Description

• An enzyme used in a variety of biochemical applications
• For lysing E
• coli and Streptomycetes for extraction purposes, such as extracting group specific antigen May act as a germinative agent of bacterial spores In humans, may be the mediator in the anti-tumor function of macrophages which secrete the enzyme There is evidence that cartilage lysozyme has a role in cartilage calcification The enzyme breaks down the cell walls of bacteria Used to prepare spheroplasts Lysozyme hydrolyzes β(1→4) linkages between N-acetylmuramic acid and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine residues in peptidoglycan and between N-acetyl-D-glucosamine residues in chitodextrin
• These links occur in the mucopeptide cell wall structure of certain microorganisms, such as Micrococcus lysodeikticus
• Gram-positive cells are quite susceptible to this hydrolysis, as their cell walls have a high proportion of peptidoglycan
• Gram-negative bacteria are less susceptible due to the presence of an outer membrane and a lower proportion of peptidoglycan
• However, these cells may be hydrolyzed in the presence of EDTA that chelates metal ions in the outer bacterial membrane
• The enzyme is active over a broad pH range (6.0–9.0)
• At pH 6.2, maximal activity is observed over a wider range of ionic strengths (0.02–0.100M) than at pH 9.2 (0.01–0.06M).