Studies on Bacteriolytic Enzymes

A strain belonging to Streptomyces was found to produce two types of lytic enzymes active toward Staphylococcus aureus. Both staphylolytic enzymes were highly purified by fractionation with ammonium sulfate, column chromatography on Duolite A-2 and CM-cellulose and by isoelectric focusing method. They were named Fl and F2 lytic enzymes, respectively. Fl lytic enzyme was active toward whole cells of S. aureus, Aerobacter cloacae, Bacillus freudenreichii, and Proteus vulgaris, but was completely inert against Micrococcus lysodeikticus. Casein was also a good substrate of the enzyme. Liberation of amino groups from cell walls of S. aureus by incubation with Fl lytic enzyme suggests that the enzyme is a kind of cell wall lytic peptidase [EC Class 3.4.4]. F2 lytic enzyme lyzed whole cells of the genus Bacillus as well as of S. aureus but did not attack M. lysodeikticus. Liberation of reducing sugars from cell walls of S. aureus by incubation with F2 lytic enzyme suggests it to be a kind of lysozyme [EC 3. 2. 1. 17]. From taxonomic analysis, the strain used here was identified belonging to Streptomyces griseus.