Abstract: | The patterns of atomic displacements in the crystals of hen and human lysozyme derived from independent crystallographic refinement are broadly similar. Analysis of the pattern indicates a close correlation with molecular structure, strongly suggestive of intramolecular motion. The active site of lysozyme is located in a region of high displacement. It is concluded that protein mobility may play a significant part in biological activity and that X-ray crystallography can contribute to its analysis. |