Slime of Myxococcus virescens

The slime excreted by two strains of Myxococcus virescens during growth in liquid casitone medium was studied. Strain S1H, unable to grow in dispersion, excreted slime during growth later than strain D11, which grows in dispersion. Slime was precipitated from the cell-free culture solution with ethanol and the crude precipitate fractionately dissolved using first pH 5,4 and then pH 9.0 for the remainder of the precipitate. Comparatively more material from strain S1H than from strain D11 belonged to the pH 9.0 fraction. The fractions thus obtained were dialyzed and then lyophilized. The composition of the slime preparations varied with the density of the harvested cultures. The slime fraction dissolved at low pH contained 12–18 % (w/w) Folin reactive material, 2–4% lipid and 5–30% anthrone positive material (glucose equivalents). The fraction soluble at pH 9.0 was richer in Folin positive material. About 25% of the proteolytic activity in the culture solution was recovered in the slime preparations. No DNA was detected in the slime, unless the cultures were harvested daring the phase of decline. The high polymers of the slime were separated from material of low molecular weight and coprecipitated media constituents by gel filtration on Sepharose 2B. The relative amount of the high polymers increased during growth, although they seemed to be degraded in the culture during the phase of decline. The polymer had a molecular weight of about 20 million. In most preparations: it was Folin positive.