CUHMIi'M. CUM I'OSI'I li)\ or li.MJTEUl.X 109 



iiucleo-proteins, for animal mu-leie acids contain hexosc. On tlie otiier 

 liand, Levene found in bacterial nucleic acid tlie ]nriinidines thyniine 

 and uracil, wliicli are respectively characteristic of animal and ve<;e- 

 table nucleic acids, but they are not supposed to occur in botii. Mary 

 Leach ** found evidence that the colon, bacillus is largely made up of 

 nuclein or g-lyco-nucleoproteins, but contains no cclhdose. Other pro- 

 teins, namely, globulins and nucleo-albumins, have also been described 

 as constituents of the bacterial plasma. 



The complete, amino-acid content of l)acterial protein does not seem 

 to have been worked out. althougii the workers in Vaughan's labora- 

 tory have identified many of the usual amino-acids of proteins among 

 tiie products of hydrolysis of bacteria/' Analysis of B. inesmtericus 

 shows it to be deficient in diamino-acids, tyrosine, glycocoll, and to 

 contain l(i.(i per cent, of glutamic acid.^*^ Taraura ^"-"^ found i)lienyl- 

 iilanine and valine high in tubercle bacilli and very low in H. diph- 

 therup, in which tyrosine is more abundant. In an azobaeterium, 

 lysine has been found especially abundant.^'"' Cystine has been 

 lacking in several analyses. Tamura "'^ also found tluit bacteria can 

 synthesize from simple nonprotein media the purines, ])liosphatids and 

 the typical proteins containing the aromatic amino-acids. This syn- 

 thetic activity of bacteria, in view of the large quantity of bacterial 

 substance in feces, may possibly be of importance in metabolism studies, 

 leading to erroneous conclusions as to utilization or synthesis of pro- 

 teins by the subject.^"'' 



The slimy material produced in cultures by some varieties of bac- 

 teria is, at least for certain forms, a body closely related to or identi- 

 cal with true mucin, ^^ but in certain cases (B. radicicola) it is a gum 

 related to the dextrans and free from nitrogen (Buchanan).^- Tu- 

 bercle bacilli grown for many years on artificial media may produce 

 a true mucin ( Weleminsky).^^ Ileim ^^ considers that anthrax bacilli 

 also produce mucin. Some nonpathogenic bacteria contain granules 

 of sulfur in their protoplasm, and others have noteworthy cjuantities of 

 iron in the sheath. 



Bacterial Carbohydrates. — The earlier descriptions of cellulose or 

 hemiccUulosc in the cell membrane of bacteria have been contested. ^^^ 



8 Jour. Biol. Chem.. 1906 (1). 46.3. Full bililioorapliy on Chemistry of Htu- 

 teria. See also Vaug-han, "'Protein Split Products in Relation to Immunity and 

 Disease," Philadelphia, 1013. 



9 See Wheeler, Jour. Biol. Chem., 1909 (6), 509. 



^0 Horowitz-Wlassowa, Arch. Sci. Bioloitique, 1910 (15). 40. 



JoaZeit. phvsiol. Chem., 1913 (87), 85;' 1914 (89), 289. 



lob Omelianskv and Sieber, Zeit. phvsiol. Chem., 1913 (88), 445. 



lOcZeit. phvsiol. Chem., 1913 (88)" 190. 



lod Osborne and :\lendel. Jour. Biol. Cheiu.. 1913 (18). 177. 



11 Rettc;er, Jour. Med. Research. 1903 (10), 101. 



12 Cent. f. Bakt., TI Abt.. 1909 (22). 371. 



13 Berl. klin. Woch., 1912 (49), 1320. 

 iiMiinch. med. Woch.. 1904 (51), 426. 



"a However, Dreve.r (Zeit. ges. Brauw., 1913 (36), 201), states that the cell 



