The distribution of trypsin-like enzyme activity in cultures of a virulent and an avirulent strain of Bacteroides gingivalis W50.

The distribution of trypsin-like enzyme activity was studied in 48- and 72-h batch cultures of Bacteroides gingivalis W50 and an avirulent variant (W50/BE1) of the parent strain. Activity was measured at pH 7.4 in cells, the extracellular vesicle (ECV) and soluble extracellular protein (EP) fractions recovered by ammonium sulphate precipitation from spent growth medium. Both organisms produced cell surface and extracellular vesicles, but whilst strain W50 produced more ECV, W50/BE1 yielded more of the EP fraction by weight. Whole cultures of W50 displayed a three-fold greater trypsin activity than those of W50/BE1. However, 90% of the total enzyme activity of W50 cultures was associated with the particulate fraction (cells and ECV totalled), whereas this fraction accounted for only 10-30% of the total for W50/BE1. Unlike W50/BE1, the specific activities of W50 cells and ECV rose in 72-h cultures. Conversely, cultures of W50/BE1 displayed an increase in the yield and specific activity of the EP fraction.