Abstract
Summary
The chemical composition of the outer envelope (OE) of Treponema phagedenis biovar Kazan 5 was investigated. After cultivation in a lipid-defined medium, the OE was removed from the cells with 0.7 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate. The solubilized OE was reaggregated by dialysis against 20 mM MgCl2, washed, lyophilized, and subjected to chemical analysis. The average yield of OE was 14.6% of the whole cell (WC) dry weight. The magnesium content was 0.683 μg/mg OE. Peptidoglycan components such as muramic acid and ornithine were detected in the WC but not in the OE, and diaminopimelic acid was absent in both WC and OE. The OE contained protein (60-73%), carbohydrate (1-2%), and lipid (4-5%), primarily polar lipid. The major polar lipids were monogalactosyldiglyceride (43%) and phospholipid (57%), of which phosphatidylcholine was the main phospholipid component, with phosphati-dylethanolamine present in lesser amounts.
This study was supported by Public Health Service Grant AI 08124 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
We wish to thank Dr. David Gray and Mr. Steven Skorich of the Minnesota State Health Department for performing magnesium assays. We also thank Dr. Brian Livermore and Mr. David Peterson of the University of Minnesota for performing lipid and amino acid assays.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.