CH-type (Chalaropsis-type) lysozymes represent one of four functionally-defined classes of peptidoglycan hydrolases (also referred to as endo-N-acetylmuramidases) that cleave bacterial cell wall peptidoglycans. CH-type lysozymes exhibit both lysozyme (acetylmuramidase) and diacetylmuramidase activity. The first member of this family to be described was a muramidase from the fungus Chalaropsis. However, a majority of the CH-type lysozymes are found in bacteriophages and Gram-positive bacteria such as Streptomyces and Clostridium. CH-type lysozymes have a single glycosyl hydrolase family 25 (GH25) domain with an unusual beta/alpha-barrel fold in which the last strand of the barrel is antiparallel to strands beta7 and beta1. Most CH-type lysozymes appear to lack the cell wall-binding domain found in other GH25 muramidases.
