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PubMed1981

Suppression of the primary IgM response by environmental teichoic acid.

It has been shown previously that ingestion of glycerol teichoic acid (GTA) in the conventional laboratory diet (8 mg/kg) is the stimulus for natural background responses to GTA in rats. Since injected GTA suppresses responses to sheep red blood cells (SRBC), it was suspected that dietary GTA also might be acting suppressively. A comparison of rats fed the conventional diet with rats fed a GTA-free diet showed that ingested GTA markedly suppressed immune and background direct plaque-forming cell (PFC) responses to SRBC. It appeared that a direct causal relationship existed between the degree of suppression and the amount of GTA exposure. When GTA-deprived rats were force-fed varying doses of GTA or when conventional animals were injected (i.p.) with GTA, increasing the total GTA dose resulted in decreased direct PFC responses to SRBC. Suppression was also observed when GTA-deprived rats were force-fed GTA-containing Bacillus sp. ATCC 29726. The phenomenon of suppression by dietary GTA was not restricted to responses to SRBC, as similar results were obtained with chicken erythrocytes. When IgG PFC were measured, no difference between conventional and GTA-deprived groups was observed. Thus, an IgM-IgG shift does not seem to play a role in the mechanism of suppression by GTA.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

A conditional-lethal mutant of bacillus subtilis 168 with a thermosensitive glycerol-3-phosphate cytidylyltransferase, an enzyme specific for the synthesis of the major wall teichoic acid.

A biochemical analysis was undertaken of thermosensitive mutants of Bacillus subtilis 168 harbouring mutations in several tag genes, involved in the synthesis of the major wall teichoic acid, poly(glycerol phosphate), poly(groP). Incorporation of a pulse of [2-3H]glycerol into whole cells, following shift to the restrictive growth temperature, was used to assess synthesis of this polymer and to seek evidence of accumulation of a specific precursor. The rate of incorporation into poly(groP) was strongly decreased in all mutants; glycerol uptake was diminished by 80% or more for a strain harbouring mutation tagB1 (formerly tag-1) and one bearing tagD11 (formerly tag-11). The pool of CDP-glycerol (CDP-gro), a specific precursor of poly(groP), was increased, relative to the wild-type, for all mutations except tagD11, where the pool of CDP-gro was reduced. Cytoplasmic extracts, assayed at the permissive temperature for glycerol-3-phosphate cytidylyltransferase (gro-PCT), the enzyme synthesizing CDP-gro, revealed wild-type activities for all mutations except tagD11. Gro-PCT activity in the latter strain was 100-fold lower and, unlike that in all other mutant strains, highly thermolabile. This thermosensitivity suggests that tagD encodes gro-PCT. The identification, in a gene encoding a poly(groP)-specific enzyme, of a mutation conferring a thermosensitive growth phenotype renders explicit the conclusion that synthesis of this teichoic acid is essential for the growth of B. subtilis.

Bacillus subtilis↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Teichoic acids from the cell wall of Nocardiopsis prasina BKM Ac-1880T].

The cell wall of Nocardiopsis prasina VKM Ac-1880T was found to contain two structurally different teichoic acids: unsubstituted 3,5-poly(ribitol phosphate) and 1,3-poly(glycerol phosphate), substituted at position 2 by 10% with alpha-N-acetylglucosamine and by 5% with O-acetyl groups. The structure of the polymers was studied by chemical analysis and NMR spectroscopy. The results obtained correlate well with 16S rRNA sequence data and confirm the species-specificity of teichoic acids in the genus Nocardiopsis.

Actinomycetales↗
PubMed1978

Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia: relationship between formation of antibodies to teichoic acid and development of metastatic abscesses.

Of 50 patients with bacteremia due to Staphylococcus aureus but without clinical evidence of endocarditis, 24 developed antibodies to the cell wall teichoic acid of S. aureus that were demonstrable by counterimmunoelectrophoresis. However, only 16 of the 24 patients developed titers of antibodies high enough for detection by passive gel diffusion. Eleven of the 16 patients developed evidence of complications due to metastatic infection. In contrast, of the 34 patients who were antibody-negative by gel diffusion, only one patient developed evidence of metastatic seeding. Thus, the development of antibodies to teichoic acid at a level detectable by the gel diffusion technique is regularly associated with complicated infections due to S. aureus that require more prolonged therapy, whereas bacteremic patients not developing such an antibody response rarely develop complications and may be treated with a two-week course of therapy.

