Structure of the cell wall of Micrococcus lysodeikticus. I. Study of the structure of the glycan

The glycan portion of the cell wall of Micrococcus lysodeikticus, or at least the greatest part of it, consists of linear chains of alternating N-acetyl-glucosamine and N-acetylmuramic acid residues, both in the pyranose ring form. Both glycosidic links are 1,4. The links from N-acetylglucosamine to N-acetyl-muramic acid and probably the links from N-acetyl-muramic acid to N-acetylglucosamine are in the β configuration. At least 40% of the N-acetylmuramic residues are not substituted by peptide. This structure is based on the quantitative isolation of the disaccharides N-acetylglucosaminyl-β-1,4-N-acetylmuramic acid and N-acetylmuramyl-(β?)-l,4-N-acetylglucosamine, of the trisaccharides N-acetylglucosaminyl-β-l,4-N-acetyl-muramyl-(β?)-1,4-N-acetylglucosamine and N-acetyl-muramyl-(β?)-1,4-N-acetylglucosaminyl-β-1,4-N-acetyl-muramic acid, and of the tetrasaccharide N-acetylglucos-aminyl-β-1,4-N-acetylmuramyl-(β?)-l,4-N-acetylglucos-aminyl-β-l,4-N-acetylmuramic acid. An octasaccharide the structure of which has not been fully elucidated has also been isolated