Enzyme, cleft single polypeptide chain

The determination of the three-dimensional structure of chymotrypsin by David Blow in 1967 was a source of further insight into its mechanism of action. Overall, chymotrypsin is roughly spherical and comprises three polypeptide chains, linked by disulfide bonds. It is synthesized as a single polypeptide, termed chymotrypsinogen, which is activated by the proteolytic cleavage of the polypeptide to yield the three chains. The active site of chymotrypsin, marked by serine 195, lies in a cleft on the surface of the enzyme (Figure 9.6). 

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