THE STRUCTURE AND CHEMICAL-COMPOSITION OF THE S-LAYER IN REPRESENTATIVES OF THE GENUS SULFOBACILLUS

The presence of superficial layers (S-layers) in the representatives o f the genus Sulfobacillus - S. thermosulfidooxidans, strain VKM-B-1269 and S. thermosulfidooxidans subsp. asporogenes, strain INMI-41- was s hown. The superficial layers of both microorganisms are glycoproteins containing 7 - 9% of carbohydrates. The prevalent S-layer sugar in S. thermosulfidooxidans is mannose and in S. thermosulfidooxidans subsp. asporogenes, glucose. In addition, the carbohydrate composition of S. thermosulfidooxidans subsp. asporogenes includes methylated pentoses, as distinct from S. thermosulfidooxidans VKM-B-1269. The amino acid co mposition of the superficial layer proteins in the studied microorgani sms has several features in common, namely, prevalence of acid amino a cids over basic ones, a high content of neutraly charged amino acids, and virtual absence of sulfur-containing amino acids.