Sandbox 34
From Proteopedia
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We are most familiar with lysozyme's powerful antibacterial character as is seeks to attack peptidoglycans within the cell walls of most Gram-positive bacteria. It is because of this ability that we find lysozyme as a part of the innate immune in the human body as one of the first defenses towards warding off infections. We can find them also externally in such secretions for the same reasons such as saliva and tears. | We are most familiar with lysozyme's powerful antibacterial character as is seeks to attack peptidoglycans within the cell walls of most Gram-positive bacteria. It is because of this ability that we find lysozyme as a part of the innate immune in the human body as one of the first defenses towards warding off infections. We can find them also externally in such secretions for the same reasons such as saliva and tears. | ||
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Revision as of 20:21, 28 October 2010
| Please do NOT make changes to this Sandbox. Sandboxes 30-60 are reserved for use by Biochemistry 410 & 412 at Messiah College taught by Dr. Hannah Tims during Fall 2012 and Spring 2013. |
Lysozyme
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Lysozyme is an amazingly effective enzyme known for its catalytic activity of lysing bacterial cell walls. Lysozyme is effective at this through its ability to hydrolyze the 1,4 beta-linkages from the N-acetylmuramic acid to the N-acetylglucosamine residues in bacterial cell walls. Lysozyme also contains a unique ability to hydrolyze the bonds in chitin, which can be found in things like tough outer exoskeletons in crustaceans and in fungi.
We are most familiar with lysozyme's powerful antibacterial character as is seeks to attack peptidoglycans within the cell walls of most Gram-positive bacteria. It is because of this ability that we find lysozyme as a part of the innate immune in the human body as one of the first defenses towards warding off infections. We can find them also externally in such secretions for the same reasons such as saliva and tears.
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Lysozyme's Secondary Structures
Lysozyme is a small but complex structure that utilizes all of its resources in its. Lysozyme contains both five alpha helices as well as five beta sheets. As the structures can be seen, the alpha helices (in the pink), are grouped together fairly tightly while the majority of three out of the five beta sheets (the yellow arrows), group with themselves. The two other beta sheets are paired off together separately on the other side as you can observe. The beta sheets as seen bind very tightly as they line up directly next to each other as a result of their anitparallel motif. This allows them to maximize their hydrogen bonding while still staying free of torsional and steric strains.
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