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 constituents during ingestion by rabbit peritoneal polymorphonuclear leukocytes.
The activity of the pneumococcal autolytic system and the fate of the bacterium during ingestion by rabbit polymorphonuclear leukocytes
폐렴구균 자가 용해 시스템의 활동과 토끼 다형핵 백혈구에 의해 섭취되는 동안 박테리아의 운명
[Category] 폐렴구균 감염증,
[Article Type] journal-article
[Source] pubmed
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