The Rate of Formation of Hyaluronidase, Coagulase and Total Extracellular Protein by Strains of Staphylococcus aureus

Abstract

SUMMARY: Hyaluronidase is formed as a constitutive enzyme by Staphylococcus aureus growing in either broth or casein hydrolysate media. The lag in the appearance of hyaluronidase activity after inoculation of a culture is longer than the lag in growth. A change in the rate of formation of hyaluronidase therefore occurs after exponential growth has been established. Activity per unit volume of culture supernatant increases exponentially faster after this initial lag than the mass of bacteria; it stops increasing abruptly sooner than growth. Coagulase appears, after inoculation, without lag additional to that in growth but increases at a slower rate than growth until it too ceases to increase before growth stops. Evidence is presented to show that changes in enzymic activity of the culture represent enzyme formation and not secondary changes in formed protein or secretion phenomena. The changes in rate of enzyme formation are connected with processes controlling enzymic specificity of the proteins rather than with general processes involved in manufacturing extracellular protein.