Skip to main content
The Journal of Experimental Medicine logoLink to The Journal of Experimental Medicine
. 1967 Sep 1;126(3):475–496. doi: 10.1084/jem.126.3.475

STREPTOCOCCAL NUCLEASES

I. FURTHER STUDIES ON THE A, B, AND C ENZYMES

Lewis W Wannamaker 1, Walid Yasmineh 1
PMCID: PMC2138381  PMID: 6034751

Abstract

Streptococcal DNAse C is more resistant to heat inactivation than the A or B enzyme. DNAses A and C are indifferent to the bacterial ribonucleic acid inhibitor whereas the B enzyme is markedly inhibited. Prolonged digestion with relatively large amounts of DNAse B results in chemical and biological destruction of the inhibitor. Ribonuclease as well as deoxyribonuclease activity is associated with the B enzyme. Both activities require divalent cations and both are inhibited by bacterial ribonucleic acid. The ratios of the two activities are constant in various preparations and after partial heat inactivation. Mutual inhibition of the two activities can be demonstrated in mixed substrate systems. The evidence presented is consistent with the view that the B enzyme is a single nuclease which can attack both deoxyribonucleic and ribonucleic acids.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (975.8 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. ALEXANDER M., HEPPEL L. A., HURWITZ J. The purification and properties of micrococcal nuclease. J Biol Chem. 1961 Nov;236:3014–3019. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. BERNHEIMER A. W., RUFFIER N. K. Elaboration of desoxyribonuclease by streptococci in the resting state and inhibition of the enzyme by a substance extractable from the cocci. J Exp Med. 1951 Apr 1;93(4):399–413. doi: 10.1084/jem.93.4.399. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. DILLON H. C., Jr, WANNAMAKER L. W. PHYSICAL AND IMMUNOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES AMONG STREPTOKINASES. J Exp Med. 1965 Mar 1;121:351–371. doi: 10.1084/jem.121.3.351. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. GEORGATSOS J. G., UNTERHOLZNER W. C., LASKOWSKI M., Sr Characterization of the digestion products of deoxyribonucleic acid by purified streptococcal deoxyribonuclease (streptodornase). J Biol Chem. 1962 Aug;237:2626–2630. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. KUNKEL H. G., TISELIUS A. Electrophoresis of proteins on filter paper. J Gen Physiol. 1951 Sep;35(1):89–118. doi: 10.1085/jgp.35.1.89. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. LEHMAN I. R., ROUSSOS G. G., PRATT E. A. The deoxyribo-nucleases of Escherichia coli. III. Studies on the nature of the inhibition of endonuclease by ribonucleic acid. J Biol Chem. 1962 Mar;237:829–833. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. LEHMAN I. R., ROUSSOS G. G., PRATT E. A. The deoxyribonucleases of Escherichia coli. II. Purification and properties of a ribonucleic acid-inhibitable endonuclease. J Biol Chem. 1962 Mar;237:819–828. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. LEHMAN I. R. The deoxyribonucleases of Escherichia coli. I. Purification and properties of a phosphodiesterase. J Biol Chem. 1960 May;235:1479–1487. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. McCARTY M. The inhibition of streptococcal desoxyribonuclease by rabbit and human antisera. J Exp Med. 1949 Dec;90(6):543–553. doi: 10.1084/jem.90.6.543. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. ROTH J. S., MILSTEIN S. W. Ribonuclease. I. A new assay method with P32 labeled yeast ribonucleic acid. J Biol Chem. 1952 May;196(2):489–498. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. STONE A. B., BURTON K. Synergistic effects in the activation of a streptococcal deoxyribonuclease by bivalent metal ions. Biochem J. 1962 Jun;83:492–497. doi: 10.1042/bj0830492. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Taniuchi H., Anfinsen C. B. The amino acid sequence of an extracellular nuclease of Staphylococcus aureus. I. Linear order of the fragments produced by cleavage with cyanogen bromide. J Biol Chem. 1966 Oct 10;241(19):4366–4385. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. WANNAMAKER L. W. Electrophoretic studies of the extracellular products of group A Streptococci. J Exp Med. 1958 Jun 1;107(6):783–795. doi: 10.1084/jem.107.6.783. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. WANNAMAKER L. W., PIERCE H. C. Family outbreak of acute nephritis associated with type 49 streptococcal infection. J Lancet. 1961 Dec;81:561–571. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. WANNAMAKER L. W. The differentiation of three distinct desoxyrlbonucleases of group A Streptococci. J Exp Med. 1958 Jun 1;107(6):797–812. doi: 10.1084/jem.107.6.797. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. WEBB J. M. A sensitive method for the determination of ribonucleic acid in tissues and microorganisms. J Biol Chem. 1956 Aug;221(2):635–649. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. WEBB J. M., LEVY H. B. A sensitive method for the determination of deoxyribonucleic acid in tissues and microorganisms. J Biol Chem. 1955 Mar;213(1):107–117. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. WINTER J. E., BERNHEIMER A. W. THE DEOXYRIBONUCLEASES OF STREPTOCOCCUS PYOGENS. J Biol Chem. 1964 Jan;239:215–221. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Wannamaker L. W., Hayes B., Yasmineh W. Streptococcal nucleases. II. Characterization of DNAse D. J Exp Med. 1967 Sep 1;126(3):497–508. doi: 10.1084/jem.126.3.497. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The Journal of Experimental Medicine are provided here courtesy of The Rockefeller University Press

RESOURCES