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SUMMARY: The chemical compositions of the cell walls of one strain each of Bacillus stearothermophilus and B. coagulans prepared from organisms grown at 37° and 55° are compared. The higher temperature of cultivation resulted in an increased proportion of mucopeptide and a decreased proportion of teichoic acid in the walls of both organisms. A higher lipid content than is usual in Gram-positive organisms was found in these walls. The teichoic acid from B. stearothermophilus walls was a glycerophosphate polymer substituted with glucose and alanine; evidence suggesting the presence of 2,3-phosphodiester linkages in this polymer is presented. The teichoic acid from B. coagulans walls was also a glycerophosphate polymer, substituted with two neutral sugars, glucose and galactose, but lacking amino acid substituents hitherto reported as characteristic of teichoic acids.
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