Lipopolysaccharide cell-wall associated

Studies of cell walls solubilised with combinations of EDTA, lysozyme and Tris [16] showed that the phosphorus was not associated with phospholipid, as more of the latter was detected. Only free fatty acids and neutral fats were present in solubilised wall and the phosphorus was thought to be associated with the lipopolysaccharide. However, cations were prevalent in materials examined and these findings contrast with those of Gordon and MacLeod [42] and Bobo and Eagon [13] who found cations associated with the phospholipids. 

Coxiella burnetii also contains several plasmids, and dissimilar plasmid types may be associated with different manifestations of disease.33 The cell wall of a Phase I C burnetii organism contains, in association with lipopolysaccharide, an immunomodulatory complex,34 which produces toxic reactions in mice (eg, hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, liver necrosis) and lymphocyte hyporesponsiveness in vitro. 

Figure 1 Schematic illustration of the supramolecular architecture of the three major classes of prokaryotic cell envelopes containing crystalline bacterial cell surtece layers (S-layers). (a) Cell envelope structure of Gram-negative archaea with S-layers as the only cell wall component external to the cytoplasmic membrane, (b) Cell envelope as observed in Gram-positive archaea and bacteria. In bacteria the rigid wall component is primarily composed of peptidoglycan. In archaea other wall polymers (e.g., pseudomurein or methanochondroitin) are found, (c) Cell envelope profile of Gram-negative bacteria, composed of a thin peptidoglycan layer and an outer membrane. If present the S-layer is closely associated with the lipopolysaccharide of the outer membrane. (Modified after U.B. Sleytr, P. Messner, D. Pum, and M. Sdra. Crystalline Bacterial Cell Surface Proteins. Austin, TX R.G. Landes/Academic Press, 1996. With permission.)...

Nevertheless, cellulose has been a slow developer and scholars associate its first clear appearance with the microscopic green seaweeds of the Ordovician period, i.e. celllulose is probably no more than 500 million years old. Prior to this, complex polysaccharides may have played a role in the development of primitive cells walls. One such is the glycolipid or lipopolysaccharide. 

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