Two muramyl dipeptides, N-acetylmuramyl-L-alanyl-D-isoglutamine and its adjuvant-inactive isomer N-acetylmuramyl-D-alanyl-D-isoglutamine, were examined for their ability to protect mice carrying the CBA/N immune deficiency gene (xid) against lethal bacterial challenge. Prophylactic treatment with N-acetylmuramyl-L-alanyl-d-isoglutamine gave significant protection against Streptococcus pneumonia...

alpha-Aminoisobutyryl-d-alanine, d-alanyl-alpha-aminoisobutyric acid, and alpha-amino-isobutyryl-alpha-aminoisobutyric acid, proposed as antimetabolites of d-alanyl-d-alanine in bacterial cell wall synthesis, failed to inhibit bacterial growth.

Three enzymes with L- and one enzyme with D-aminopeptidase (EC 3.4.11; alpha-aminoacyl peptide hydrolase) activity have been separated from each other and partially purified from Bacillus subtilis 168 W.T., distinguished with respect to their molecular weights and catalytic properties, and studied in relation to the physiology of this bacterium. One L-aminopeptidase, designated aminopeptidase I...

Adjuvant and antitumor activities of synthetic 6-O-"mycoloyl"-N-acetylmuramyl-L-alanyl-D-isoglutamine were examined. All the synthetic 6-O-corynomycoloyl-, 6-O-mocardomycoloyl-, and 6-O-mycoloyl-N-acetylmuramyl-L-alanyl-D-isoglutamine were active as adjuvants for cell-mediated immune responses. However, 6-O-mycoloyl-N-acetylmuramyl-L-alanyl-D-isoglutamine was less active as an adjuvant on circu...

The author would like to express his appreciation to Professor Ephraim Katchalski for his hospitality, to Professor Michael Sela for samples from his collection and for valuable discussion, to Professor Franz Sondheimer for the use of a spectrophotometer, and to Dr. Israel Schechter and Mr. Shmuel Shaltiel for valuable advice. Abbreviations used are: pTR, poly-L-tyrosyl ribonuclease; pApTR-L, l...

D-Alanyl-lipoteichoic acid (D-alanyl-LTA) is a widespread macroamphiphile which plays a vital role in the growth and development of gram-positive organisms. The biosynthesis of this polymer requires the enzymic activation of D-alanine for its transfer to the membrane-associated LTA (mLTA). A small, heat-stable, and acidic protein that is required for this transfer was purified to greater than 9...

Background: A low level of L-glutamine, a precursor of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) in red blood cells (RBCs), is identified as an underlying mechanism for the potential decrement of the NAD redox and the incidence of pain crisis in sickle cell anemia (SCA). The aim of this study is to assess the impact of oral L-glutamine therapy on pain crisis reduction in patients with SCA and sic...