[Lytic enzymes produced by Actinomyces levoris]

The composition of the enzyme complex produced by Actinomyces levoris which exhibits lytic action on the cell walls of Streptococcus lactis was studied by gel filtration on Sephadex G-25, ion exchange chromatography and isoelectric focusing. The complex was found to contain at least seven enzymes having different isoelectric points and substrate specificity. The enzymes were divided into three groups. (1) The enzyme with pI 10.2 seems to be a specific glucosidase; it possesses a high activity of the cell wall lysis and lacks a proteolytic activity. (2) The enzymes with pI 9.2 and 9.0 are, apparently, specific lytic proteases; they display both lytic and proteolytic activities. (3) The enzymes with pI 10.0, 9.5, 5.7 and 4.2 are, presumably, non-specific lytic proteases; they have a low lytic activity and a high proteolytic activity.