Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1991 Jul;173(14):4333–4340. doi: 10.1128/jb.173.14.4333-4340.1991

Distribution of capsular materials on the cell wall surface of strain Smith diffuse of Staphylococcus aureus.

T Arizono 1, A Umeda 1, K Amako 1
PMCID: PMC208093  PMID: 2066333

Abstract

The fine structure of the capsule of Staphylococcus aureus Smith diffuse was examined by the technique of freeze-substitution and immunoelectron microscopy. The cell surface was covered with a thick layer consisting of fine fibrous structures which were absent from an unencapsulated strain, Smith compact. Anti-teichoic acid antibody did not react with this surface layer but reacted with the surface of strain Smith compact. Anti-capsular antibody, made from the serum of a rabbit immunized with strain Smith diffuse and specific absorption with unencapsulated strain Wood 46, reacted with the fibrous layer of the Smith diffuse strain. Since the anti-teichoic acid antibody did not react with the encapsulated strain Smith diffuse, the capsular layer acts as a barrier to penetration of the anti-teichoic acid antibody through the capsular layer. A portion of a few cell surfaces of the encapsulated strain remained accessible to the anti-teichoic acid antibody. The capsular layer in this portion of the cell surface was thin, and this surface seemed to be a new cell wall surface created by the cell separation.

Full text

PDF
4333

Images in this article

4335Image
on p.4335
4336Image
on p.4336
4336Image
on p.4336
4337Image
on p.4337
4337Image
on p.4337
4338Image
on p.4338
4338Image
on p.4338
4339Image
on p.4339

Selected References

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

  1. Allen R. J. The estimation of phosphorus. Biochem J. 1940 Jun;34(6):858–865. doi: 10.1042/bj0340858. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Amako K., Meno Y., Takade A. Fine structures of the capsules of Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli K1. J Bacteriol. 1988 Oct;170(10):4960–4962. doi: 10.1128/jb.170.10.4960-4962.1988. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Amako K., Okada K., Miake S. Evidence for the presence of a capsule in Vibrio vulnificus. J Gen Microbiol. 1984 Oct;130(10):2741–2743. doi: 10.1099/00221287-130-10-2741. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Amako K., Umeda A. Scanning electron microscopy of Staphylococcus. J Ultrastruct Res. 1977 Jan;58(1):34–40. doi: 10.1016/s0022-5320(77)80005-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Bayer M. E., Carlemalm E., Kellenberger E. Capsule of Escherichia coli K29: ultrastructural preservation and immunoelectron microscopy. J Bacteriol. 1985 Jun;162(3):985–991. doi: 10.1128/jb.162.3.985-991.1985. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Bøyum A. Isolation of lymphocytes, granulocytes and macrophages. Scand J Immunol. 1976 Jun;Suppl 5:9–15. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Coley J., Tarelli E., Archibald A. R., Baddiley J. The linkage between teichoic acid and peptidoglycan in bacterial cell walls. FEBS Lett. 1978 Apr 1;88(1):1–9. doi: 10.1016/0014-5793(78)80594-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Fournier J. M., Vann W. F., Karakawa W. W. Purification and characterization of Staphylococcus aureus type 8 capsular polysaccharide. Infect Immun. 1984 Jul;45(1):87–93. doi: 10.1128/iai.45.1.87-93.1984. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Graham L. L., Beveridge T. J. Evaluation of freeze-substitution and conventional embedding protocols for routine electron microscopic processing of eubacteria. J Bacteriol. 1990 Apr;172(4):2141–2149. doi: 10.1128/jb.172.4.2141-2149.1990. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. HUNT G. A., MOSES A. J. Acute infection of mice with Smith strain of Staphylococcus aureus. Science. 1958 Dec 19;128(3338):1574–1575. doi: 10.1126/science.128.3338.1574. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Horwitz M. A., Silverstein S. C. Influence of the Escherichia coli capsule on complement fixation and on phagocytosis and killing by human phagocytes. J Clin Invest. 1980 Jan;65(1):82–94. doi: 10.1172/JCI109663. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. King B. F., Wilkinson B. J. Binding of human immunoglobulin G to protein A in encapsulated Staphylococcus aureus. Infect Immun. 1981 Sep;33(3):666–672. doi: 10.1128/iai.33.3.666-672.1981. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Koenig M. G., Melly M. A. The importance of surface antigens in staphylococcal virulence. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1965 Jul 23;128(1):231–250. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1965.tb11641.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Mangan D. F., Snyder I. S. Mannose-sensitive interaction of Escherichia coli with human peripheral leukocytes in vitro. Infect Immun. 1979 Nov;26(2):520–527. doi: 10.1128/iai.26.2.520-527.1979. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Meno Y., Amako K. Morphological evidence for penetration of anti-O antibody through the capsule of Klebsiella pneumoniae. Infect Immun. 1990 May;58(5):1421–1428. doi: 10.1128/iai.58.5.1421-1428.1990. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. REISSIG J. L., STORMINGER J. L., LELOIR L. F. A modified colorimetric method for the estimation of N-acetylamino sugars. J Biol Chem. 1955 Dec;217(2):959–966. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Schmid E. N., Menge B., Lickfeld K. G. Capsule fine structure in thin slices of Klebsiella pneumoniae Biovar d (Richard). J Ultrastruct Res. 1981 Apr;75(1):41–49. doi: 10.1016/s0022-5320(81)80098-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Umeda A., Ikebuchi T., Amako K. Localization of bacteriophage receptor, clumping factor, and protein A on the cell surface of Staphylococcus aureus. J Bacteriol. 1980 Feb;141(2):838–844. doi: 10.1128/jb.141.2.838-844.1980. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Umeda A., Ueki Y., Amako K. Structure of the Staphylococcus aureus cell wall determined by the freeze-substitution method. J Bacteriol. 1987 Jun;169(6):2482–2487. doi: 10.1128/jb.169.6.2482-2487.1987. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Verbrugh H. A., van Dijk W. C., van Erne M. E., Peters R., Peterson P. K., Verhoef J. Quantitation of the third component of human complement attached to the surface of opsonized bacteria: opsonin-deficient sera and phagocytosis-resistant strains. Infect Immun. 1979 Dec;26(3):808–814. doi: 10.1128/iai.26.3.808-814.1979. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Wilkinson B. J., Sisson S. P., Kim Y., Peterson P. K. Localization of the third component of complement on the cell wall of encapsulated Staphylococcus aureus M: implications for the mechanism of resistance to phagocytosis. Infect Immun. 1979 Dec;26(3):1159–1163. doi: 10.1128/iai.26.3.1159-1163.1979. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Wu T. C., Park J. T. Chemical characterization of a new surface antigenic polysaccharide from a mutant of Staphylococcus aureus. J Bacteriol. 1971 Nov;108(2):874–884. doi: 10.1128/jb.108.2.874-884.1971. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Bacteriology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES