Enzymatic Synthesis and Immunochemistry of - and ß-N-Acetylglucosaminylribitol Linkages in Teichoic Acids from Several Strains of Staphylococcus aureus

From the ¹ From the Departments of Pharmacology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis 10, Missouri, and University of Wisconsin Medical School, Madison, Wisconsin 53706

Teichoic acids have been prepared from Staphylococcus aureus strains H, Duncan, and 3528, in addition to strain Copenhagen studied previously. The teichoic acids of strains H and Duncan contain virtually all ß-acetylglucosaminyl residues while that from strain 3528 contains virtually all -acetylglucosaminyl residues and strain Copenhagen contains both. This structural feature of the teichoic acids is mirrored in the specificity of two uridine diphosphate acetylglucosamine polyribitol phosphate acetylglucosamine transferases found in these strains, although enzymes from all four strains have some capacity to catalyze the synthesis of both types of linkages. By hapten inhibition studies, it has been shown that these - and ß-acetylglucosaminyl residues are the determinants of an immunological specificity responsible for cell wall agglutination.

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