[Cause of abnormal acidity of lysozyme ionogenic active center groups at cell wall lysis]

pH-Dependence of the kinetic parameters of Micrococcus lysodeicticus cell lysis under the action of the protein hen egg lysozyme at the pH 6.9-10.0 at 25 and 37 degrees C has been investigated. The pKb effective values for the lysozyme catalytic activity controlling group have been calculated. The DeltaHion value indicates that this group is the carboxyl one though its pK (9.15 at 25 degrees C) is found far for the limit of the carboxyl groups pK values. The cause of this abnormal pK values is supposed to be the strong negative charge of the bacterial cell wall. As a result the enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis ofcopolymer N-acetylglucosamine--N-acetylmuramic acid acts in the high acidity microenvironment.