Lipoteichoic acids from Streptococcus sanguis.

Two lipoteichoic acids, membrane (MLTA) and wall (WLTA), have been purified from Streptococcus sanguis by Sepharose and Ecteola-cellulose column chromatographies and concanavalin A-conjugated Sepharose affinity column chromatography. The teichoic acids were homogenous as judged by disc gel electrophoresis, column chromatography, and double diffusion tests. Both MLTA and WLTA consisted of glycerol, phosphate, glucose, and fatty acids in the ratios of 0.95:1:0.71:0.046 and 0.99:1:0.79:0.023, respectively. alpha-Glycerol-phosphate was obtained by the partial acid hydrolysis of the lipoteichoic acids suggesting that their backbone structure consists of the glycerol moieties linked by 1, 3-phosphodiester bonds. Both WLTA and MLTA form aggregates, perhaps due to micelle formation, in concentrated solution. The aggregate form of MLTA dissociates to a much greater extent than that of WLTA under similar conditions.