Isolation, and structural and chemical characterization of outer sheath carrying a polygonal array from Treponema phagedenis biotype Reiter.

An outer sheath was isolated from Treponema phagedenis biotype Reiter by our previously developed method (Masuda, K., and Kawata, T. 1982. J. Bacteriol. 150: 1405-1413). The isolated outer sheath was observed as a triple-layered, closed vesicle carrying a polygonal array by electron microscopy. The outer sheath was mainly composed of protein (41.0%), phospholipid (38.7%), and carbohydrate (11.0%). Sodium dodecylsulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) of the isolated outer sheath in the presence of 2-mercaptoethanol (EtSH) gave one major protein band with an apparent molecular weight of about 69,000 and several minor protein bands. On the other hand, in the absence of EtSH, the major protein band disappeared but two new protein bands at positions of molecular weights of about 65,000 and 72,000 appeared. The SDS-PAGE profiles of the minor protein bands did not change with or without EtSH. Sodium deoxycholate (DOC)-solubilized materials from the isolated outer sheath were reassembled into thin membranous sheets carrying a roughly polygonal array upon removal of DOC by dialysis against Tris-HCl buffer in the absence of Mg2+.