Occurrence of N-glycolylmuramic acid in bacterial cell walls: a preliminary survey

The N-acyl substituent of muramic acid in the cell walls of some species of Actinomycetales and of the related family of Corynebacteriaceae has been studied. The N-glycolyl derivative, recently identified in Mycobacterium smegmatis, has been found in the three other species of Mycobacterium studied: M. kansasii, M. tuberculosis BCG, and M. phlei. The classical N-acetyl derivative has been found in Streptomyces albus and Corynebacterium fermentans.