The effect of certain cultural factors on production of dextransucrase by Leuconostoc mesenteroides.

TLDR: Observation on factors affecting production of dextransucrase from Leuconostoc mesenteroides, strain NRRL B-512 and the possibility that more than one enzyme may be involved in the synthesis ofdextran is recognized.

Abstract: Present knowledge on the characteristics of dextransucrase and its mode of action is based primarily on the important investigations of Hehre (1941, 1946, 1951) and Hehre and Sugg (1942). Hitherto, a serious impediment to studies of this interesting enzyme has been the difficulty of procuring dextransucrase. Development of further knowledge about it would be greatly facilitated by the availability of culture liquors rich in dextransucrase. The rapid formation of dextransucrase in high yields has been reported in a preliminary note (Koepsell and Tsuchiya, 1952). The present report deals in greater detail with our observations on factors affecting production of dextransucrase from Leuconostoc mesenteroides, strain NRRL B-512.2 However, culture liquors high in activity have been obtained from a large number of the organisms tested. The dextran produced by strain NRRL B-512 in the conventional whole culture procedure contains about 95 per cent a-1,6-glucopyranosidic linkage. Although the non-1,6 linkages have been assumed to be of the a-1,4 type, definite proof on this point is lacking (Jeanes and Wilham, 1950). L. mesenteroides, strain NRRL B-512, or its substrains, is the organism principally used in investigations of clinical dextran in the United States. Although the term \"dextransucrase\" is used in the singular for convenience, the possibility that more than one enzyme may be involved in the synthesis of dextran is recognized.