Hyaluronidases--a group of neglected enzymes

Hyaluronan is an important constituent of the extracellular matrix. This polysaccharide can be hydrolyzed by various hyaluronidases that are widely distributed in nature. The structure of some bacterial and animal enzymes of this type has recently been elucidated. It could be shown that the hyaluronidases from bee and hornet venom and the PH-20 hyaluronidase present on mammalian spermatozoa are homologous proteins.