Biochemistry 2280A Lecture : Lysozyme
20 Dec 2011
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Document Summary
Lysozyme is a protective enzyme to degrade and knock out bacteria to prevent infections, or dispose of wastes. Lysozymes sever the polysaccharide chains that form the cell walls of bacteria (causing it to burst). The reaction is a hydrolysis reaction: the enzyme adds a molecule of water to a single bond between 2 adjacent sugar groups in the chain causing it to break. The free energy of the severed chain is lower then intact therefore the reaction is favourable. Energy barrier to the reactions which makes it not just spontaneously occur activation energy to push the molecules to react. The polysaccharide must be pushed into a distorted shape (transition shape). This is where the lysozyme enzyme comes in it has an active site for bonding. When the polysaccharide binds it forms an es complex and the enzyme cuts the polysaccharide by catalyszing the addition of a water molecule to one of its sugar-sugar bonds.
