title: Bacteriolytic enzymes from Staphylococcus aureus. Specificity of ction of endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase.
abstract: The bacteriolytic enzyme with an isoelectric point of 9.5 that is produced by all strains of Staphylococcus aureus investigated was purified from strain M18 (Wadström & Hisatsune, 1970). This enzyme released reducing groups from cell walls of Micrococcus lysodeikticus and was thus shown to be a bacteriolytic hexosaminidase. Although dinitrophenylation and acid hydrolysis of cell walls hydrolysed by a partially purified enzyme gave DNP-alanine and DNP-glycine from staphylococcal peptidoglycan, which indicated the presence of a peptidase and probably also an N-acetylmuramyl-l-alanine amidase, hydrolysis of cell walls by the extensively purified enzyme did not give any DNP-amino acids. The enzyme digest was purified by Amberlite CG-120 and Sephadex G-10 chromatography. Reduction by sodium borohydride of the disaccharide obtained was followed by acid hydrolysis and paper chromatography. Glucosamine completely disappeared after this treatment and a new spot identical with glucosaminitol appeared. The muramic acid spot remained unchanged. The purified enzyme was found to be devoid of exo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase activity. These results are compatible with the action of a bacteriolytic endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase. It is also proposed that this enzyme is probably identical with the staphylococcal lysozyme. The mode of action of this has not previously been investigated.
mesh_terms: D000409:Alanine / Q000032:analysis; D000581:Amidohydrolases / Q000032:analysis; D000605:Amino Alcohols / Q000032:analysis; D000606:Amino Sugars / Q000032:analysis; D001419:Bacteria; D001433:Bacteriolysis; D001896:Boron Compounds; D002473:Cell Wall; D002850:Chromatography, Gel; D002852:Chromatography, Ion Exchange; D002854:Chromatography, Paper; D004140:Dinitrophenols; D004187:Disaccharides / Q000096:biosynthesis; D005944:Glucosamine / Q000032:analysis; D005998:Glycine / Q000032:analysis; D006025:Glycosaminoglycans; D006026:Glycoside Hydrolases / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008837:Micrococcus; D009113:Muramidase / Q000032:analysis; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases / Q000032:analysis; D013210:Staphylococcus / Q000201:enzymology*
chemical_list: D000605:Amino Alcohols; D000606:Amino Sugars; D001896:Boron Compounds; D004140:Dinitrophenols; D004187:Disaccharides; D006025:Glycosaminoglycans; D006026:Glycoside Hydrolases; D009113:Muramidase; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases; D000581:Amidohydrolases; D005944:Glucosamine; D000409:Alanine; D005998:Glycine