AbstractThe 70‐kDa soluble lytic transglycosylase (SLT70) from Escherichia coli is a bacterial exo‐muramidase that cleaves the cell wall peptidoglycan, producing 1,6‐anhydro‐muropeptides. The X‐ray structure of SLT70 showed that one of its domains is structurally related to lysozyme, although there is no obvious similarity in amino acid sequence. To relate discrete structural features to differences in reaction mechanism and substrate/product specificity, we compared the threedimensional structure of the catalytic domain of SLT70 with the structures of three typical representatives of the lysozyme superfamily: chicken‐type hen egg‐white lysozyme, goosetype swan egg‐white lysozyme, and phage‐type lysozyme from bacteriophage T4. We find a particularly close relationship between the catalytic domain of SLT70 and goose‐type lysozyme, with not only a significant similarity in overall structure, but even a weak homology in amino acid sequence. This finding supports the notion that the goose‐type lysozyme takes up a central position in the lysozyme superfamily and that it is structurally closest to the lysozyme ancestors. The saccharide‐binding groove is the most conserved part in the four structures, but only two residues are absolutely preserved: the “catalytic” glutamic acid and a structurally required glycine. The “catalytic” aspartate is absent in SLT70, a difference that can be related to a different mechanism of cleavage of the β‐1,4‐glycosidic bond. The unique composition of amino acids at the catalytic site, and the observation of a number of differences in the arrangements of secondary structure elements, define the catalytic domain of SLT70 as a novel class of lysozymes. Its fold is expected to be exemplary for other bacterial and bacteriophage muramidases with lytic transglycosylase activity. © 1995 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.