Regulation of Enzyme-Dependent Lysis of Microbial Cells: Is the Effector Target an Enzyme or Substrate?

Abstract

In this study, an attempt is made to analyze the published data regarding the effectors of bacterial lysis in the presence of various bacteriolytic enzymes. Despite the differences between such enzymes, it is possible to identify certain general patterns of their action on a highly complex substrate—a living bacterial cell protected by a cell wall and additional complexes of biopolymers associated with it. Chicken and human lysozymes are the best known of these enzymes. They have some structural differences but are generally very similar in properties. Understanding the characteristics of the antibacterial action of bacteriolytic enzymes present both in medications and in the human immune system is extremely important for the development of new approaches to combat bacterial infections, including antibiotic-resistant ones. Moreover, certain logical and methodological approaches used to study bacteriolytic enzymes can be extremely useful for studying and describing other enzymes that affect complex polymer substrates in real biological situations.