Abscess↗
PubMed1979

[Serological diagnosis of Staphylococcus aureus infections using anti-A beta teichoic acid antibodies assay (author's transl)].

225 control subjects, 12 hospitalized Staphylococcus free (34 sera) and 16 S. aureus infected patients (79 sera) were tested for anti-A beta teichoic acid antibodies, using counter-immunoelectrophoresis. Anti-alpha and gamma haemolysins antibodies were dosed in parallel in 164 sera. Less than 5 per cent of control sera (3,11 per cent) have an antibody tire higher than 1/8: this tire is therefore selected as threshold level of positivity. Ten of the 12 hospitalized patients without staphylococcal infections are below this level. 31,6 per cent of staphylococcus infected patients have higher serum titers; only 3,7 per cent have no antibodies. In the others, a significant rise in titres is observed. There is no correlation between anti-alpha and gamma staphylolysin and anti-teichoic acid antibodies titres. The method suggested, both easy and rapid, could be used in association with anti-staphylolysin dosage for serological diagnosis of staphylococcal infections.

Antibodies, Bacterial↗
PubMed1975

[Teichoic acids as possible acridine orange acceptors on the surface of staphylococcal cell walls].

A study was made of acridine orange adsorption by the surface structures of intact Staphylococcus aureus (209-P strain) cells and their cellular walls. Acridine orange sorption by the cells and the cellular wall of staphylococcus depended on the content of teichoic acids in the object under study. A conclusion was drawn that teichoic acids of the cellular walls of Staph. aureus were responsible for the binding of the acridine orange stain.

Acridines↗
PubMed1985

[Detection of antibodies to the teichoic acids of the Staphylococcus aureus cell wall in the sera of osteomyelitis patients].

The comparative analysis of serum samples from patients with hematogenic and post-traumatic osteomyelitis for the presence of antibodies to the teichoic acids of the cell wall of S. aureus has been carried out by means of ELISA. The investigation has shown that the test system developed on the basis of teichoic acids can be used for confirming the diagnosis of osteomyelitis. An attempt to use this system for the dynamic observation of the disease has been made.

Antibodies, Bacterial↗
PubMed1980

Mitogenic responsiveness of mouse, rat and human lymphocytes to Staphylococcus aureus cell wall, teichoic acid, and peptidoglycan.

The mitogenic activity of Staphylococcus aureus peptidoglycan (PG), teichoic acid (TA) and cell wall (CW, a PG-TA complex) for mouse, rat and human lymphocytes was determined by measuring DNA synthesis. At optimal concentrations PG was the most potent mitogen, inducing maximum stimulation of mouse spleen lymphocytes on day 2 of culture, rat spleen lymphocytes on day 3, rat lymph node cells on day 2, human peripheral blood lymphocytes on day 5, and human cord blood lymphocytes on day 4. CW was less mitogenic than PG for mouse splenocytes and human peripheral and cord blood lymphocytes, with maximum stimulation occurring on days 2, 6 and 5, respectively. CW was not mitogenic for rat lymphocytes, and TA was not mitogenic for mouse, rat and human lymphocytes. At high concentrations CW and TA were cytotoxic, as indicated by markedly reduced thymidine uptake and low viability. PG was not toxic to lymphocytes. Our results suggest that TA when bound to PG can at high concentrations mask the mitogenic activity of PG and render CW cytotoxic.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Synthesis of peptidoglycan and teichoic acid in Bacillus subtilis: role of the electrochemical proton gradient.

The effects of several ionophores and uncouplers on glycerol and N-acetylglucosamine incorporation by Bacillus subtilis 61360, a glycerol auxotroph, were tested at different pH values. In particular, the effect of valinomycin on the synthesis of teichoic acid and peptidoglycan was examined in more detail in both growing cells and in vitro biosynthetic systems. Valinomycin inhibited synthesis of wall teichoic acid and peptidoglycan in whole cells but not in the comparable in vitro systems. It did not inhibit formation of free lipid or lipoteichoic acid. The results were consistent with a role for the electrochemical proton gradient in maintaining full activity of cell wall synthetic enzymes in intact cells. Such an energy source would be required for a model in which rotation or reorientation of synthetic enzyme complexes is envisaged for the translocation of wall precursor molecules across the cytoplasmic membrane (Harrington and Baddiley, J. Bacteriol. 155:776-792, 1983).

