Lysozyme (488)
Geis illustrates the structure of lysozyme, the first enzyme structure revealed by X-ray crystallography. In this illustration, Geis carefully highlights the interaction between lysozyme and its substrate (red).
Used with permission from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (www.hhmi.org). All rights reserved.
Related PDB Entry: 9LYZ
Experimental Structure Citation
Kelly JA, Sielecki AR, Sykes BD, James MN, Phillips DC. (1979) X-ray crystallography of the binding of the bacterial cell wall trisaccharide NAM-NAG-NAM to lysozyme. Nature 282:875-8.
About Lysozyme 2
Lysozyme is a small enzyme that cuts sugar chains in bacterial cell walls, which causes bacteria to burst. It is used by our bodies to fight infections, and it is found naturally in egg whites, human tears, and mucus. The long gray connections represent hydrogen bonds.
