Composition and Characteristics of Cell Walls of Smooth Strains of Salmonella typhimurium and Derived Rough Variants

SUMMARY: Cell walls of two smooth strains of Salmonella typhimurium and their derived rough variants were found to be very similar in composition as determined by analyses for nitrogen, phosphorus, hexosamine and lipid. The rough cell walls contained less reducing substance than their parent smooth forms, 3.8% against 15.6% and 4.2% against 10.7% (w/w). The sugar components common to rough and smooth cell walls were glucose, hexosamine, heptose and a 2-keto-3 deoxy sugar. In addition smooth cell walls possessed rhamnose, abequose and a larger content of mannose and glucose. Treatment with sodium lauryl sulphate produced a greater decrease in the extinction of suspensions of smooth walls than of rough cell walls. Rough cell walls were more susceptible than smooth to lysis by an ethylenediamine tetra-acetate (EDTA) + lysozyme system.