Relationship between cell-bound dextransucrase and the agglutination of Streptococcus mutans.

Dextran-induced agglutination of Streptococcus mutans cells is independent of cell-bound dextransucrase activity. Toluene extraction or the presence of Hg2+ or Cu2+ markedly decreased or completely abolished cell-bound dextransucrase activity without adversely affecting dextran-induced cell agglutination. Cells treated by heating at 100 C until cell-bound dextransucrase was completely inactivated continued to agglutinate when induced by dextran-induced cell agglutination resulted from cell treatment with trypsin and several other enzymes, as well as from ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid treatment, without a corresponding loss of cell-bound dextransucrase activity. Cells possessed a greater avidity for branched dextrans of low molecular weight than for linear dextrans of the same weight, indicating that size alone does not determine the efficiency of dextran as an inducer of agglutination. Divalent metal ions were required for both sucrose- and dextran-induced agglutination of S. mutans K1-R cells. Although normal cells of strain 6715-49 did not appear to require divalent cations for agglutination, heat- and ethlyenediaminetetraacetic acid-treated cells specifically required Ca2+. The role of Ca2+ in cell agglutination may be either to activate the cell-surface dextran receptor or to form specific intercellular Ca2+ bridges.