Cell Wall Teichoic Acids of Two Brevibacterium Strains

A. S. Shashkov¹, N. V. Potekhina^2*, L. I. Evtushenko³, and I. B. Naumova²

¹Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky pr. 47, Moscow 117913, Russia; fax: (7-095) 135-5328

²Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119992, Russia; E-mail: potekchina@hotbox.ru

³Skryabin Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Microorganisms, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino 142292, Moscow Region, Russia; fax: (7-095) 923-3602

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Received August 18, 2003; Revision received September 25, 2003

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Structurally identical teichoic acids were detected in cell walls of two soil isolates assigned to Brevibacterium linens based on phylogenetic data. Both cell walls contain unsubstituted 1,3-poly(glycerol phosphate) and poly(glycosylglycerol phosphate). Repeating units of the latter--alpha-D-GlcpNAc-(1-->4)-beta-D-Galp-(1-->1)-Gro--are bound by phosphodiester bonds including OH-3 of galactose and OH-3 of glycerol. Some of the N-acetylglucosamine residues have 4,6-pyruvic acid acetal, amounts of the latter in the two strains being unequal. Species-specificity of the structures of teichoic acids in the genus Brevibacterium is discussed.

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KEY WORDS: Brevibacterium, teichoic acids, poly(glycosylglycerol phosphate), pyruvic acid acetal

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