Two fractions of N-Acetylmuramyl-l-alanine Amidase with Different Functions Isolated from Bacillus subtilis 168 Cells

N-acetylmuramyl-l-alanine amidase was obtained from exponentially growing Bacillus subtilis cells. The preparation contained two fractions whose molecular weights were 110,000 and 220,000. The two fractions had the same amidase activity and equally accelerated cell wall turnover of autolytic enzyme-deficient mutant cells. But the fraction with the lower molecular weight was more effective in dechaining the cell-chains of mutant cells.