Structure of the cell wall of Staphylococcus aureus, strain Copenhagen. IX. Teichoic acid and phage adsorption

Selective degradation of the teichoic acid and the peptidoglycan polymers of the walls of Staphylococcus aureus (Copenhagen) by several defined techniques shows that 4-O-β-(N-acetyl-D-glucosaminyl) substitution of the D-ribitol units of the teichoic acid moiety is essential to phage fixation and that, in order to be operative, these groups must possess a definite configuration which, in the native walls, is imparted by the binding of the teichoic acid to the supporting peptidoglycan.