Anionic Carbohydrate-Containing Polymers of Cell Walls in Two Streptoverticille Genospecies

Yu. I. Kozlova¹, G. M. Streshinskaya¹, A. S. Shashkov², L. I. Evtushenko³, and I. B. Naumova^1*

¹School of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119899 Russia; E-mail: naumova@1.micro.bio.msu.ru

²Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky pr. 47, Moscow, 117913 Russia; fax: (095) 135-5328

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

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Received July 29, 1998; Revision received September 20, 1998

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The cell walls of two streptoverticille genospecies which belong to a historically isolated group of the genus Streptomyces contain anionic polymers of different structure. Streptomyces hachijoensis VKM Ac-191^T and Streptomyces cinnamoneus subsp. azacoluta VKM Ac-606^T assigned to one genospecies on the basis of DNA--DNA hybridization [5] contain 37% of an identical sugar-1-phosphate polymer. The repeating disaccharide units of the polymer, 2-amino-2-deoxy-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->6)-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-alpha-D-glucopyranose, are linked at C-1 and C-6' by phosphodiester bonds. The cell walls of Streptomyces biverticillatus VKM Ac-891^T and Streptomyces baldaccii VKM Ac-821^T, members of another genospecies, contain about 30% 1,3-poly(glycerol phosphate) completely substituted by 2-amino-2-deoxy-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl residues at C-2. Due to the presence of an amino sugar with a free amino group in the repeating unit, the polymers exhibit neutral properties. Polymer structures were determined by chemical methods and NMR spectroscopy. The data indicate taxonomic specificity of anionic polymers in streptoverticille cell walls.

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KEY WORDS: cell wall, teichoic acid, sugar-1-phosphate polymer, streptoverticille, NMR spectroscopy

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