Intracellular glycosidases of dextran-producing bacteria.

Abstract

EXTENSIVE work on the mechanism of dextran production from sucrose by bacterial extracellular dextransucrase has not, so far, clearly established the identity of the initial acceptors involved in vivo in dextran chain initiation1,2. As a step to obtaining such information we have examined the intracellular glycosidase and transf erase activities of two dextran-producing bacteria. These were Leuconostoc mesenteroides (NRRL B512, NCIB 8590; from the National Collection of Industrial Bacteria, Torry Research Station, Aberdeen) and Streptococcus bovis (strain I)3.