Regulation of staphylococcal enterotoxin B

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The effect of glucose and the glucose analogs 2-deoxyglucose and .alpha.-methylglucoside on the synthesis and regulation of staphylococcal [Staphylococcus aureus] enterotoxin B was examined. Glucose had an attenuating effect on staphylococcal enterotoxin B synthesis. When this effect was examined with the analogs, contradictory responses were seen. .alpha.-Methylglucoside had a slight stimulatory effect on enterotoxin production and other extracellular proteins; 2-deoxyglucose markedly inhibited enterotoxin production. .beta.-Hemolysin and staphylococcal nuclease were also inhibited by 2-deoxyglucose, but the synthesis of nuclease could be rescued by the addition of glucose to 2-deoxyglucose-containing cultures. Enterotoxin and .beta.-hemolysin synthesis were not subject to glucose rescue. The cells used in this study were permeable to cyclic AMP, but the addition of this compound did not reverse glucose repression or 2-deoxyglucose inhibition of enterotoxin B synthesis. Apparently the regulation of enterotoxin is not under catabolite control as previously reported.