Staphylococcal nuclease covalent structure

In addition to interest in this enzyme because of its catalytic characteristics, a considerable body of information has accumulated on staphylococcal nuclease as a protein molecule. Its relatively small size, the absence of covalent cross-linkages, and its behavior upon binding a variety of ligands have made it an ideal model substance for the study of various aspects of protein chemistry including X-ray crystallography. These investigations are reviewed in the present chapter and in Chapter 7 by Cotton and Hazen, this volume, on the three-dimensional structure (19). 

---