IDENTIFICATION OF A LIPOMANNAN FROM ROTHIA-DENTACARIOSA

The oral actinomycete Rothia dentocariosa was investigated for the presence of the macroamphiphilic cell envelope component lipoteichoic acid. Lipoteichoic acid of the conventional structure based on polyglycerophosphate was not found but another lipocarbohydrate was recovered by phenol-water extraction and purified by hydrophobic interaction chromatography. The lipocarbohydrate contained fatty acids similar to those of the whole cells. The major carbohydrate detected was mannose, along with minor amounts of glycerol. The lipocarbohydrate is therefore suggested to be a lipomannan comparable to that produced by micrococcal species. This observation provides further chemotaxonomic support for the inclusion of the genus Rothia in the family Micrococcaceae.