[Lytic action of lysoamidase from Xanthomonas sp. correlates with the presence of the target ribitol teichoic acids in the cell wall of gram-positive bacteria].

Lysoamidase, a bacteriolytic complex from the culture liquid of Xanthomonas sp., hydrolyzed the cells walls of Staphylococcus aureus, Streptomyces chrysomallus, and Streptomyces azureus, which contain ribitol teichoic acids in addition to peptidoglycan. The cell walls of Streptomyces roseoflavus, Glycomyces harhinensis, and Nocardiopsis dassonvillei, containing glycerol teichoic acids, were not hydrolyzed by lysoamidase. The extent of the hydrolysis of 20-h Str. chrysomallus cells and cell walls, containing 40% ribitol teichoic acids, was considerably higher than that of 40-h cells and cell walls, containing 15% teichoic acids. Homogeneous bacteriolytic enzymes of the lysoamidase complex (muramidase and two bacteriolytic peptidases) most efficiently hydrolyzed S. aureus and Str. chrysomallus cell walls, characterized by the highest content of ribitol teichoic acids, and did not hydrolyze purified peptidoglycan.