Vol. 127, No. 3 Printed in U.S.A.

JOuRNAL o0 BACTZRUOLOGY, Sept. 1976, p. 1582-1584 Copyright 0 1976 American Society for Microbiology

Effect of Lipoteichoic Acid and Lipids on Lysis of Intact Cells of Streptococcus faecalis R. F. CLEVELAND, L. DANEO-MOORE, A. J. WICKEN, AD G. D. SHOCKMAN Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia,

Pennsylvania 19140

Received for publication 18 May 1976

Autolysis of intact cells of Streptococcus faecalis was inhibited to a greater extent by phospholipids than by lipoteichoic acid, suggesting a possible difference in the accessibility of native autolysin to these substances.

Bacterial autolytic enzymes have been implicated in killing by penicillins and other cell wall antibiotics (4, 9). Also, autolysins may play a role in surface growth and cell division

TABLsz

1. Effect of various lipids on Iysis of intact cells of S. faecalis Concn

Lipid

(pg/mg Control (% K cellular dry wt)

x

100

G3P2

80 -J

0 UJ

z

:t

x

Dipalmitoyl phosphatidyl glycerol

70 141