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The activity of the pneumococcal autolytic system and the fate of the bacterium during ingestion by rabbit polymorphonuclear leukocytes
Author(s) -
Tomasz Alexander,
Beckerdite Susan,
McDonnell Maureen,
Elsbach Peter
Publication year - 1977
Publication title -
journal of cellular physiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.529
H-Index - 174
eISSN - 1097-4652
pISSN - 0021-9541
DOI - 10.1002/jcp.1040920203
Subject(s) - autolysis (biology) , microbiology and biotechnology , phagocytosis , bacteria , enzyme , biology , ingestion , streptococcus pneumoniae , biochemistry , antibiotics , genetics
The extent to which autolytic microbial enzymes are involved in the fate of microorganisms ingested by phagocytes has not been determined. It is known, however, that activation of degradative enzymes occurs during certain microbicidal events. We examined the possible role of the pneumococcal autolytic enzyme (an N‐acetylmuramyl‐L‐alanine amidase) in the loss of viability and degradation of pneumococci during phagocytosis by rabbit polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Three bacterial systems were compared: (a) wild type pneumococci with an active autolytic system; (b) wild type bacteria grown under conditions that block the endogenous autolytic activity and (c) a mutant strain defective in the major autolytic enzyme of this bacterium. No differences could be detected between the autolysis‐positive and negative bacteria in the rate of killing and in the fate of macromolecular cell constitutents during ingestion by rabbit peritoneal polymorphonuclear leukocytes.