Bacillus subtilis↗
PubMed2001

Key role of teichoic acid net charge in Staphylococcus aureus colonization of artificial surfaces.

Staphylococcus aureus is responsible for a large percentage of infections associated with implanted biomedical devices. The molecular basis of primary adhesion to artificial surfaces is not yet understood. Here, we demonstrate that teichoic acids, highly charged cell wall polymers, play a key role in the first step of biofilm formation. An S. aureus mutant bearing a stronger negative surface charge due to the lack of D-alanine esters in its teichoic acids can no longer colonize polystyrene or glass. The mutation abrogates primary adhesion to plastic while production of the glucosamine-based polymer involved in later steps of biofilm formation is not affected. Our data suggest that repulsive electrostatic forces can lead to reduced staphylococcal biofilm formation, which could have considerable impact on the design of novel implanted materials.

Alanine↗
PubMed1985

Structural study on teichoic acids of Listeria monocytogenes types 4a and 4d.

The chemical compositions of the cell walls obtained from 10 strains (serotypes 1a, 3a, 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4e, 4e, 4f, 6, and 7) of Listeria monocytogenes were analyzed. These cell walls were shown to be mainly composed of peptidoglycan and ribitol teichoic acids. Considerable variations in the composition of neutral sugars were observed among these cell walls. Chemical and NMR analyses indicated that the teichoic acids from L. monocytogenes serotypes 4a and 4d are composed of the following repeating units: Formula: See Text.

Carbohydrate Conformation↗
PubMed2001

Development and characterization of a xylose-dependent system for expression of cloned genes in Bacillus subtilis: conditional complementation of a teichoic acid mutant.

We have developed a xylose-dependent expression system for tight and modulated expression of cloned genes in Bacillus subtilis. The expression system is contained on plasmid pSWEET for integration at the amyE locus of B. subtilis and incorporates components of the well-characterized, divergently transcribed xylose utilization operon. The system contains the xylose repressor encoded by xylR, the promoter and 5' portion of xylA containing an optimized catabolite-responsive element, and intergenic xyl operator sequences. We have rigorously compared this expression system to the isopropyl-beta-D-thiogalactopyranoside-induced spac system using a thermostable beta-galactosidase reporter (BgaB) and found the xyl promoter-operator to have a greater capacity for modulated expression, a higher induction/repression ratio (279-fold for the xyl system versus 24-fold with the spac promoter), and lower levels of expression in the absence of an inducer. We have used this system to probe an essential function in wall teichoic acid biosynthesis in B. subtilis. Expression of the teichoic acid biosynthesis gene tagD, encoding glycerol-3-phosphate cytidylyltransferase, from the xylose-based expression system integrated at amyE exhibited xylose-dependent complementation of the temperature-sensitive mutant tag-12 when grown at the nonpermissive temperature. Plasmid pSWEET thus provides a robust new expression system for conditional complementation in B. subtilis.

Bacillus subtilis↗
PubMed2000

The D-alanine residues of Staphylococcus aureus teichoic acids alter the susceptibility to vancomycin and the activity of autolytic enzymes.

Recently, Staphylococcus aureus strains with intermediate resistance to vancomycin, the antibiotic of last resort, have been described. Multiple changes in peptidoglycan turnover and structure contribute to the resistance phenotype. Here, we describe that structural changes of teichoic acids in the cell envelope have a considerable influence on the susceptibility to vancomycin and other glycopeptides. S. aureus cells lacking D-alanine esters in teichoic acids exhibited an at least threefold-increased sensitivity to glycopeptide antibiotics. Furthermore, the autolytic activity of the D-alanine mutant was reduced compared to the wild-type, and the mutant was more susceptible to the staphylolytic enzyme lysostaphin. Vancomycin inhibited autolysis at very high concentrations but neither in the wild-type nor in the mutant was the autolytic activity influenced in the range of the MIC. Mutant cells had a considerably higher capacity to bind vancomycin.

Alanine↗
PubMed1975

Cross-reactions of Streptococcus mutans due to cell wall teichoic acid.

