Structure of Teichoic Acid from Cell Walls of Nocardiopsis alborubida

A. S. Shashkov,¹ G. M. Streshinskaya,² Yu. I. Kozlova,² N. V. Potekhina,² V. V. Taran,³ L. I. Evtushenko,³ and I. B. Naumova^2,4

¹Zelinskii Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninskii pr. 47, Moscow, 117913 Russia; fax: (095) 135-5328.

²School of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119899 Russia; fax: (095) 939-4309.

³Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Microorganisms, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino, Moscow Region, 142292 Russia; fax: (095) 923-3602.

⁴To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Submitted June 9, 1997; revision submitted July 3, 1997.

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Teichoic acids found in cell walls of two strains of Nocardiopsis alborubida are structurally identical. The chain consists of alternating glycerol phosphate and beta-N-acetylgalactosaminylglycerol phosphate units linked by phosphodiester bonds through OH-3 of glycerol residues and OH-4 of glycosyl substituents. Most N-acetylgalactosaminyl residues are substituted at OH-3 with a monoester of succinic acid. The structure of these teichoic acids was determined by NMR spectroscopy and confirmed by chemical analysis. These results suggest that representatives of the genus Nocardiopsis have species-specific teichoic acids.

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KEY WORDS: cell wall, teichoic acid, succinic acid, Nocardiopsis, NMR spectroscopy.

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