Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1963 Jan;85(1):24–30. doi: 10.1128/jb.85.1.24-30.1963

MYCOBACTERIAL CELL WALLS II.

Chemical Composition of the “Basal Layer”

Kenji Takeya 1, Kazuhito Hisatsune 1, Yasuko Inoue 1
PMCID: PMC278084  PMID: 13984704

Abstract

Takeya, Kenji (Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan), Kazuhito Hisatsune, and Yasuko Inoue. Mycobacterial cell walls. II. Chemical composition of the “basal layer.” J. Bacteriol. 85:24–30. 1963.—Chemical composition of the “basal layer” of the mycobacterial cell wall was determined. The layer contained 35% amino acids, 41.5% reducing sugars (mainly composed of arabinose and galactose), 13.8% amino sugars (glucosamine and muramic acid, 2:1), and 7.7% lipid. The main amino acids were alanine, glutamic acid, and diaminopimelic acid. Their molar ratio was approximately 2:2:1. The main difference in chemical composition between the cell wall and the basal layer was found in lipid content. According to the chemical composition, the basal layer resembles the walls of gram-positive bacteria, while the mycobacterial cell wall resembles the walls of gram-negative bacteria. The basal layer was thoroughly disintegrated by lysozyme digestion, and was considered to be an inner layer of the wall, conferring shape and rigidity on the mycobacterial cell wall.

Full text

PDF
24

Images in this article

26Image
on p.26

Selected References

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

  1. ARMSTRONG J. J., BADDILEY J., BUCHANAN J. G., DAVISION A. L., KELEMEN M. V., NEUHAUS F. C. Composition of teichoic acids from a number of bacterial walls. Nature. 1959 Jul 25;184:247–248. doi: 10.1038/184247a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. BADDILEY J., BUCHANAN J. G., CARSS B. The presence of ribitol phosphate in bacterial cell walls. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1958 Jan;27(1):220–220. doi: 10.1016/0006-3002(58)90323-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. CUMMINS C. S., HARRIS H. Studies on the cell-wall composition and taxonomy of Actinomycetales and related groups. J Gen Microbiol. 1958 Feb;18(1):173–189. doi: 10.1099/00221287-18-1-173. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. GHUYSEN J. M. [Teichoic acid-mucopeptide complex in the cell walls of Bacillus megaterium KM]. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1961 Jul 8;50:413–429. doi: 10.1016/0006-3002(61)90001-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. HAUKENES G., ELLWOOD D. C., BADDILEY J., OEDING P. Serological cross-reactivity between polysaccharide A and teichoic acid of Staphylococcus aureus. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1961 Oct 28;53:425–426. doi: 10.1016/0006-3002(61)90461-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. JANCZURA E., PERKINS H. R., ROGERS H. J. Teichuronic acid: a mucopolysaccharide present in wall preparations from vegetative cells of Bacillus subtilis. Biochem J. 1961 Jul;80:82–93. doi: 10.1042/bj0800082. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. KELLENBERGER E., RYTER A. Cell wall and cytoplasmic membrane of Escherichia coli. J Biophys Biochem Cytol. 1958 May 25;4(3):323–326. doi: 10.1083/jcb.4.3.323. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. KOIKE M., TAKEYA K. Fine structures of intracytoplasmic organelles of mycobacteria. J Biophys Biochem Cytol. 1961 Mar;9:597–608. doi: 10.1083/jcb.9.3.597. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. MALPRESS F. H., MORRISON A. B. Use of pyridine in the de-ionization of solutions for paper chromatography. Nature. 1949 Dec 3;164(4179):963–963. doi: 10.1038/164963a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. PRIMOSIGH J., PELZER H., MAASS D., WEIDEL W. Chemical characterization of mucopeptides released from the E. coli B cell wall by enzymic action. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1961 Jan 1;46:68–80. doi: 10.1016/0006-3002(61)90647-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. STROMINGER J. L., PARK J. T., THOMPSON R. E. Composition of the cell wall of Staphylococcus aureus: its relation to the mechanism of action of penicillin. J Biol Chem. 1959 Dec;234:3263–3268. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. TAKEYA K., HISATSUNE K., NAKASHIMA K. A cell-wall mucopeptide complex obtained from the culture filtrate of tubercle bacilli. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1961 Dec 23;54:595–597. doi: 10.1016/0006-3002(61)90107-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. TAKEYA K., KOIKE M., MORI R., TODA T. Light and electron microscope studies of mycobacterium--mycobacteriophage interactions. III. Further studies on the ultrathin sections. J Biophys Biochem Cytol. 1961 Nov;11:441–447. doi: 10.1083/jcb.11.2.441. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. TAKEYA K., MORI R., TOKUNAGA T., KOIKE M., HISATSUNE K. Further studies on the paired fibrous structure of mycobacterial cell wall. J Biophys Biochem Cytol. 1961 Feb;9:496–501. doi: 10.1083/jcb.9.2.496. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. WEIDEL W., FRANK H., MARTIN H. H. The rigid layer of the cell wall of Escherichia coli strain B. J Gen Microbiol. 1960 Feb;22:158–166. doi: 10.1099/00221287-22-1-158. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES