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  • Title: Chemical and ultrastructural investigations of Mycobacterium bovis BCG: implications for the molecular structure of the mycobacterial cell envelope.
    Author: Klegerman ME, Devadoss PO, Garrido JL, Reyes HR, Groves MJ.
    Journal: FEMS Immunol Med Microbiol; 1996 Oct; 15(4):213-22. PubMed ID: 8908482.
    Abstract:
    The mycobacterial cell wall visualized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of thin sections of resin-embedded specimens is generally believed to consist of an electron-dense peptidoglycan, an electron-transparent arabinogalactanmycolate layer and an electron-dense outer layer (OL). In addition, a pseudocapsule known as the 'electron-transparent zone' (ETZ) has been observed after phagocytosis of mycobacteria by macrophages. TEM of thin sections of Mycobacterium bovis BCG, Tice substrain, revealed an OL bilayer, each of which measured 2-4 nm in diameter. The intermediate electron-transparent layer varied from 1 to about 250 nm in diameter and appears to be a previously observed oxygen-dependent amorphous integument that consists of hot water-extractable neutral polysaccharides, especially a recently characterized alpha glucan, comprising about 12% of the dry cell weight. This and other recent studies of BCG have revealed cell-surface features that may provide a better understanding of the outer mycobacterial cell envelope.
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