Antisera to the whole cells of Streptococcus mutans cross-reacted with antigen extracts from four other gram-positive species, as well as with those of three other oral streptococci. Similarly, antisera to these bacteria cross-reacted with extracts from S. mutans and with those from each other. Using a purified phenol extract of the walls of S. mutans, which was identified by chemical, immunochemical, and enzymatic analyses as glycerol teichoic acid, the cross-reactions were shown to be specific for a determinant of the teichoic acid backbone. Results were confirmed in immunodiffusion tests where clear bands of identify were shown. These observations point out the need for caution in sereological research empolying extracts of gram-positive bacteria and may be of interest in investigations of periodontal disease.

Antibodies, Bacterial↗
PubMed1984

Attachment of pneumococcal autolysin to wall teichoic acids, an essential step in enzymatic wall degradation.

High concentrations of choline and phosphorylcholine blocked the adsorption of pneumococcal autolytic enzyme to homologous cell walls and inhibited enzymatic cell wall hydrolysis in a noncompetitive manner. Enzyme adsorption had an absolute requirement for the presence of choline residues in the wall teichoic acid. Other amino alcohols and derivatives such as ethanolamine, monomethylaminoethanolamine , and phosphorylethanolamine had no effect on enzyme adsorption or hydrolytic activity. It is proposed that enzymatic hydrolysis of cell walls requires prior adsorption of enzyme molecules to the insoluble wall substrate and that cholin residues of the wall teichoic acid have the role of adsorption ligands in this process.

Adsorption↗
PubMed2006

A functional dlt operon, encoding proteins required for incorporation of d-alanine in teichoic acids in gram-positive bacteria, confers resistance to cationic antimicrobial peptides in Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Streptococcus pneumoniae is one of the few species within the group of low-G +C gram-positive bacteria reported to contain no d-alanine in teichoic acids, although the dltABCD operon encoding proteins responsible for d-alanylation is present in the genomes of two S. pneumoniae strains, the laboratory strain R6 and the clinical isolate TIGR4. The annotation of dltA in R6 predicts a protein, d-alanine-d-alanyl carrier protein ligase (Dcl), that is shorter at the amino terminus than all other Dcl proteins. Translation of dltA could also start upstream of the annotated TTG start codon at a GTG, resulting in the premature termination of dltA translation at a stop codon. Applying a novel integrative translation probe plasmid with Escherichia coli 'lacZ as a reporter, we could demonstrate that dltA translation starts at the upstream GTG. Consequently, S. pneumoniae R6 is a dltA mutant, whereas S. pneumoniae D39, the parental strain of R6, and Rx, another derivative of D39, contained intact dltA genes. Repair of the stop codon in dltA of R6 and insertional inactivation of dltA in D39 and Rx yielded pairs of dltA-deficient and dltA-proficient strains. Subsequent phenotypic analysis showed that dltA inactivation resulted in enhanced sensitivity to the cationic antimicrobial peptides nisin and gallidermin, a phenotype fully consistent with those of dltA mutants of other gram-positive bacteria. In addition, mild alkaline hydrolysis of heat-inactivated whole cells released d-alanine from dltA-proficient strains, but not from dltA mutants. The results of our study suggest that, as in many other low-G+C gram-positive bacteria, teichoic acids of S. pneumoniae contain d-alanine residues in order to protect this human pathogen against the actions of cationic antimicrobial peptides.

Alanine↗
PubMed1979

Serological properties of cellular and extracellular glycerol teichoic acid antigens of Streptococcus mutans.

Cell-free supernatant of Streptococcus mutans cultures was concentrated by 50% ammonium sulphate precipitation to 1/50 of the original culture volume. Most extracellular glucosyltransferase activity was detected in the supernatant. Furthermore, the supernatant reacted with serotype specific antiserum, showing immunological identities with the serotype specific polysaccharide antigen obtained from whole cells by hot saline or NaOH extraction in double diffusion tests. Immunoelectrophoretic analysis also revealed that the supernatant antigen possessed significant quantities of lipid-bound and free glycerol teichoic acid antigens. The lipoteichoic acid (LTA) was obtained from whole cells by phenol-water extraction. The lipid-teichoic acid linkage was easily split by mild acid or alkaline hydrolysis. The supernatant and phenol antigens spontaneously sensitized sheep red blood cells. These antigens were adsorbed to hydroxyapatite powder. The extracellular LTA and glucosyltransferase were found to be closely associated and difficult to separate chromatographically. In vivo significance of these properties of LTA and GTase is discussed in terms of the ecology of S. mutans and other oral streptococci.

Antigens, Bacterial↗