Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Biochemical Journal logoLink to Biochemical Journal
. 1968 May;107(6):817–821. doi: 10.1042/bj1070817

Non-protein components of the cell surface of Staphylococcus aureus

A M James 1, J E Brewer 1
PMCID: PMC1198753  PMID: 16742607

Abstract

1. pH–mobility curves of various laboratory strains of Staphylococcus aureus are non-sigmoid in shape, and all pass through a maximum value in the range pH4–5. 2. The maxima in the curves are not due to incomplete washing of the cells, adsorption of buffer components or irreversible surface damage. 3. Mild oxidation of the cell-surface teichoic acid with sodium metaperiodate gives cells that have typical sigmoid pH–mobility curves, characteristic of either a simple carboxyl surface or a mixed carboxyl–amino surface. 4. The results are discussed in terms of a pH-dependent change in the configuration of the teichoic acid molecules at the surface.

Full text

PDF
817

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. DAVISON A. L., BADDILEY J. THE DISTRIBUTION OF TEICHOIC ACIDS IN STAPHYLOCOCCI. J Gen Microbiol. 1963 Aug;32:271–276. doi: 10.1099/00221287-32-2-271. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Dyar M. T., Ordal E. J. Electrokinetic Studies on Bacterial Surfaces: I. Effects of Surface-active Agents on Electrophoretic Mobilities of Bacteria. J Bacteriol. 1946 Feb;51(2):149–167. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. GHUYSEN J. M., TIPPER D. J., STROMINGER J. L. STRUCTURE OF THE CELL WALL OF STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS, STRAIN COPENHAGEN. IV. THE TEICHOIC ACID-GLYCOPEPTIDE COMPLEX. Biochemistry. 1965 Mar;4:474–485. doi: 10.1021/bi00879a016. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. GITTENS G. J., JAMES A. M. An improved microelectrophoresis apparatus and technique for studying biological cell surfaces. Anal Biochem. 1960 Dec 30;1:478–485. doi: 10.1016/0003-2697(60)90060-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. HILL M. J., JAMES A. M., MAXTED W. R. SOME PHYSICAL INVESTIGATIONS OF THE BEHAVIOUR OF BACTERIAL SURFACES. IX. STUDIES ON THE STREPTOCOCCAL CELL WALL. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1963 Nov 29;75:402–413. doi: 10.1016/0006-3002(63)90628-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. HILL M. J., JAMES A. M., MAXTED W. R. Some physical investigations of the behaviour of bacterial surfaces. VIII. Studies on the capsular material of Streptococcus pyogenes. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1963 Mar 19;66:264–274. doi: 10.1016/0006-3002(63)91193-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. HILL M. J., JAMES A. M., MAXTED W. R. The use of specific amino acid decarboxylases for the identification of C-terminal groups. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1963 Jun 4;71:740–742. doi: 10.1016/0006-3002(63)91154-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Hay J. B., Archibald A. R., Baddiley J. The molecular structure of bacterial walls. The size of ribitol teichoic acids and the nature of their linkage to glycosaminopeptides. Biochem J. 1965 Dec;97(3):723–730. doi: 10.1042/bj0970723. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Strominger J. L. Biochemistry of the cell wall of Staphylococcus aureus. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1965 Jul 23;128(1):59–61. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1965.tb11629.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Biochemical Journal are provided here courtesy of The Biochemical Society

RESOURCES