Skip to main content
Infection and Immunity logoLink to Infection and Immunity
. 1982 Apr;36(1):114–122. doi: 10.1128/iai.36.1.114-122.1982

Composition of peptidoglycans in Bacteroidaceae: determination and distribution of lanthionine.

E N Vasstrand, H B Jensen, T Miron, T Hofstad
PMCID: PMC351192  PMID: 7076290

Abstract

Peptidoglycans of organisms belonging to the strictly anaerobic family Bacteroidaceae were investigated for the presence of lanthionine. Different procedures for the quantitation of lanthionine were compared. Performic acid and peroxide oxidation procedures on 35S-labeled peptidoglycan from Fusobacterium nucleatum Fev1 resulted in low yields of cysteic acid (42 and 60%, respectively) and many other additional unidentified oxidation products. Lanthionine was, however, recovered in high yield (89% or more) from acid hydrolysates of unoxidized peptidoglycans. Lanthionine was found exclusively in some species of Fusobacterium, in particular F. nucleatum, F. necrophorum, F. russi, and F. gonidiaformans, for which lanthionine may be ascribed a function as a taxonomic marker. Peptidoglycans of these bacteria are thus proposed to belong to a new chemotype, assigned A1 delta. One strain of Fusobacterium, F. mortiferum VPI 0473 contained both lanthionine and diaminopimelic acid in about equal proportions. Species of F.plauti had a composition atypic of gram-negative cells. Chemotypic differences were also indicated among the species of Bacteroides investigated. Thus, some species contained lysine and not diaminopimelic acid as the major dibasic amino acid (e.g., F. asaccharolyticus). It is concluded that peptidoglycans of gram-negative organisms constitute a somewhat more heterogeneous group than hitherto assumed.

Full text

PDF
114

Images in this article

Selected References

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

  1. BAIRD-PARKER A. C. The classification of fusobacteria from the human mouth. J Gen Microbiol. 1960 Apr;22:458–469. doi: 10.1099/00221287-22-2-458. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Baboolal R. Cell wall analysis of oral filamentous bacteria. J Gen Microbiol. 1969 Oct;58(2):217–226. doi: 10.1099/00221287-58-2-217. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. DOWLING L. M., CREWTHER W. G. DETERMINATION OF LANTHIONINE IN PROTEIN HYDROLYZATES. Anal Biochem. 1964 Jun;8:244–256. doi: 10.1016/0003-2697(64)90052-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Friedman M., Noma A. T., Wagner J. R. Ion-exchange chromatography of sulfur amino acids on a single-column amino acid analyzer. Anal Biochem. 1979 Oct 1;98(2):293–304. doi: 10.1016/0003-2697(79)90144-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Ghuysen J. M. Use of bacteriolytic enzymes in determination of wall structure and their role in cell metabolism. Bacteriol Rev. 1968 Dec;32(4 Pt 2):425–464. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Gross E., Morell J. L. The structure of nisin. J Am Chem Soc. 1971 Sep 8;93(18):4634–4635. doi: 10.1021/ja00747a073. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Hofstad T. An anaerobic oral filamentous organism possibly related to Leptotrichia buccalis. 2. Composition of cell walls. Acta Pathol Microbiol Scand. 1967;70(3):461–468. doi: 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1967.tb01314.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Höltje J. V., Mirelman D., Sharon N., Schwarz U. Novel type of murein transglycosylase in Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1975 Dec;124(3):1067–1076. doi: 10.1128/jb.124.3.1067-1076.1975. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Inglis A. S., Nicholls P. W. Determination of lanthionine in wool hydrolyzates. Anal Biochem. 1968 Aug;24(2):209–214. doi: 10.1016/0003-2697(68)90172-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Jantzen E., Hofstad T. Fatty acids of Fusobacterium species: taxonomic implications. J Gen Microbiol. 1981 Mar;123(1):163–171. doi: 10.1099/00221287-123-1-163. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Kristoffersen T. Immunochemical studies of oral Fusobacteria. 2. Some properties of undigested cell wall preparations. Acta Pathol Microbiol Scand. 1969;77(2):247–257. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Lipton S. H., Bodwell C. E., Coleman A. H., Jr Amino acid analyzer studies of the products of peroxide oxidation of cystine, lanthionine, and homocystine. J Agric Food Chem. 1977 May-Jun;25(3):624–628. doi: 10.1021/jf60211a050. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. 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]
  14. Schleifer K. H. Chemical structure of the peptidoglycan, its modifiability and relation to the biological activity. Z Immunitatsforsch Exp Klin Immunol. 1975 Jul;149(2-4):104–117. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Schleifer K. H., Hammes W. P., Kandler O. Effect of endogenous and exogenous factors on the primary structures of bacterial peptidoglycan. Adv Microb Physiol. 1976;13:245–292. doi: 10.1016/s0065-2911(08)60040-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Schleifer K. H., Kandler O. Peptidoglycan types of bacterial cell walls and their taxonomic implications. Bacteriol Rev. 1972 Dec;36(4):407–477. doi: 10.1128/br.36.4.407-477.1972. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Shah H. N., Williams R. A., Bowden G. H., Hardie J. M. Comparison of the biochemical properties of Bacteroides melaninogenicus from human dental plaque and other sites. J Appl Bacteriol. 1976 Dec;41(3):473–495. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2672.1976.tb00660.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Ushijima T. Morphology and chemistry of the bacterial cell wall. 1. The location of mucopeptide in the cell wall of Bacteroides convexus and its chemical composition. Jpn J Microbiol. 1970 Jan;14(1):15–25. doi: 10.1111/j.1348-0421.1970.tb00487.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Vasstrand E. N., Hofstad T., Endresen C., Jensen H. B. Demonstration of lanthionine as a natural constituent of the peptidoglycan of Fusobacterium nucleatum. Infect Immun. 1979 Sep;25(3):775–780. doi: 10.1128/iai.25.3.775-780.1979. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Vasstrand E. N. Lysozyme digestion and chemical characterization of the peptidoglycan of Fusobacterium nucleatum Fev 1. Infect Immun. 1981 Jul;33(1):75–82. doi: 10.1128/iai.33.1.75-82.1981. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Vasstrand E., Jensen H. B., Miron T. Microbore single-column analysis of amino acids and amino sugars specific to bacterial cell wall peptidoglycans. Anal Biochem. 1980 Jun;105(1):154–158. doi: 10.1016/0003-2697(80)90438-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Infection and Immunity are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES