Isolation of Lipoteichoic Acids from Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens

Abstract

S U M M A R YLipoteichoic acid (LTA) and deacylated lipoteichoic acid have been isolated from the bovine-rumen Gram-negative anaerobe ButyrivibrioJibrisoZvens by phenol extraction. Lipoteichoic acid ( 2 1.8 pmol phosphorus/g cells) consisted of a conventional I J-phosphodiester-linked chain of glycerol phosphate units joined covalently to a glycolipid. It was not substituted with glycosyl or D-alanyl ester groups. Deacylated lipoteichoic acid (57.5 pmol phosphoruslg cells) was similar in constitution but lacked fatty acid esters. Lipoteichoic acid reacted serologically with antisera to the glycerol phosphate backbone of known lipoteichoic acids. The presence of similar teichoic acid polymers has also been demonstrated in some other strains of B. jibrisolvens and this is of significance in demonstrating that teichoic acids can occur in Gram-negative bacteria.

Cellular fatty acid and sugar composition of representative strains of rumen bacteria.

“…Also the pattern of the cellular fatty acid composition of the organism was quite similar to that of B. thermophilum and S. bovis. Moreover, it has been reported that B, fibrisolvens is similar to the grampositive bacteria in having lipoteichoic acid (18) and glycerol teichoic acid (19), and in ultrastructural features (20). These findings support the opinion that B. fibrisolvens is a gram-positive bacterium.…”

Ultrastructure of Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens: a gram-positive bacterium

“…(strain C3) are also gram negative. Therefore, when Sharpe et al (25) found glycerol teichoic acids and Hewett et al (15) found lipoteichoic acids in the cell walls of strain Dl, they correctly attached considerable importance to the presence of these gram-positive cell wall components (26) in a "gram-negative" organism.…”

“…Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens, one of the most common rumen bacteria (2,3,18), is gram negative when stained by the standard technique. However, Hewett et al (15) and Sharpe et al (25) recently isolated lipoteichoic acid and glycerol teichoic acid, respectively, from B. fibrisolvens, even though these compounds are typical components of gram-positive bacterial cell walls (26). Sharpe et al (25) reported that the ultrastructure of the cell wall was typical of neither gram-positive nor gram-negative bacteria.…”

Cellular fatty acid and fatty aldehyde composition of rumen bacteria.

“…They are generally found in the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of most gram-negative bacteria (24). It has been reported that But yrivibrio fcbrisolvens seems to be a gram-positive bacterium as indicated by the presence of lipoteichoic acid (25), a glycerol teichoic acid (26), and by interpretation of ultrastructure investigation (27). The absence of hydroxy fatty acid of the tested bacteria is considered to support this observation.…”