Specific antibodies to the N-termini of the interpeptide bridges of peptidoglycan

Arch Microbiol. 1978 Aug 1;118(2):185-92. doi: 10.1007/BF00415728.

Abstract

The synthetic peptides Gly5-epsilon-Ahx and L-Ala3-epsilon-Ahx, with structural similarity to the interpeptide bridge peptides of staphylococci or micrococci, respectively, were convalently linked to human serum albumin via their carboxylgroups. Antisera to these synthetic peptidyl-protein antigens contained fairly high amounts of antibodies with specificity to the N-terminal parts of the peptide chains attached to the carrier proteins. Antisera to (Gly5-epsilon-Ahx)20-albumin gave, without exception, strong precipitin reactions in latex-agglutination with staphylococcal peptido-glycans. The antisera completely failed, however, in any reaction with peptidoglycans of micrococci or other bacteria which did not have these oligo-glycine peptides typical for staphylococci. On the contrary, antisera to (l-Ala3-epsilon-Ahx)22-albumin strongly precipitated micrococcalpeptidoglycans with oligo-L-alanine interpeptide bridges (e.g. Micrococcus varians. Micrococcus roseus), but showed no significant reaction with peptidoglycans of staphylococci or other bacteria lacking oligo-L-alanine interpeptide bridges.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antibodies / analysis*
  • Antibody Specificity
  • Antigens*
  • Chemical Phenomena
  • Chemistry
  • Latex Fixation Tests
  • Micrococcus / immunology*
  • Peptides / immunology*
  • Peptidoglycan / immunology*
  • Rabbits
  • Serum Albumin
  • Staphylococcus / immunology*

Substances

  • Antibodies
  • Antigens
  • Peptides
  • Peptidoglycan
  • Serum Albumin