autolysin
American Heritage Dictionary:
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au·tol·y·sin
(ô-tŏl'ĭ-sĭn, ô'tə-lī'sĭn) 
n.
A substance, such as an enzyme, that is capable of destroying the cells or tissues of an organism within which it is produced.
n.
A substance, such as an enzyme, that is capable of destroying the cells or tissues of an organism within which it is produced.
American Heritage Stedman's Medical Dictionary:
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au·tol·y·sin
(ô-tŏl'ĭ-sĭn, ô'tə-lī'sĭn)
n.
n.
A substance, such as an enzyme, that is capable of destroying the cells or tissues of an organism within which it is produced. Also called autocytolysin.
Oxford Dictionary of Biochemistry:
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autolysin
EC 3.5.1.28; other name: N-acetylmuramoyl-l-alanine amidase; an enzyme that catalyses the hydrolysis of the link between N-acetylmuramoyl residues and l-amino-acid residues in certain bacterial cell-wall glycopeptides. The enzyme is required for cell separation, cell-wall turnover, etc. See also lysostaphin.
| autolysate, autologous, autoimmunization | |
| autolysis, autolysosome, automutagen |
Saunders Veterinary Dictionary:
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autolysin
A lysin originating in an organism and capable of destroying its own cells and tissues.
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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Autolysin
An autolysin is an enzyme that hydrolyzes (and breaks down) the components of a biological cell or a tissue in which it is produced. It is similar in function to a lysozyme.
Autolysins exist in all bacteria containing peptidoglycan. The peptidoglycan matrix is very rigid, so these enzymes break down the peptidoglycan matrix in small sections so that growth and division of cells can occur. Autolysins do this by hydrolyzing the β-(1,4) bond between N-acetylmuramic acid and N-acetylglucosamine molecules. Autolysins are naturally produced by peptidoglycan containing bacteria, but excessive amounts will degrade the peptidoglycan matrix and cause the cell to burst due to osmotic pressure. Gram positive bacteria regulate autolysins with teichoic acid molecules attached to the tetrapeptide of the peptidoglycan matrix.[1]
Examples
References
- ^ Smith, Thomas; Steve Blackman, Simon Foster (2000). "Autolysins of Bacillus subtilis: multiple enzymes with multiple functions". Microbiology (Reading: Society for General Microbiology) 146 ( Pt 2) (146): 249–262. PMID 10708363. http://mic.sgmjournals.org/cgi/content/full/146/2/249. Retrieved 2007-10-07.
External links
- "Smith Lab Methods: Autolysin". http://www.dartmouth.edu/~esmith/methods_autolysin.html. Retrieved 2008-06-07.[dead link]
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American Heritage Dictionary
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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American Heritage Stedman's Medical Dictionary
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Oxford Dictionary of Biochemistry
Oxford University Press. Oxford Dictionary of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology © 1997, 2000, 2006 All rights reserved.
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Saunders Veterinary Dictionary
Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved.
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