The investigations described in this dissertation are presented in two parts. Part I deals with the mode of segregation of the pneumococcal wall teichoic acid during cell growth and division. Teichoic acid was labeled with 3H-choline (a teichoic acid-specific constituent of pneumococci) or an analogue, and its distribution among progeny cells over several generations was followed by autoradiography. The results confirm the zonal growth model for Gram-positive coccal cells. In Part II, the pneumococcal Forssman antigen is identified as a membrane lipoteichoic acid. The following lines of evidence suggest that the teichoic acid chains of the molecule may be identical to those found in the cell wall: (1) they are both composed of the same chemical constituents, including choline; (2) they are both cleaved by periodate and by nitrous acid into choline-containing fragments of similar size; (3) previous investigators demonstrated serological cross-reactivity between the two (Goebel, W. and Adams, M.R., 1943, J. Exp. Med. 77:435-449). Membrane localization of the F-antigen is suggested by the following observations: (1) the F-antigen is accessible from the surface of whole pneumococci; (2) it is not solubilized by muralytic enzymes; (3) it contains lipophilic regions, and is associated with a particulate cell fraction by hydrophobic interactions. The possibility that the lipoteichoic acid may be a precursor to the wall teichoic acid is ruled out by pulse-chase studies.
","abstract_html":"<p>The investigations described in this dissertation are presented in two parts. Part I deals with the mode of segregation of the pneumococcal wall teichoic acid during cell growth and division. Teichoic acid was labeled with <sup> 3</sup>H-choline (a teichoic acid-specific constituent of pneumococci) or an analogue, and its distribution among progeny cells over several generations was followed by autoradiography. The results confirm the zonal growth model for Gram-positive coccal cells. In Part II, the pneumococcal Forssman antigen is identified as a membrane lipoteichoic acid. The following lines of evidence suggest that the teichoic acid chains of the molecule may be identical to those found in the cell wall: (1) they are both composed of the same chemical constituents, including choline; (2) they are both cleaved by periodate and by nitrous acid into choline-containing fragments of similar size; (3) previous investigators demonstrated serological cross-reactivity between the two (Goebel, W. and Adams, M.R., 1943, J. Exp. Med. 77:435-449). Membrane localization of the F-antigen is suggested by the following observations: (1) the F-antigen is accessible from the surface of whole pneumococci; (2) it is not solubilized by muralytic enzymes; (3) it contains lipophilic regions, and is associated with a particulate cell fraction by hydrophobic interactions. The possibility that the lipoteichoic acid may be a precursor to the wall teichoic acid is ruled out by pulse-chase studies.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Barak Briles, Eve Ida"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Alexander Tomasz"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":1974,"date_issued":"1974-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"1974-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:11:51Z","subjects":["teichoic acid","lipoteichoic acid","pneumococcus","Forssman antigen","cell wall","autoradiography","Life Sciences"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.rockefeller.edu/student_theses_and_dissertations/499","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Alexander Tomasz"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Barak Briles, Eve Ida"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["teichoic acid","lipoteichoic acid","pneumococcus","Forssman antigen","cell wall","autoradiography","Life Sciences"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.rockefeller.edu/student_theses_and_dissertations/499"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The investigations described in this dissertation are presented in two parts. Part I deals with the mode of segregation of the pneumococcal wall teichoic acid during cell growth and division. Teichoic acid was labeled with 3H-choline (a teichoic acid-specific constituent of pneumococci) or an analogue, and its distribution among progeny cells over several generations was followed by autoradiography. The results confirm the zonal growth model for Gram-positive coccal cells. In Part II, the pneumococcal Forssman antigen is identified as a membrane lipoteichoic acid. The following lines of evidence suggest that the teichoic acid chains of the molecule may be identical to those found in the cell wall: (1) they are both composed of the same chemical constituents, including choline; (2) they are both cleaved by periodate and by nitrous acid into choline-containing fragments of similar size; (3) previous investigators demonstrated serological cross-reactivity between the two (Goebel, W. and Adams, M.R., 1943, J. Exp. Med. 77:435-449). Membrane localization of the F-antigen is suggested by the following observations: (1) the F-antigen is accessible from the surface of whole pneumococci; (2) it is not solubilized by muralytic enzymes; (3) it contains lipophilic regions, and is associated with a particulate cell fraction by hydrophobic interactions. The possibility that the lipoteichoic acid may be a precursor to the wall teichoic acid is ruled out by pulse-chase studies.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Studies on the Teichoic Acids of the Pneumococcus"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Alexander Tomasz"],"dc:creator":["Barak Briles, Eve Ida"],"dc:description.abstract":["The investigations described in this dissertation are presented in two parts. Part I deals with the mode of segregation of the pneumococcal wall teichoic acid during cell growth and division. Teichoic acid was labeled with 3H-choline (a teichoic acid-specific constituent of pneumococci) or an analogue, and its distribution among progeny cells over several generations was followed by autoradiography. The results confirm the zonal growth model for Gram-positive coccal cells. In Part II, the pneumococcal Forssman antigen is identified as a membrane lipoteichoic acid. The following lines of evidence suggest that the teichoic acid chains of the molecule may be identical to those found in the cell wall: (1) they are both composed of the same chemical constituents, including choline; (2) they are both cleaved by periodate and by nitrous acid into choline-containing fragments of similar size; (3) previous investigators demonstrated serological cross-reactivity between the two (Goebel, W. and Adams, M.R., 1943, J. Exp. Med. 77:435-449). Membrane localization of the F-antigen is suggested by the following observations: (1) the F-antigen is accessible from the surface of whole pneumococci; (2) it is not solubilized by muralytic enzymes; (3) it contains lipophilic regions, and is associated with a particulate cell fraction by hydrophobic interactions. The possibility that the lipoteichoic acid may be a precursor to the wall teichoic acid is ruled out by pulse-chase studies.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.rockefeller.edu/student_theses_and_dissertations/499"],"dc:subject":["teichoic acid","lipoteichoic acid","pneumococcus","Forssman antigen","cell wall","autoradiography","Life Sciences"],"dc:title":["Studies on the Teichoic Acids of the Pneumococcus"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:11:51Z"}