Abstract
Grown in dialysate broth at a pH between 5.5 and 6.5, some strains of group A streptococci elaborate the precursor of a proteolytic enzyme. Within this range of hydrogen concentration the precursor is also produced when the streptococci are suspended in a peptone dialysate containing glucose and incubated at 37°C. The precursor does not appear to be produced at a neutral or alkaline reaction. Methods are described whereby the precursor and proteinase have been isolated in crystalline form. The precursor crystallizes from half-saturated ammonium sulfate at pH 8.0 and a temperature of 22°C. or higher; the proteinase crystallizes from 0.15 saturated ammonium sulfate at pH 8.0 but does so most readily at refrigerator temperature. The degree of purification achieved by these procedures is discussed. The activity of purified preparations of the precursor and of proteinase has been tested against α-benzoyl-l-arginineamide and, with this as a substrate, the conversion of precursor to proteinase by autocatalysis or by trypsin has been confirmed. Immunological experiments are described, the results of which provide evidence of the distinct antigenic specificity of the precursor and proteinase; the conversion of precursor to proteinase has been followed by means of serological tests.
Full Text
The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (1.1 MB).
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Adams M. H., Roe A. S. A Partially Defined Medium for Cultivation of Pneumococcus. J Bacteriol. 1945 Apr;49(4):401–409. doi: 10.1128/jb.49.4.401-409.1945. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- BERNHEIMER A. W. Formation of a bacterial toxin (streptolysin S) by resting cells. J Exp Med. 1949 Nov;90(5):373–392. doi: 10.1084/jem.90.5.373. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Elliott S. D. A PROTEOLYTIC ENZYME PRODUCED BY GROUP A STREPTOCOCCI WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO ITS EFFECT ON THE TYPE-SPECIFIC M ANTIGEN. J Exp Med. 1945 Jun 1;81(6):573–592. doi: 10.1084/jem.81.6.573. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Elliott S. D., Dole V. P. AN INACTIVE PRECURSOR OF STREPTOCOCCAL PROTEINASE. J Exp Med. 1947 Feb 28;85(3):305–320. doi: 10.1084/jem.85.3.305. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- McCARTY M. The occurrence of nucleases in culture filtrates of group A hemolytic streptococci. J Exp Med. 1948 Aug;88(2):181–188. doi: 10.1084/jem.88.2.181. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Swift H. F., Wilson A. T., Lancefield R. C. TYPING GROUP A HEMOLYTIC STREPTOCOCCI BY M PRECIPITIN REACTIONS IN CAPILLARY PIPETTES. J Exp Med. 1943 Aug 1;78(2):127–133. doi: 10.1084/jem.78.2.127. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]