BINDING OF MUTAGENS BY FRACTIONS OF THE CELL-WALL SKELETON OF LACTIC-ACID BACTERIA ON MUTAGENS

The binding effect of cells and cell fractions, cell wall skeleton, cytoplasm, whole cells, and cell wall skeleton treated by lysozyme and alpha-amylase at 37-degrees-C for 5 h, on Trp-P-1 (3-amino-1,4-dimethyl-[H-5]pyrido[4,3-b]indole) and Trp-P-2 (3-amino-1-methyl-[H-5]-pyrido[4,3-b]indole) were investigated. The cell and cell wall skeleton of Streptococcus cremoris Z-25 had greater binding activity, but cytoplasm and extract of cell wall skeleton did not bind Trp-P-1 and Trp-P-2. When the cells or cell wall skeleton were treated with lysozyme and alpha-amylase, unbound Trp-P-1 and Trp-P-2 concentrations were greater than that of the untreated control. It is possible that cell walls may be involved in the binding of mutagenic pyrolyzates to lactic acid bacteria. The cell wall skeleton of S. cremoris Z-25, Lactobacillus acidophilus IFO 13951, and Bifidobacterium bifidum IFO 14252 showed binding of Trp-P-1, 2-amino-6-methyldipyrido(1,2-a:3',2'-d)imidazole, 2-amino-5-phenylpyridine, 2-amino-3-methylimidazo(4,5-f)quinoline, 2-amino-3,4-dimethylimidazo(4,5-f)quinoline, and 2-amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo(4,5-f)quinoxaline. The cell wall skeleton of S. cremoris group and Streptococcus lactis also showed the binding activity with A N-nitrosodimethylamine. The binding of Trp-P-1 to cell walls was very high, and the binding of mutagenic pyrolyzates was variable with different bacterial species. The peptidoglycan complex and polysaccharides liberated from cell wall skeleton of S. cremoris Z-25 showed strong binding of Trp-P-2. Peptidoglycans had a binding effect of about 19.86-mu-g/mg; polysaccharides had a binding effect of 14-mu-g/mg.