[Lysozyme of the mollusk Unio pictorum and the sensitivity of alkanotrophic rhodococci to its effect]. / Lizotsim molliuska Unio pictorum i chuvstvitel'nost' k nemu alkanotrofnykh rodokokkov.

A preparation of lysozyme from a freshwater bivalve, Unio pictorum, has been isolated by sorption to chitin, and its physicochemical properties have been studied. An assessment of the sensitivity of 48 strains of rhodococci, belonging to the species Rhodococcus rubber, R. luteus, and R. erythropolis (Specialized Collection of Alkanotrophic Microorganisms of the Institute of Ecology and Genetics of Microorganisms, Ural Division of the Russian Academy of Sciences), which were isolated from diverse natural waters, to lysozyme of the mollusk Unio pictorum demonstrated that the three species differ in their sensitivity to its effects. The high resistance of rhodococci to lysozyme is indicative of their considerable permanence in hydrobiocenoses (and, therefore, ability to maintain self-purification of microbiocenoses from hydrocarbons).

[Lysozyme of hydrobionts and its role in self-purification of water reservoirs]. / Lizotsim gidrobiontov i ego rol' v protsessakh samoochishcheniia vodoemov.

Model experiments were carried out to study the effects of hydrobiont lysozyme on self-purifying processes of water reservoirs through its participation in the formation of a community of destructive microorganisms. Lysozyme-resistant forms have been found to lie at basis of bacterial cenosis of the Urals, among which there are lysozyme-active and anti-lysozyme-active ones, their population shows an inverse relationship. The exogenous lysozyme that enters the water reservoir in the period when there is a change in the dominant forms of hydrobionts affects the composition of bacterial cenosis by preserving anti-lysozyme-activity with a high activity (6-8 (g/ml), which causes a change in the microbial community of water reservoir, thus affecting the processes of its self-purification. The bacteria having ALA, which do maintain the capacity of a water reservoir for self-clearance from organic substance, persist under the action of endogenous lysozyme of phyto- and zooplankton among saprophytic microorganisms that are destructive agents in the biocenosis.