Editing Autolysin (section)

=== Potential lethality ===
Autolysins are naturally produced by peptidoglycan containing bacteria, but excessive amounts will degrade the peptidoglycan matrix and cause the cell to burst due to [[osmotic pressure]]. Previous studies have found that the byproducts of autolysin during cell wall breakdown are highly immunogenic.<ref name=":3" /> When observed in the bacteria, ''[[Bacillus subtilis]]'', there were potentially lethal amounts of autolysin found in the cell walls.<ref name=":1" /> In ''Streptococcus pneumoniae'' it was found that N-acetylmuramoyl-l-alanine amidase, a cell wall autolysin, could assist in pathogenesis due to its ability to break down the wall or lyse a portion of the invading pneumococci and release potentially lethal toxins into the cell. Researchers studied the function, structure, and cloning ability through ''Escherichia coli'' and also determined its nucleotide sequence.<ref name=":3" />