Chemical Structure and Biosynthesis of Bacterial Cell Walls

Perkins, H. R.

doi:10.1128/mmbr.27.1.18-55.1963

Cited by 59 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 73 publications

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“…A most unusual feature characterized the 7 strains included here. Amino acid chromatograms of cell wall hydrolysates showed only a faint spot corresponding with the position of glutamic acid, an amino acid found in appreciable amounts in the walls of all bacteria so far examined and considered to be a characterietic component of the wall mucopeptide (Perkins, 1963;Salton, 1964;Rogers, 1966). At the same time the chromatograms showed the presence of an unidentified ninhydrin positive spot, component (U'.…”

Section: Subgroupmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Comparison of Coryneform Bacteria from Soil and Herbage: Cell Wall Composition and Nutrition

Keddie

Leask

Grainger

1966

Journal of Applied Bacteriology

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Present address : Bacteriology Department, The Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle.upon-Tyne 1. Materials and Methods(a) Sources and isolation of strains The new isolates were obtained from a garden soil (pH 6.7), a field soil (pH 6.5) and freshly cut herbage from a lawn. Each sample was a composite of several taken from different parts of the field or plot and was plated on various 'nonselective' media chosen to give the highest possible viable counts. About 50 colonies were picked from suitable high dilution plates of each medium so that a representative collection of the Merent nutritional types p r m n t would be obtained. Three kin& of plating media were used. Medium TA WM similar to that used by Topping (1937) and contained: peptone, 2-5 g; yeast extract, 2.5 g ; agar, 20 g ; demineralizedwater, 11. Medium TSXA was similar in composition to medium TA but contained 25% (v/v) of soil extract. Plain soil extract agar medium was also used. At an early stage of the work Evans peptone and Yeastrel (yeast extract) were used in media; these products were later replaced by Bacto-peptone (Difco) and Bacto-yeast extract (Difco). All media were sterilized at 121" for 15 min and had a h a 1 pH value of 6.8.Decimal dilutions of the soil samples and of a suitable macerate in the caae of Coryneform bacteria : cell walls and nutrition '9 herbage were made in quarter strength Ringer's solution. Pour plates were prepared in triplicate and incubated at 25" for 21 days in air.Colonies were transferred into a semisolid agar medium (TSXss) similar in composition to medium TSXA but with an agar concentration of 0.2%

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Section: Subgroupmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Comparison of Coryneform Bacteria from Soil and Herbage: Cell Wall Composition and Nutrition

Keddie

Leask

Grainger

1966

Journal of Applied Bacteriology

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“…Acid hydrolysis of this preparation, followed by chromatographic analysis of the hydrolysate, has given interesting information on the chemical composition of the cell wall. Preparations from a wide range of Gram-positive bacteria contained only three, four or five amino acids, always including glutamic acid, alanine and either lysine or 2,6-diaminopimelic acid, together with two amino sugars, N-acetyl glucosamine and N-acetyl muramic acid (see reviews of Salton, 1960a, b;Perkins, 1963;Rogers, 1963). Lysine and diaminopimelic acid were mutually exclusive.…”

Section: Chemical Constituents Of the Cell Wallsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Lysozyme lyses certain bacteria, and it appears to affect the structure of the mucopeptide component by the hydrolysis of P-linkages between N-acetylmuramic acid and N-acetylglucosamine (Perkins, 1963). Lysozyme has a lytic effect on the cells of Oscillatoria amoena (Fuhs, 1958a) and hydrolysis by lysozyme has helped to locate the mucopeptide layer in the wall of Phormidium uncinatum (Frank et al 1962b).…”

Section: Chemical Constituents Of the Cell Wallsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Relationship Between Blue‐green Algae and Bacteria

1965

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Summary Recent studies of bacteria and blue‐green algae in the electron microscope have shown striking similarities in the basic cellular architecture of the two groups. This evidence has been presented in detail above and may be summarized as follows: (I) The cell envelope of blue‐green algae bears a superficial resemblance to the cell wall of bacteria, particularly to the Gram‐positive organisms. Like bacteria, blue‐green algae also possess a mucopeptide component as an important part of the cell wall. However, the composition of this mucopeptide component resembles more closely that of Gram‐negative bacteria, though more species of blue‐green algae need examination before the relationship can be established with any certainty. (2) The older distinction between the chromatophores of photosynthetic bacteria and the lamellae of blue‐green algae has been shown to be superficial. In both forms the essential feature of the photosynthetic apparatus is a pair of membranes enclosing a space; this may be large in bacterial chromatophores or small in ‘true’ lamellae. This basic structure is seen in higher plants where the lamellar systems are enclosed in a membrane‐bounded structure, the chloroplast. No such membrane isolates the photosynthetic machinery of bacteria and blue‐green algae. (3) No membrane isolates the nuclear material of blue‐green algae or bacteria. The nucleoplasm of these two groups is structurally similar and show the same morphological changes with variations of fixative treatment. (4) Both bacteria and blue‐green algae lack mitochondria, true vacuoles and an endoplasmic reticulum. Membranous structures (mesosomes) are widespread in bacteria and recently similar structures have been seen in blue‐green algae. (5) The nucleoplasm presumably divides by an amitotic process, as no stages of mitosis or meiosis have been observed in either group. The cell division in blue‐green algae shows a superficial resemblance to that of Gram‐positive bacteria. Recent observations on the cytoplasmic inclusions of the two groups have been presented above, but no pattern has yet emerged. The spores of the two groups have also been discussed and the little detailed observation available supports earlier suggestions of some important differences between the two groups. Bacteria and blue‐green algae also resemble each other and differ from other organisms in their method of ornithine biosynthesis, their apparent absence of sterols and their sensitivity to certain antibiotics. The evidence here summarized supports the suggestion that bacteria and blue‐green algae should be isolated in a group distinct from all other organisms. Two speculative aspects of the problem have been discussed: their evolutionary relationship with other organisms and with each other. With regard to the latter, it seems probable that bacteria and blue‐green algae arose from a common ancestor, since it is unlikely that so many features common to the cells of both groups arose independently more than once.

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“…The data ob tained by ch emical analyses, including th e molar r a tio s of th e four principal amino acid s, correspond well to those given for oth er Staph. mzreus strains ( 23,26,30 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

STUDIES ON THE ANTIGENIC STRUCTURE OF THE 80/81 COMPLEX OF STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS

Hofstad

1965

Acta Pathologica Microbiologica Scandinavica

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Chemical Structure and Biosynthesis of Bacterial Cell Walls

Cited by 59 publications

References 73 publications

A Comparison of Coryneform Bacteria from Soil and Herbage: Cell Wall Composition and Nutrition

A Comparison of Coryneform Bacteria from Soil and Herbage: Cell Wall Composition and Nutrition

The Relationship Between Blue‐green Algae and Bacteria

STUDIES ON THE ANTIGENIC STRUCTURE OF THE 80/81 COMPLEX OF STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS

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