Cell wall anionic polymers of Streptomyces sp. MB-8, the causative agent of potato scab

The cell wall of Streptomyces sp. MB-8 contains a major teichoic acid, viz., 1,3-poly(glycerol phosphate) substituted with N-acetyl-alpha-D-glucosamine (the degree of substitution is 60%), a minor teichoic acid, viz., non-substituted poly(glycerol phosphate), and a family of Kdn (3-deoxy-D-glycero-D-galacto-non-2-ulopyranosonic acid)-containing oligomers of the following general structure: [carbohydrate structure: see text]. The composition of the oligomers was established using MALDI-TOF mass spectroscopy. The present study provides the second example of the identification of Kdn as a component of cell wall polymers of streptomycetes, which are the causative agents of potato scab.