Gram-negative bacteria walls

Upopolysaccharides (14) are cell wall components of gram-negative bacteria. 

A lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is any compound consisting of covalently linked lipids and polysaccharides. The term is used more frequently to denote a cell wall component from Gram-negative bacteria. LPS has endotoxin activities and is a polyclonal stimulator of B-lymphocytes. 

C. trachomatis possesses characteristics resembling both bacteria and viruses. Its major membrane is comparable to that of gram-negative bacteria, although it lacks a peptidoglycan cell wall and requires cellular components from the host for replication. Chlamydia transmission risk is thought to be less than that of gonorrhea. 

Gram-negative cell walls are generally richer in lipides than Grampositive bacteria. 

In Gram-negative bacteria the cell wall is only about 3 nm thick, and located in the extended periplasmatic space between the inner membrane (IM) and an additional outer membrane (OM). The lipid monolayer in the outer leaflet of the OM contains about 90% lipopolysaccharides (LPS). LPS consist of Lipid A and an oligosaccharide component, which is highly specific for individual bacterial species and phenotypes [108, 114]. 

In Gram-negative bacteria which are characterised by a rather complex cell envelope, the CM is also referred to as inner membrane to distinguish it from a second lipid bilayer, termed outer membrane (OM). The space between these two layers is called the periplasm (PP). In the periplasmic space, many proteins are found with a variety of functions. Some are involved in biosynthesis and/or export of cell wall components and surface structures (e.g. pili, flagellae,... 

Some examples of transformations involving carbonyl ylides are listed in Table 4.20. Entry 1 illustrates the conversion of P-acyloxy-a-diazoesters into a-acyloxyacrylates by ring fission of a cyclic carbonyl ylide [978]. This reaction has been used for the synthesis of the natural aldonic acid KDO (3-deoxy-Z)-manno-2-octulosonic acid), which is an essential component of the cell wall lipopolysaccharide of gram-negative bacteria (Figure 4.15). 

The effects of ultrasound upon the permeability of the cell walls of the gram-negative bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa toward hydrophobic compounds particularly antibiotics have been examined [8]. The penetration and distribution of 16-dosylstearic acid (16-DS) in the cell membranes of the bacteria was quantified by a spin-labeling electron spin resonance (ESR) method. The results indicated that the intracellular concentration of 16- D S was higher in insonated cells and increased linearly with the sonication power. 

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