Teichoic acids discovery

Baddiley, J. (1989). Bacterial cell walls and membranes. Discovery of the teichoic acids, Bioessays, 10, 207-210. 

The function of the teichoic acids in the bacterial cell wall has not been definitely determined. Shortly after their discovery in the late 1950s, it was suggested that they function in the control of the concentration of cations in the cell wall. There was some evidence that they played a role in the balance of divalent cations in membranes and thereby provided membrane integrity and stability to the enzymes in the membrane and cell wall [203]. 

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