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 Original Articles |
| distribution of neuraminidase Activity among Genus Corynebacterium |
| Woo-Hyun Chang |
| Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine Seoul, national University, Seoul, Korea |
Vol.3 Num.1 (p29~35)
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The genus Corynebacterium as presented in Bergy's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology is an assemblage of organisms often unrelated except on the basis of shape and some biochemical characteristics. Work and Cummins have shown that certain members of the genus possess cell wall constituents in common with those found in the type species, C. diphtheriae. Author examined a number of strains for the distribution of Neuraminidase (N-acetyl neuraminate glycohydrolase, NANase) which cleaves neuraminlactose to lactose and N-acetyl neuraminic acid.
Already Warren, Spearing, and Poulik have demonstrated the NANase activity in commercial diphtherial toxoid and anti-NANase in diphtherial antitoxin. Moriyama et al have shown that diphtherial toxin and diphtherial Neuraminidase have similar molecular weights. and succeded in separating the NANase from diphtherial culture. It was also observed that in media in chich the iron content was high enough to inhibit toxin production, NANase production was enhanced. Jaglielski has confirmed many of these results.
The author designed an experiment to observe the optimum conditions for NANase synthesis, influence of iron and diphtherial toxin on the NANase activity, relationships between lysogenicity and NANase activity, and NANase activity among genus Corynebacterium.
The results were summerized as follows;
1. The highest NANase activity was obtained at the logarithmic growth phase in the media containing Fe++ 5 μg/mL.
2. Diphtherial toxin and iron did not significantly influenced upon activity of the partially purified NANase.
3. No significant difference activity between lysogenic and nonlysogenic strain was recognized.
4. Strains of C. diphtheriac, C. belfanti, C. ulcerans, and C. ovis all yield good NANase activity; C. faciense, C. poinsettiae, C. betae, C. sepedonicum, C. equi, C. renale, C. minutissimum, C. pseudodiphthericum, C. pseudotuberculosis, C. xerosis showed no activity.
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