Biosynthesis of d-Alanyl-Lipoteichoic Acid: Characterization of Ester-Linked d-Alanine in the In Vitro-Synthesized Product

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d-Alanyl-lipoteichoic acid (d-alanyl-LTA) contains d-alanine ester residues which control the ability of this polyer to chelate Mg2+. In Lactobacillus casei a two-step in vitro reaction sequence catalyzed by the d-alanine-activating enzyme and d-alanine:membrane acceptor ligase incorporates d-alanine into membrane acceptor. In this paper we provide additional evidence that the in vitro system catalyzes the covalent incorporation of d-[14C]alanine into membrane acceptor which is the poly([3H]glycerol phosphate) moiety of d-alanyl-LTA. This conclusion was supported by the observation that the d-[14C]alanine and [3H]glycerol labels of the partially purified product were co-precipitated by antiserum containing globulins specific for poly(glycerol phosphate). The isolation of d-[14C]alanyl-[3H]glycerol from d-[14C]alanine·[3H]glycerol-labeled d-alanyl-LTA synthesized in the in vitro system indicated that the d-alanine was linked to the poly(glycerol phosphate) chain of the LTA. A comparison of the reactivities of the d-alanine residues of d-alanyl-glycerol and d-alanyl-LTA supported the conclusion that the incorporated residue of d-alanine was attached by an ester linkage. Thus, the data indicated that the in vitro system catalyzes the incorporation of d-alanine covalently linked by ester linkages to the glycerol moieties of the poly(glycerol phosphate) chains of d-alanyl-LTA. New procedures are presented for the partial purification of d-alanyl-LTA with a high yield of ester-linked d-alanine and for the sequential degradation of the poly(glycerol phosphate) moiety substituted with d-alanine of d-alanyl-LTA with phosphodiesterase II/phosphatase from Aspergillus niger.

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