50 residues coded by exon 2 of chicken lysozyme carry residual catalytic activity

The generally accepted hypothesis that exons code for fundamental polypeptide structures was tested with a fusion protein consisting of almost the entire polypeptide coded by exon 2 of chicken lysozyme fused to the N-terminus of beta-galactosidase of E.coli. Exon 2 encodes residues 28-81 of lysozyme. It thus contains Glu 35 and Asp 52, which are essential for hydrolysis of glycosidic bonds. The exon 2-beta-galactosidase fusion protein hydrolysed the substrate 4-methylumbelliferyl-N,N',N''-triacetyl-chitotrioside with a reaction rate about 1/40,000 of that of native lysozyme. The low hydrolysis rate of exon 2-peptide is partially caused by its low affinity to its substrate.