BACTERIAL AUTOLYSIS 



WILLIAM S. STURGES and LEO F. RETTGER 

 From the Sheffield Laboratory of Bacteriology, Yale University 



Received for publication January 28, 1922 



The term "autolj'sis" has quite generally been used to desig- 

 nate a process of cell or tissue deterioration in which the more 

 complex nitrogenous substances, particularly proteins, are re- 

 duced to simpler form through the agency of enzjTiies which 

 have been elaborated by the cells or tissues themselves. 



The self-digestion of yeast, and of Uver and other animal or- 

 gans was recognized by Salkowski (1891) to be due to enzymatic 

 action. An increase in the soluble nitrogenous constituents and 

 the presence of leucine and tyrosine were observed. Jacoby 



(1900) showed that there is a consistent increase in ammonia 

 during the process and advanced the hypothesis that this con- 

 stituted the mechanism for the elimination of soluble kataboUc 

 products of the normal living cell. 



Fermi (1890, 1891 and 1894) was among the first to demonstrate 

 the presence of enzymes in bacteria. Extensive comparative 

 studies with pepsin and trypsin showed that the proteolytic 

 principles of bacteria resembled the latter. Our knowledge of 

 the proteolytic enzjones of bacteria was further advanced by 

 Wood (1890), MacFadyen (1892), Vignal (189G), Eijkmann 



(1901) and Cacace (1901). 



By the employment of Buchner's " Hef epressaf t" method 

 Hahn (1900) obtained an extract from Bad. typhosum and 

 Mycobact. tuberculosis which he claimed possessed autolytic 

 properties. Brieger and Mayer (1903 and 1904) reported that 

 they had removed agglutinogens and other specific bodies from 

 Bad. typhosum by autolysis. It appears quite probable, 

 however, that the processes which they employed were such 



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