Lysozyme Ovoglobulin Gl

Lysozyme is widely distributed and is found not only in egg white but in many animal tissues and secretions, in latex exudates of some plants and in some fungi. This protein, with three known components, is an N-acetylmuramidase enzyme that hydrolyzes the cell walls of Gram-positive bacteria (murein AG = N-acety 1-glucosamine AM A = N-acetyImuramic acid = lysozyme attack)  

Lysozyme consists of a peptide chain with 129 amino acid residues and four disulfide bonds. Its primary (Table 11.7) and tertiary structures have been elucidated (Fig. 11.3). 

This protein is, like ovomucoid, a proteinase inhibitor. It inhibits the activities of trypsin, chy-motrypsin and some proteinases of microbial origin. Its carbohydrate composition is given in Table 11.5. 

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