THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF THE ACTINOMYCETALES: ISOLATION OF A POLYSACCHARIDE CONTAINING D-ARABINOSE AND D-GALACTOSE FROM NOCARDIA ASTEROIDES

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Abstract
A polysaccharide isolated from cultures of Nocardia asteroides contained arabinose and galactose in a molar ratio of 1.7:1. The two monosaccharides were unequivocally identified as D-arabinose and D-galactose by isolating them in crystalline form. Partial hydrolysis showed that some of the D-arabinose units in the polysaccharide were in the furanoside ring form while the D-galactose units possessed the pyranoside structure. Methylation studies showed that the polysaccharide was a branched structure of D-arabinose and D-galactose units with some of the arabinose forming non-reducing, terminal residues. The findings reported here are regarded as further evidence of the close, taxonomic relationship between Nocardia asteroides and Mycobacterium tuberculosis, members of the same order.