Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 11, 2026
08:03
A Tandem Liquid Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry-based Approach for Metabolite Analysis of Staphylococcus aureus
Published on: March 28, 2017
Isolation and characterization of Staphylococcus aureus mutants which form altered cell clusters
M Sugai1, H Komatsuzawa, K Ooku-Inomata
1Department of Microbiology, Hiroshima University School of Dentistry, Japan.
Microbiology and Immunology
|January 1, 1994
Summary
Staphylococcus aureus secretes bacteriolytic enzymes, endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase (GL) and N-acetylmuramyl-L-alanine amidase (AM), that control cell separation. Mutants lacking these enzymes form clusters, while those with high activity show well-separated cocci.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Enzymology
- Bacterial Physiology
Background:
- Staphylococcus aureus FDA 209P produces extracellular bacteriolytic enzymes.
- These enzymes, endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase (GL) and N-acetylmuramyl-L-alanine amidase (AM), are known to disperse cell clusters.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the in vivo physiological roles of GL and AM in Staphylococcus aureus.
- To determine the involvement of these enzymes in bacterial cell separation.
Main Methods:
- Isolation of mutants with altered autolysin activity.
- Assessment of cell cluster formation in broth culture for each mutant.
- Detection of bacteriolytic activities of GL and AM using activity gels.
Main Results:
- Mutants with low or no GL and AM activity exhibited significant cell cluster formation.
- Mutants with high bacteriolytic enzyme activity displayed well-separated cocci.
- Bacteriolytic activities correlated directly with the degree of cell separation.
Conclusions:
- Extracellular bacteriolytic enzymes GL and AM play a crucial role in the in vivo cell separation of Staphylococcus aureus.
- These enzymes are essential for preventing cell aggregation and maintaining individual coccal morphology.
