Temperature dependent cell-lysis was studied in Streptococcus mutans strain HS 6 as exposed to a variety of cultural conditions. Cell-lysis was observed in media supplemented with glucose, sucrose and maltose but it failed to occur when none of the sugars except fructose was added to the media.
The cell-lysis of S. mutans in glucose-enriched media could be influenced in a variety of manner so that addition of agents that interfere with glycolytic pathway or with cell wall synthesis could act to suppress the cell-lysis, and those agents that interfere with DNA and RNA synthesis acted to accerelate the cell-lysis, whereas addititon of inhibitors of protein synthesis somewhat interfered with the cell-lysis of this organism.
When N-acetyl-D-glucosamine was added to the culture media instead of glucose, the cell-lysis was seen at the concentration of the former as small as 1/25 th of the latter. With use of the above media containing N-acetyl-D-glucosamine, the role of saturated fatty acids in suppressing the cell-lysis became distinct.
These evidences seem to show that the strain HS 6 of S. mutans is very susceptible to high temperatures at the time of its synthesis of saturated fatty acids, resulting weakness of cell membrane, which can be easily destroyed by smaller shock.