Open AccessStructure of the Staphylococcus aureus cell wall determined by the freeze-substitution method
Author(s) -
Akira Umeda,
Yukihide Ueki,
Kazunobu Amako
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
journal of bacteriology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.652
H-Index - 246
eISSN - 1067-8832
pISSN - 0021-9193
DOI - 10.1128/jb.169.6.2482-2487.1987
Subject(s) - trichloroacetic acid , teichoic acid , cell wall , trypsin , staphylococcus aureus , sodium dodecyl sulfate , biology , biochemistry , chromatography , sodium , concanavalin a , microbiology and biotechnology , bacteria , chemistry , enzyme , genetics , organic chemistry , peptidoglycan , in vitro
The fine structure of the Staphylococcus aureus cell wall was determined by electron microscopy with the new technique of rapid freezing and substitution fixation. The surface of the cell wall was covered with a fuzzy coat which consisted of fine fibers or an electron-dense mass. Morphological examination of the cell wall, which was treated sequentially with sodium dodecyl sulfate, trypsin, and trichloroacetic acid, revealed that this coat was partially removed by trypsin digestion and was completely removed by trichloroacetic acid extraction but was not affected by sodium dodecyl sulfate treatment, suggesting that the fuzzy coat consists mostly of a complex of teichoic acids and proteins. This was confirmed by the application of the concanavalin A-ferritin technique for teichoic acid and antiferritin immunoglobulin G technique for protein A.