Occurrence of Polymers containing N-Acetylglucosamine l-Phosphate in Bacterial Walls

Abstract

WALLS of Staphylococcus lactis I3 contain substantial proportions of a novel teichoic acid in which N-acetyl-glucosamine l-phosphate residues form an integral part of the polymer chain^1,2. A similar teichoic acid is believed³ to be present in walls of Micrococcus hyicus ATCC 11249 and we now report the occurrence of N-acetylglucosamine l-phosphate residues in polymers present in the walls of two further species of bacteria. Sugar l-phosphate linkages are found in yeast phosphomannans⁴ and phospho-galactans⁵; the suggestion⁶ that pneumococcal C-substance is a simple polymer of N-acetylgalactosamine l-phosphate has been shown to be unlikely⁷, although such a linkage is believed to form the point of attachment between the polysaccharide and peptidoglycan components of the wall of Lactobacillus casei⁸. Polymers containing such linkages have a characteristically high liability to acid and, in some cases, to alkali; consequently, their distribution may be more widespread than present reports suggest, for the conditions employed for the isolation of polysaccharides would in many cases cause considerable degradation of such comparatively labile linkages.