| Literature DB >> 239401 |
Abstract
The choline-containing pneumococcal lipoteichoic acid (Forssman antigen) is a powerful inhibitor of the homologous autolytic enzyme, an N-acetylmuramyl-L-alanine amidase (EC 3.5.1.28, MUCOPEPTIDE AMIDOHYDROLASE). Low concentrations of deoxycholate can reverse the inhibition. Wall teichoic acid preparations are inactive at several hundred-fold higher concentrations. Activation of an inactive form of autolysin by in vitro incubation with choline-containing cell walls is also inhibited by lipoteichoic acid. Addition of lipoteichoic acid to the growth medium of pneumococcal cultures causes chain formation, resistance to stationary phase lysis, and penicillin tolerance. It is suggested that a physiological role of lipoteichoic acids may be in the in vivo control of autolysin activity.Entities:
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Year: 1975 PMID： 239401 PMCID： PMC432610 DOI： 10.1073/pnas.72.5.1690
Source DB: PubMed Journal: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A ISSN： 0027-8424 Impact factor: 11.205