Incorporation of bacterial peptidoglycan constituents into macrophage lipids during phagocytosis

Bacillus subtilis radiolabeled cell walls were incubated with the macrophage cell line RAW264 in order to determine whether a peptidoglycan fragment were subsequently maintained on a macrophage lipid. Specifically, cell walls were radiolabeled in their glucosamine, muramic acid and alanine residues with D-[1-3H] glucosamine and L[U-14C]alanine. Following encounter with these radiolabeled cell walls, macrophages were collected and subjected to lipid extraction procedures. Further fractionation produced a phosphatidylethanolamine co-migrating lipid which upon hydrolysis and amino acid analysis revealed radiolabeled muramic acid, glucosamine, and alanine residues. These residues were shown to form a common fragment since the aqueous soluble material obtained after saponification of the crude lipid extract eluted as a single peak following gel permeation chromatography. Saponification destroyed the TLC mobility of the lipid showing that the fragment was covalently attached to the lipid