Identity of megacin A with phospholipase A

uMMARY Synthesis of megacin A, a bacteriocin of Bacilli, s Ineg"ten'Min strain 216, was induced by N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine.Me acin A was highly purified and this purified preparation had demonstrable phospholi ase A activity.Both activities were compared at each purification step, and \\, ere found to be purified in parallel.The sedimentation rates upon ultracentrifu at ion and the electrophoretic mobilities of the two activities were the same and both activities were in activated at the same rate by treatment at 100'C.Megacin A negative mutants were all deficient in phospholipase A. These facts suggested that megacin A and the phospholipase A activity are two aspects of the same molecule.Immunochemical studies showed clearly that both active sites resided in a sin Ie molecule.All the strains of Bacz'//Ms a"thraci\ tested were sensitive to me acin A in medium containing NaHCO3.