01372nas a2200217   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653002000055653001800075653001200093653001800105100001500123700001900138700001300157700001600170245008300186300001000269490000800279520085300287022001401140       1981                            d  c1981 Feb10aCorynebacterium10aGlycopeptides10aleprosy10aPeptidoglycan1 aJanczura E1 aLeyh-Bouille M1 aCocito C1 aGhuysen J M00aPrimary structure of the wall peptidoglycan of leprosy-derived corynebacteria.  a775-90 v1453 a<p>The cell walls isolated from axenically grown leprosy-derived corynebacteria were submitted to various chemical and enzymatic degradations. The glycan strands of the wall peptidoglycan are essentially composed of N-acetylglycosaminyl-N-acetylmuramic acid disaccharide units. Small amounts of N-acetylglycosaminyl-N-glycolylmuramic acid (less than 10%) were also detected. The muramic acid residues of adjacent glycan strands are substituted by amidated tetrapeptide units which, in turn, are cross-linked through direct linkages extending between the C-terminal D-alanine residue of one tetrapeptide and the mesodiaminopimelic acid residue of another tetrapeptide. Such a structure is very similar to that of the wall peptidoglycan found in the taxonomically related microorganisms of the Corynebacterium, Mycobacterium, and Nocardia groups.</p>  a0021-9193