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Biomedical subjects

G Lundblad

Publications and source records attributed to G Lundblad.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

[Lysozyme--an enzyme of both historical and current interest as a therapeutical agent].

Lysozyme, a bacteriolytic protein discovered by Fleming in 1922 and found to be phylogenetically ancient and almost ubiquitous among living organisms, is probably the most studied enzyme in biology and medicine. Evidence of its involvement in resistance to bacterial infection is compelling but remains indirect. Muramyl peptides (fragments of bacterial cell wall peptidoglycan) exert many effects on the immune system and the CNS, and appear to contribute to non-specific resistance to infection, fever, fatigue, and the pathogenesis of bacterial infection. Synthetic muramyl peptide analogues are currently used as adjuvants in vaccine trials in humans. Several pathological conditions are associated with changes in lysozyme concentrations, and egg-white lysozyme treatment has been tried on a small scale. With the cloning of the human lysozyme gene in yeast cells the enzyme can now be produced on a large scale, which will enable its therapeutic applications to be evaluated.

Bacterial Infections

Bovine serum chitinase.

1. A glycol-chitin-splitting enzyme without lysozyme (muramidase) activity has been found in calf serum. The enzyme also degrades colloidal chitin and is thus a true chitinase, 1,4-beta-poly-N-acetylglucosaminidase, without exo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase effect. 2. The enzyme is purified 1000-fold by ion-exchange chromatography and gel filtration. Its optimal activity is between pH 1.5-2.0 with glycol chitin and between pH 3-6 in a rather broad optimum with colloidal chitin as substrate. The optimal stability of the enzyme is in the pH interval 3.0-6.5 when tested by incubation with glycol chitin at 50 degrees C for 60 min. The optimal temperature for the degradation of glycol chitin is 40 degrees C when assayed at pH 1.5 and 51 degrees C when assayed at pH 3.5. 3. The enzyme is activated by moderate heating at pH 6.5. The highest relative activity, 135% is reached after 45 min incubation at 30 degrees C, pH 5 or after 30 min at 40, pH 2.4. By incubation with small amounts of trypsin at pH 6.5 at 3m degrees C the enzyme was temporarily activated. 4. The isoelectric point, pH 5.3, and the molecular weight, 47,000 +/- 3,000 were determined by respectively isoelectric focusing and gel filtration. 5. The Michaelis-Menten constant, Km = 0.76 +/- 0.05 (S.E.) mg/ml, was measured with glycol chitin as substrate.

Animals

Chitinase and beta-N-acetylglycosaminidase in the digestive juice of Helix pomatia.

A beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase from Helix pomatia digestive juice was separated and partly purified by gel chromatography. The optimal pH for the degradation of p-nitrophenyl-N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminide was 3.4. The molecular weight was around 160 000 and the pI = 4.95. In the same gel chromatography run two chitinase active peaks were also obtained. These chitinase active peaks were also obtained. These chitinases, with molecular weights around 26 000 and 13 000, had somewhat different pH activity curves with optima at 4.2 and 4.3. By isoelectric focusing the first peak with molecular weight around 26 000 was divided in two chitinase active regions with pI at 5.7 and 3.5. The second peak with molecular weight around 13 000 had a pI at 7.3.

Acetylglucosaminidase