Lipoteichoic acid from Streptococcus sanguis is a natural glucosyl acceptor for glucosyltransferases

The synthesis of methanol insoluble-[14C]labeled-polymers from [14C]sucrose by S. mutans glucosyltransferases was stimulated up to four-fold by the presence of highly purified, lipoteichoic acid (LTA) from S. sanguis. Gel filtration chromatography (Sepharose 4B) and ion exchange chromatography (DEAE-Bio-Gel A) of the [14C]labeled-polymers formed in the presence of [3H]glycerol-labeled-LTA showed that high molecular weight, negatively charged [14C]labeled-[3H]glycerol-labeled-LTA complexes were being formed. The [14C]component was identified as glucose by acid hydrolysis and paper chromatography. A similar high molecular weight, negatively charged [14C]glucosyl-[3H]glycerol-labeled-polymer was extracted from S. mutans cells grown in the presence of [3H]glycerol and [14C]sucrose, suggesting that LTA is a glucosyl-acceptor for glucosyltransferases in vivo as well as in vitro.