SEARCH · Search PubMed
Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.
Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.
Ultrathin sections of plaques produced by Streptococcus lactis phages O712 and m13 were examined by transmission electron microscopy. The clear central area of the plaque was found to contain hardly any cellular material but the turbid margin contained abundant plasma membranes and some partially lysed cells whose appearance suggests a novel mechanism for the termination of plaque growth.
The phi X174 gene E product (gpE) causes lysis of Escherichia coli by inducing the host autolytic system. Experiments were carried out to ascertain which part of the 91 amino acid polypeptide carries the functional site for this process. For this purpose fusion genes were created comprising the first 51 codons of gene E and unrelated sequences coding for 102 or 33 amino acids respectively. The chimeric protein of 153 amino acids consisting of the N-terminal part of gpE and a fragment of beta-galactosidase, was neither able to lyse E. coli nor to restore beta-galactosidase activity by alpha-complementation. Expression of the 84 amino acid polypeptide, however, was able to induce lysis of E. coli. It is therefore concluded that the functional lysis-inducing site of gpE is located within the cloned N-terminal part of gene E. In the shorter chimeric protein the sequence following the functional site was tolerated or necessary for stabilization, but in the longer chimeric protein, the C-terminal sequence disturbed the lysis-inducing conformation.
A collection of amber mutants of bacteriophage T5 was analysed using an in vivo complementation test and assigned to 21 complementation groups. The incomplete phage structures produced by T5 amber mutant infection of the non-permissive host were examined. The mutants were allocated to four phenotypic types, as defined by an in vitro complementation test: those which produced functional heads, H; those which produced functional tails, T; those which produced inactive heads and functional tails, HI + T; and those which did not synthesize either heads or tails, 0. Functional heads and inactive heads were indistinguishable in shape and size in the electron microscope. Four different patterns of DNA metabolism were observed when different amber mutants were grown under non-permissive conditions. They were the wild-type pattern (D+) in which host DNA degradation was followed by synthesis of phage DNA, host DNA degradation without phage DNA synthesis (D0), neither host DNA degradation nor phage DNA synthesis (DD0) and host DNA degradation with slight DNA synthesis (DS). Upon infection of the non-permissive host with representatives of different complementation groups of mutants either normal lysis occurred or bacterial growth ceased without subsequent lysis. The phenotypic characteristics of the amber mutants were used for partial elucidation of the functions of the affected genes.
Transmission electron micrographs of Escherichia coli cells induced by cloned lysis genes from RNA bacteriophages GA (group A-II) and SP (group B-IV) revealed various morphological aspects of intermediates of lysing cells. Cells induced by the SP lysis gene became stretched and also tapered in shape and fragmentation of parts of the cells had also occurred. Cells induced by the GA lysis gene showed many ballooning structures on the cell surfaces and others leaked material through the cell wall. Some balloon-like structures also appeared on the surfaces of cells induced by the cloned lysis gene of RNA phage SP and material also appeared to be leaking through the cell wall in the photographs. The lysing cells observed by transmission electron microscopy showed various morphological aspects of intermediates of the lysing process.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Mutants of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PAKS-I which are defective in the formation of extracellular protease activity have been characterized. The mutants produced between approximately 1 and 25% of the protease activity of the wild type and no strains completely lacking extracellular protease were found, even after repeated mutagen treatment. Most mutants also had changed activities of extracellular staphylolytic enzyme, lipase and lecithinase. Four of 13 mutants were unable to release alkaline phosphatase and staphylolytic enzyme into the medium in contrast to the wild type. Serotype, phage type and biochemical reactions were essentially unchanged. The results indicate that some of the mutations affected the cell envelope structure of function leading to decreased ability to release extracellular proteins, and that other mutations possibly affected a common regulatory mechanism for extracellular enzymes.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
A mutant of Bacillus subtilis which grew in complex medium at 30 degrees C but lysed at 45 degrees C has been isolated. It could only grow on minimal medium at 45 degrees C with added aspartate (20 microgram ml-1) but lysed if lysine (20 microgram ml-1) was also present. The requirement for aspartate was due to a low activity of pyruvate carboxylase; the site of the mutation (pyc) was linked (16% cotransducible using phage PBSI) to the pyrD locus, and the order of markers deduced was: pyrD-cysC-pyc. This defect appeared to lead to decreased synthesis of mesodiaminopimelic acid (mesoA2pm), an amino acid unique to peptidoglycan and its precursors. At the restrictive temperature the mutant accumulated uridine-5'-diphosphate N-acetylmuramyl-L-alanyl-D-glutamate, since meso A2pm is the next amino acid to be added to the growing peptide chain of peptidoglycan. This resulted in an inhibition of peptidoglycan synthesis, determined as a reduced incorporation of N-acetyl[14C]glucosamine. Peptidoglycan synthesis was not decreased if the mutant was grown in media containing aspartate but lacking lysine. The sensitivity to lysine may arise because (i) at 45 degrees C the mutant was starved for aspartate and hence mesoA2pm even when aspartate was present, since aspartate utilization, as estimated by the incorporation of [3H]aspartate into trichloroacetic acid precipitable material, was relatively inefficient; and (ii) this diminished level of mesoA2pm synthesis from aspartate was further curtailed since lysine inhibits one of the aspartokinases in B. subtilis. Thus, addition of lysine allowed protein synthesis and hence autolysin production to proceed whilst peptidoglycan synthesis remained inhibited. When autolysis was blocked, either indirectly by stopping protein synthesis through starvation of aspartate and lysine, or directly by introducing a lyt mutation, then shifting the mutant to 45 degrees C did not result in lysis but growth still ceased.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
A novel method for obtaining complete lysis of coryneform bacteria has been devised. Bacteria in the late-exponential phase of growth are treated with antibiotics which inhibit biosynthesis of the cell wall. Organisms treated in this way show increased sensitivity to lysis by added lytic enzymes. The preparation of DNA from this group of organisms is thus greatly facilitated.
