Phage lysozymes

Bacteriophage genomes encode lysozymes whose role is to favour the release of virions by lysis of the host cells or to facilitate infection. In this review, the evolutionary relationships between the phage lysozymes are described. They are grouped into several classes: the V-, the G-, the lambda- and the CH-type lysozymes. The results of structure determinations and of enzymological studies indicate that the enzymes belonging to the first two classes, and possibly the third, share common structural elements with C-type lysozymes (eg. hen egg white lysozyme). The proteins of the fourth class, on the other hand, are structurally similar to the S. erythraeus lysozyme. Several phage lysozymes feature a modular construction: besides the catalytic domain, they contain additional domains or repeated motifs presumed to be important for binding to the bacterial walls and for efficient catalysis. The mechanism of action of these enzymes is described and the role of the important amino acid residues is discussed on the basis of sequence comparisons and of mutational studies. The effects of mutations affecting the structure and of multiple mutations are also discussed, particularly in the case of the T4 lysozyme: from these studies, proteins appear to be quite tolerant of potentially disturbing modifications.