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. 1986 May;52(2):459–467. doi: 10.1128/iai.52.2.459-467.1986

In vivo degradation of bacterial cell wall by the muralytic enzyme mutanolysin.

M J Janusz, R E Esser, J H Schwab
PMCID: PMC261021  PMID: 3516873

Abstract

The muralytic enzyme mutanolysin can act in vivo to eliminate chronic erosive arthritis induced in rats by polymers of peptidoglycan-polysaccharide isolated from group A streptococci (PG-APS). The amounts of PG-APS in the livers and spleens of rats treated with mutanolysin were significantly reduced compared with the amounts in control rats treated with phosphate-buffered saline. However, the amounts of PG-APS in the limbs of mutanolysin- and phosphate-buffered saline-treated rats were comparable. PG-APS polymers extracted from the livers, spleens, and limbs of mutanolysin-treated rats were extensively degraded, whereas PG-APS extracted from phosphate-buffered saline-treated rats had a high molecular weight. We propose that mutanolysin abrogates arthritis in rats by degrading PG-APS polymers to a size which is no longer able to induce chronic erosive arthritis, even though the polymers are still present in the limbs.

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Selected References

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