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R Yanagawa

Publications and source records attributed to R Yanagawa.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources

Isolation and characterization of a leptospiral type-specific antigen.

The type-specific main (TM) antigen was extracted from the leptospiral cells of strain Kyoto of the Hebdomadis group by 90% phenol and was purified mainly by ethanol precipitation. The TM antigen was specific, forming one precipitin band by immunodiffusion and reacting by complement fixation test with anti-strain Kyoto serum; so far as has been tested, it does not appear to react with antisera of other serotypes. The sedimentation velocity of the TM antigen was 216S. Morphologically the TM antigen was filamentous in shape with a uniform width of 25 to 30 nm and various lengths from 50 nm to 1 mum. The infrared absorption pattern of the TM antigen generally resembled that of gram-negative bacterial endotoxin, and this fact suggests that the antigen is composed mainly of lipopolysaccharides. Galactose, rhamnose, xylose, arabinose, glucosamine, 13 kinds of acidic and neutral amino acids, lipids, and phosphorus were found in the TM antigen.

Amino Acids↗

Chemical properties of the pili of Corynebacterium renale.

Pili separated from the cells of Corynebacterium renale strain 46 (type II) by agitation at high speed in a homogenizer were purified by repeated cycles of ammonium sulfate precipitation, sonic treatment, and centrifugation. The preparation of purified pili formed a single antigen-antibody line in agar gel and showed an absorption maximum at 275 nm. The pili subjected to dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis formed a main band and corresponded to the molecular weight of 19,000. The fact that the total nitrogen of the amino acids of the pili was nearly equal to its nitrogen content, together with the absence of detectable carbohydrate, has led to the conclusion that the pili are protein. The pilial protein was composed of 20 amino acids. Preparations of pili which had been treated with 0.5 n NaOH, but not with 1 n HCl, no longer appeared filamentous and failed to form a precipitate with the antibody in agar gels. A comparison has been made of the amino acid composition and certain properties of the pili of C. renale and type I pili and F pili of gram-negative bacteria.

Amino Acids↗

Some properties of the pili of Corynebacterium renale.

Some properties of the pili of the gram-positive bacteria Corynebacterium renale were described. A relationship was found between the morphological features of pili and the types of C. renale. Strains of types I and III usually possessed a small number of pili, whereas those of type II possessed numerous pili. Thick and long bundles of pili characteristic of C. renale were frequently observable in type II strains. Piliation of C. renale was stable under various cultural conditions. No ability to agglutinate red blood cells was demonstrated by piliated strains of C. renale. Pili were isolated from the cells of C. renale and studied serologically by immunodiffusion. The pili of a type II strain were serologically identical with the pili of another type II strain but not with those of the strains belonging to types I and III. The pili were serologically distinct from the cell wall. The pili were broken into short pieces by boiling, but their antigenicity was increased after boiling.

Agglutination Tests↗