We have previously shown that Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. alesti, serotype 3, produces two extracellular inhibitors of the immune system of Saturniid pupae (designated inhibitors A and B; Edlund et al., 1976). Starting from the culture supernatant of a new mutant of B. thuringiensis with a decreased extracellular proteolytic activity, we have now purified immune inhibitor A(InA). The procedure described consists of three steps: ultrafiltration, precipitation with ammonium sulphate and chromatography on hydroxylapatite. Purified InA gave a single band on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis using either a gel concentration of 7.5% (w/v) and reducing and denaturing conditions or a gradient gel and native conditions. In both cases the apparent molecular weight was 78 000. A certain amount of proteolytic activity was always co-purified with InA but the two activities could be dissociated by heat or EDTA treatment. Antiserum against purified InA gave only one sharp precipitation band on immunodiffusion against InA with or without EDTA. InA inhibited the in vitro killing of Escherichia coli by immune haemolymph but did not affect the killing of Bacillus subtilis. InA was toxic for Drosophila when injected into the abdomen of adult male flies.
Bacillus cereus 569 is known to be resistant to lysis by lysozyme because of the presence of deacetylated glucosamine residues in its peptidoglycan, and cultures continued to grow even in the presence of lysozyme at 200 microgram ml-1. However, lysozyme caused rupture of the chains of bacteria and promoted the rate of autolysis in a non-growing cell suspension, causing a doubling of the rate of release of radioactively labelled wall material. Heat-inactivated cells did not autolyse and were not lysed by lysozyme unless they were supplemented by unheated cells or cell-free autolysate. Enhancement of autolysin activity could also be effected by pre-treatment of heated cells with lysozyme. The action of lysozyme on isolated cell walls released some free reducing groups, indicating limited breakage of the polysaccharide chains of peptidoglycan, and it was concluded that lysozyme modified the peptidoglycan and made it more susceptible to autolysin(s). Lysozyme also enhanced the rate of septum separation and the probable significance of the results in relation to the control of cell separation is discussed.
Rates of lysis by lysozyme (expressed as the decrease in A550 min-1) of synchronously dividing cells of Bacillus subtilis rose in concert with the stepwise increase in cell numbers. Asynchronously growing cells showed no periodicities in sensitivity; rates of lysis reflected the exponential increase in culture density.
Optimum conditions of pH, temperature and multiplicity of bacteriophage infection for the production of phage-associated lysin from Group C streptococci were defined. Lysin obtained by the optimum method was used to make protoplast membranes of Group A type 12 streptococci. These membranes consistently contained very low concentrations of rhamnose, indicating minimal cell wall contamination. The development of such a reproducible technique for the preparation of protoplast membranes will permit more meaningful studies on the involvement of these membranes in the pathogenesis of acute post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis.
It has been suggested that the antibacterial activity of the lactoperoxidase/thiocyanate/hydrogen peroxide system is due to the hypothiocyanite anion. Relatively pure solutions of hypothiocyanite can be prepared using an immobilized enzyme. These preparations have been used to examine the effect of the anion on the growth and on the membranes of Escherichia coli and Streptococcus lactis. Escherichia coli is killed in the presence of the anion whereas the effect on Streptococcus lactis is only bacteriostatic. As similar effects have been noted with the lactoperoxidase/thiocyanate/hydrogen peroxide system the hypothesis that the action of the two systems is similar is supported.
Normal human serum kills Escherichia coli ML308 225 and lyses protoplasts derived from this organism. Human serum which is depleted of complement component C9 or deficient in component C8 is not bactericidal, but C9-depleted serum will lyse protoplasts whereas C8-deficient serum will not. Bacterial lipopolysaccharide, which can protect bacteria from the serum bactericidal reaction, does not protect protoplasts from lysis by serum.
Wall-deficient forms of Mycobacterium aurum were prepared by agitating the cells during exponential growth with D-cycloserine, glycine, lysozyme, EDTA and LiCl for approximately the time of three cell divisions (18 h). Wall-deficient forms were then converted to spheroplasts by gentle stirring with lysozyme and EDTA in a Tris/HCl buffer containing sucrose until all the cells appeared spherical by phase contrast microscopy. Subsequent lysis by nucleases followed by osmotic shock produced membrane vesicles. Ultrastructural and chemical properties of the spheroplasts and membrane vesicles are described. The spheroplasts were susceptible to lysis by 0.25% (w/v) sodium dodecyl sulphate and were permeable to certain enzyme substrates.
The pleiotropic character of the envC chain-forming mutant of Escherichia coli was found to include leakage of periplasmic enzymes and an abnormal tendency to autolyse. Washed suspensions of envC cells released murein fragments into the supernatant, and cell extracts from the mutant were richer than those of wild type in exo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase (187% of the wild-type value) and in soluble endopeptidase (256%) activities, but n-acetylmuramoylamidase, D,D-carboxypeptidase, L,Dj-carboxypeptidase and transglycosylase were not markedly different. When envC cells were grown in medium containing 0.58 M-sucrose, the chains broke up into rods, the L,D-carboxypeptidase activity increased about sixfold and D,Dj-carboxypeptidase 1B about twofold. It is suggested that L,D-carboxypeptidase is involved in septum splitting. The results suggest that the triggering of autolysis in E. coli envC depends on the alteration of envelope constituents rather than on an enhanced activity of murein hydrolases.