Macromolecular composition of three strains of Streptococcus pyogenes

Knowledge of the biological, immunological and chenmical properties of individual components of the cells of Streptococcus pyogenes would pro-vide valuable information pertaining to the pathogenesis of, and protection against, strep-tococcal infections in man. Cell free extracts prepared by exposing aqueous suspensions of S. pyogenes to sonic energy provide a rich source of cellular constituents for subsequent study. The release of these constituents from the group A streptococcal cell during sonic treatment has been studied microscopically by Slade and Vetter (1956). The soluble extracts obtained also were shown to contain the group-specific and the type-specific antigens. The presence of active enzymes in the extract had been demonstrated earlier by Slade (1954). Extracts, prepared by exposing a number of strains and types to a 3 hr period of sonic energy, have been analyzed electrophoretically. Striking differences in the quantitative composition of these extracts were observed (Hess and Slade, 1955). The macromolecular composition of the extracts was defined qualitatively in terms of electrophoretic mobility. A study of the effect of time of exposure to sonic radiation on the composition of extracts from a single type 6 strain showed that 95 per cent of the cell on a dry wt basis could be obtained in a water soluble form (Hess and Slade, 1956). It was found that certain components appeared in solution after short periods of sonic treatment whereas other components appeared in solutio