ABSTRACT
Cell walls of three type strains of the "Bacillus subtilis" group, Bacillus mojavensis VKM B-2650, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens subsp. amyloliquefaciens VKM B-2582, and Bacillus sonorensis VKM B-2652, are characterized by the individual set of teichoic acids. All strains contained 1,3-poly(glycerophosphates), unsubstituted, acylated with D-alanine, and glycosylated. The latter differ in the nature of the monosaccharide residue. Teichoic acids of B. mojavensis VKM B-2650(T) and B. amyloliquefaciens subsp. amyloliquefaciens VKM B-2582(T) contained α-glucopyranose, while those of VKM B-2652(T) contained ß-glucopyranose and N-acetyl-α-D-glucosamine. Moreover cell walls of B. mojavensis VKM B-2650(T) contained a teichoic acid of poly(glycosylglycerophosphate) nature with the following structure of the repeating unit: -4)-α-D-α-D- GlcpNAc-(1--> 3]-Glcp-(1 --> 2)-sn-Gro-(3-P-. The type strains have been characterized according to the composition of cell wall sugars and polyols. Application of teichoic acids (set and structure) as chemotaxonomic characteristics is discussed for six type strains of the "Bacillus subtilis" group. Polymer structures were determined by chemical and NMR spectroscopic techniques.
