1887

Abstract

The cell concentration and possible biological activities of the pneumococcal Forssman (F) antigen (membrane lipoteichoic acid) were examined in a number of physiological situations. In test tube cultures of pneumococci the concentration of the Forssman antigen per bacterium showed no significant fluctuations within a typical culture cycle. Purified F antigen had no effect on the activation of pneumococci to competence for genetic transformation, DNA mediated genetic transformation or adsorption of the pneumococcal phage Dp-1 to bacteria. Pneumococci grown in the presence of different amino alcohols (ethanolamine, -monomethyl-ethanolamine, or choline) exhibit differences with regard to both their ability to stimulate heterophile (haemolytic) antibody production in rabbits and in their ability to bind such antibodies. Choline-grown bacteria seem to cross-react with sheep red blood cells better than do the analogue-grown bacteria.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journal/micro/10.1099/00221287-86-2-267
1975-02-01
2024-12-14
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

/deliver/fulltext/micro/86/2/mic-86-2-267.html?itemId=/content/journal/micro/10.1099/00221287-86-2-267&mimeType=html&fmt=ahah

References

  1. Ando S., Yamakawa T. 1970; On the oligosaccharide of Forssman-active sheep red cell glycolipid. Chemistry and Physiology of Lipids 5:91–95
    [Google Scholar]
  2. Briles E. B., Tomasz A. 1973; Pneumococcal Forssman antigen, a choline containing lipoteichoic acid. Journal of Biological Chemistry 248:6394–6397
    [Google Scholar]
  3. Brundish D. E., Baddiley J. 1968; Pneumococcal C-substance, a ribitol teichoic acid containing choline phosphate. Biochemical Journal 110:573–582
    [Google Scholar]
  4. Fiedler F., Glaser L. 1974; The synthesis of polyribitol phosphate. Journal of Biological Chemistry 249:2690–2695
    [Google Scholar]
  5. Fujiwara M. 1967; The Forssman antigen of pneumococcus. Japanese Journal of Experimental Medicine 37:581–591
    [Google Scholar]
  6. Goebel W. H., Shedlovsky T., Lavin G. I., Adams M. H. 1943; The heterophile antigen of pneumococcus. Journal of Biological Chemistry 148:1–15
    [Google Scholar]
  7. Heptinstall S., Archibald A. R., Baddiley J. 1970; Teichoic acids and membrane function in bacteria. Nature: London; 225519–521
    [Google Scholar]
  8. Hotchkiss R. D. 1957; Isolation of sodium deoxyribonucleate in biologically active form from bacteria. In Methods in Enzymology 3 p. 692 Colowick S. P., Kaplan N. O. Edited by New York: Academic Press;
    [Google Scholar]
  9. Kabat E. A., Mayer M. M. 1967 Experimental Immunochemistry, 2nd edn.. Springfield, Illinois: Charles C. Thomas;
    [Google Scholar]
  10. Mauck J., Glaser L. 1972; An acceptor-dependent polyglycerolphosphate polymerase. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 69:2386–2390
    [Google Scholar]
  11. Mcdonnell M., Ronda-Lain C., Tomasz A. 1974; Diplophage 1: a bacteriophage of Diplococcus pneumoniae. Virology in the Press
    [Google Scholar]
  12. Mosser J. L., Tomasz A. 1970; Choline-containing teichoic acid as a structural component of pneumococcal cell wall and its role in sensitivity to lysis by an autolytic enzyme. Journal of Biological Chemistry 245:287–298
    [Google Scholar]
  13. Tomasz A. 1966; A model for the mechanism controlling the expression of competent state in pneumococcus cultures. Journal of Bacteriology 91:1050–1061
    [Google Scholar]
  14. Tomasz A. 1967; Choline in the cell wall of a bacterium: novel type of polymer-linked choline in pneumococcus. Science; New York: 157694–697
    [Google Scholar]
  15. Tomasz A. 1968; Biological consequences of the replacement of choline by ethanolamine in the cell wall of pneumococcus: chain formation, loss of transformability, and loss of autolysis. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 59:86–93
    [Google Scholar]
  16. Tomasz A., Westphal M. 1971; Abnormal autolytic enzyme in a pneumococcus with altered teichoic acid composition. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 68:2627–2630
    [Google Scholar]
/content/journal/micro/10.1099/00221287-86-2-267
Loading
/content/journal/micro/10.1099/00221287-86-2-267
Loading

Data & Media loading...

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a Success
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error