoarabinomannan; D014867:Water; D010758:Phosphorus; D012967:Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate; C009900:lipoteichoic acid; D002118:Calcium