Abstract
Bacillus anthracis contains a polysaccharide which appears to be part of the cell wall1. Ivanovics2 first isolated the polysaccharide which contained galactose 34 per cent, glucosamine 34 per cent, nitrogen 4.2 per cent and α-carboxyl amino-nitrogen 0.8 per cent. Strange and Belton3 obtained from culture filtrates of B. anthracis a polysaccharide which contained galactose 39–43 per cent, glucosamine 34 per cent, nitrogen 3.9 per cent and α-carboxyl amino-nitrogen 1.26 per cent. The differences between the total nitrogen and glucosamine nitrogen values together with the figures for α-carboxyl amino-nitrogen in these preparations indicated the presence of 5–10 per cent of amino-acid residues. Smith and Zwartouw4 obtained a polysaccharide from B. anthracisgrown in vivo. It contained galactose 38–43 per cent, glucosamine 38–44 per cent, nitrogen 4.0 per cent and α-carboxyl amino-nitrogen 0.3 per cent. Since this preparation satisfied a number of rigorous tests for homogeneity it was concluded that a small peptide moiety (2–3 per cent) was firmly attached to the polysaccharide. We are concerned here with the constitution of this peptide moiety.
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References
Tomcsik, J., Symp. Soc. Gen. Microbiol., 6, Bacterial Anatomy, 41 (1956).
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Strange, R. E., and Belton, F. C., Brit. J. Exp. Path., 35, 153 (1954).
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SMITH, H., STRANGE, R. & ZWARTOUW, H. α ε-Diaminopimelic Acid in the Peptide Moiety of the Cell Wall Polysaccharide of Bacillus anthracis. Nature 178, 865–866 (1956). https://doi.org/10.1038/178865a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/178865a0
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