Isolation and Characterization of Staphylococcus aureus Mutants Which Form Altered Cell Clusters

Staphylococcus aureus FDA 209P produces two extracellular bacteriolytic enzymes, 51-kDa endo-β-N-acetylglucosaminidase (GL) and 62-kDa N-acetylmuramyl-L-alanine amidase (AM), both of which can disperse cell clusters. To characterize the physiological roles of these enzymes in vivo, mutants with alte...

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Published in:MICROBIOLOGY and IMMUNOLOGY 1994, Vol.38(12), pp.995-999
Main Authors: Sugar, Motoyuki, Komatsuzawa, Hitoshi, Ooku-Inomata, Kaoru, Miyake, Yoichiro, Ishida, Eisaku, Suginaka, Hidekazu
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acetylglucosaminidase - analysis
Bacteriology
Bacteriolytic enzyme
Biological and medical sciences
Cluster
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Metabolism. Enzymes
Microbiology
Muramidase - analysis
Mutant
N-Acetylmuramoyl-L-alanine Amidase - genetics
Staphylococcus aureus
Staphylococcus aureus - cytology
Staphylococcus aureus - enzymology
Staphylococcus aureus - genetics
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Summary:Staphylococcus aureus FDA 209P produces two extracellular bacteriolytic enzymes, 51-kDa endo-β-N-acetylglucosaminidase (GL) and 62-kDa N-acetylmuramyl-L-alanine amidase (AM), both of which can disperse cell clusters. To characterize the physiological roles of these enzymes in vivo, mutants with altered autolysin activity were isolated, and their degree of cluster formation in broth culture was assessed. Bacteriolytic activities of GL and AM, produced and secreted from these mutants into the culture fluid and detected with activity gels, coincided well with the degree of cluster formation of the mutants. The mutants with little or no enzyme activity grew in clusters, whereas those with high activity grew as well-separated cocci, suggesting that these enzymes are involved in cell separation of S. aureus in vivo.
ISSN:0385-5600
1348-0421
DOI:10.1111/j.1348-0421.1994.tb02158.x