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Grouping Antigens of Four Lactobacillus Species and Their Characteristics
Author(s) -
Shimohashi Hirotaka,
Kodaira Shinji,
Suegara Nobuo
Publication year - 1976
Publication title -
japanese journal of microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.664
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1348-0421
pISSN - 0021-5139
DOI - 10.1111/j.1348-0421.1976.tb01006.x
Subject(s) - antigen , teichoic acid , lactobacillus , lactobacillus brevis , biology , biochemistry , microbiology and biotechnology , lactobacillus buchneri , sephadex , chemistry , bacteria , peptidoglycan , cell wall , lactic acid , lactobacillus plantarum , enzyme , genetics , fermentation
Antigenic analyses of Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Lactobacillus lactis, Lactobacillus brevis and Lactobacillus buchneri were carried out by double immunodiffusion in agar. Antigens were extracted from whole cells and cell wall preparations with cold trichloroacetic acid. Most strains of the four species possessed antigen 9 in their cell walls. Another antigen, antigen 10, was found in the cell walls of all the strains of L. brevis and L. buchneri , and in some strains of L. lactis , but not in L. bulgaricus . Fractionation of the antigens was attempted using the cell wall extracts of L. lactis L‐10 with only antigen 9 and of L. brevis X‐1 with both antigens 9 and 10. The partially purified fractions of antigen 9 and of the complex of antigens 9 and 10 were obtained by zone electrophoresis. However, antigen 10 from the complex could not be separated by the same method or gel filtration on Sephadex G‐100 since the two antigens 9 and 10 of the complex always behaved together. The fraction of antigen 9 consisted almost entirely of glycerol and glucose as sugar components, the molar ratio being 2:1. The complex of antigens 9 and 10 also consisted of the same sugars, and the molar ratio of glycerol: glucose was 4:1. Inhibition tests indicated that the immunodominant component of antigen 9 was α‐methylglucoside (glucose), and most probably the determinant is a glucosylated glycerol teichoic acid. It was considered that the determinant of antigen 10 is a glycerol teichoic acid although glucosamine and galactosamine inhibited effectively the reaction between antigen 10 and its antibody.