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Ribitol Teichoic Acid Synthesis in Bacteriophage-resistant Mutants of Staphylococcus aureus H

1970; Elsevier BV; Volume: 245; Issue: 19 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/s0021-9258(18)62823-6

1083-351X

D.R.D. Shaw, David Mirelman, Anadi N. Chatterjee, James T. Park,

Microbial Natural Products and Biosynthesis

Abstract Teichoic acid synthesis was examined in two types of phage-resistant mutants of Staphylococcus aureus H that have altered cell wall composition. In type I mutants (52A2, 52A4, 52B2) which lack N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) on the cell wall ribitol teichoic acid, the CDP-ribitol:acceptor phosphoribitoltransferase was normal but no UDP-GlcNAc:poly(ribitol phosphate) GlcNAc-transferase activity was detected. Revertants of type I mutants recovered the normal levels of GlcNAc in the teichoic acid as well as GlcNAc-transferase activity. Type II mutants (52A5, 52A7, M3, M9) lacked ribitol teichoic acid in the cell wall and no ribitol phosphate polymer was detected in any other cell fraction or in the spent medium. Despite the lack of ribitol teichoic acid, normal activities in vitro of phosphoribitoltransferase and GlcNAc-transferase were found in these mutants. Compared to the parent strain, trichloracetic acid extracts of type II mutants contained high levels of CDP-ribitol. The lack of ribitol teichoic acid in the cell wall is caused presumably by some defect in the membrane or in some unknown factor required in the polymerization or attachment step of the teichoic acid to murein.