Lysis of Staphylococcus aureus cell walls by a soluble staphylococcal enzyme.

Enzyme preparations of Staphylococcus aureus were examined for their ability to solubilize (32)P-labeled cell walls of the parent organism. Enzymatic activity was observed in the growth medium, in soluble fractions, and associated with native cell walls. Enzyme associated with isolated cell walls could be inactivated with formaldehyde without reducing the susceptibility of the walls to the action of added enzyme. When cells are frozen and thawed, 50 to 75% of the intracellular enzyme is released along with 2% of the intracellular protein. This freeze-thaw extracted enzyme has little, if any, activity on intact S. aureus cells. It appears that the enzyme resides near the cell wall and acts on the cell-wall inner surface.