Peptidoglycan .Types of Bacterial Cell Walls and their Taxonomic ...

452 SCHLEIFER AND KANDLER
BACTERIOL REV.
transfer (162a, 432). In particular the different
GC content of anaerobic corynebacteria
(47-58%) and propionibacteria (66-70%) and
some physiological features speak against a
close relationship of these two groups (408, 410,
411). There is also a rather low level of DNA
homology (10-20%) between the anaerobic corynebacteria
and classical propionibacteria
(162a). It might be possible that the peptidoglycan
of these organisms differs in a similar way
from that of the propionibacteria as that of
Arachnia propionica (vide infra). However,
strains of Arachnia propionica show no DNA
homology to either the anaerobic corynebacteria
or the classical propionibacteria (162a).
Variation A4a. Variation A4a which contains
L-Lys in position 3 of the peptide subunit was
found in four different peptidoglycan types
(Table 33). Most of the strains belong to the
genera Brevibacterium and Arthrobacter. The
exceptions are C. manihot and Kurthia zopfii.
More physiological and genetic data are necessary
to elucidate the relationships within this
group.
-G-M-G-
L- Ala
D-Glu -- Y
NH2
E
L- Lys -L- Thra- L-Ala L-Ala_-(L-Ala)-- D-AIa
L -Ala L- Thr - L-Ala * b
*E L_ Ser L - Thr L- Ala C
D-Ala L-Lys
FIG. 26. Fragments of the primary structures of
threonine-containing peptidoglycans of coryneform
organisms (A3a). (a) L-Lys-L-Thr-L-A1a2 3; (b)
L-Lys- L-Ala- L-Thr- L-Ala; (c) L-Lys- L-Ser- L-Thr-
L-Ala.
a)
-G- M-G-
L
L- Ala
D- Glu -. Gly
1-Y r------- -____
LL- Dpm Gly.- Gly_- Gly .- D- Ala
D-Ala LL- Dpm
t
Variation A45B. This variation has only been
found in the genus Cellulomonas (Table 33).
This genus is characterized by the ability to
decompose cellulose and to produce acid from
carbohydrates. These features together with the
distinct peptidoglycan types justify the genus
Cellulomonas despite the objections of Jensen
(161). With the exception of C. flavigena which
contains the L-Orn-D-Asp type peptidoglycan,
all the other species contain the L-Orn-D-Glu
type (F. Fiedler, and 0. Kandler, Arch. Microbiol.,
in press). (The amino acid composition of
cell walls of C. fimi, C. gelida ATCC 488, C.
flavigena ATCC 482, and C. biazotea ATCC 486
were qualitatively studied by Sukapure et al.
(372). Their results were not in agreement with
our findings. In the case of C. fimi and C. gelida
ATCC 488, they found both Orn and Lys; in the
case of C. flavigena ATCC 482 and C. biazotea
ATCC 486, they did not find any diamino acid.
We have obtained a subculture of the latter
strain from M. Lechevalier, New Brunswick,
and confirmed the presence both of Asp and of
L-OM in the cell walls. Physiological studies,
however, have shown that this strain behaves as
a typical C. flavigena. To clarify this discrepancy,
a new subculture of C. biazotea ATCC
486 was obtained from the American Type
Culture Collection. The determination of the
peptidoglycan type corroborated our previous
findings that C. biazotea ATCC 486 contains
a L-Orn-D-Glu type.)
Variation A4,y. Peptidoglycans of variation
A4y were only detected in some coryneform
bacteria and a few micrococci of doubtful taxonomic
position (Table 33; 39). The occurrence
of such a unique peptidoglycan type among a
small group of strains makes a relationship
between these strains quite likely. But further
b)
-G-M-G-
1
L-Ala
D-Glu
IY r - _
m-Dpm -(i)' D-Asp24D-Ala
L-
---------J I
D-Ala m-Dpm
t
FIG. 27. Fragments of the primary structures of Dpm-containing peptidoglycans (A3-y and A4y) of
coryneform organisms. (a) L, L-Dpm-Gly3, A. tumescens ATCC 9647; (b) m-Dpm-D-Asp2, A. duodecadis
ATCC 13347.
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