Lysozyme is most often used for lysing bacterial cells by hydrolyzing the peptidoglycan present in the cell walls. Lysozyme alternatively can improve efficiency of protein or DNA/RNA extraction. Lysozyme catalyzes the hydrolysis of 1,4-beta-linkages between N-acetylmuramic acid and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine residues in peptidoglycans and between the N-acetyl-D-glucosamine residues in chitodextrins. Gram (+) positive bacteria cell walls have a substantially higher proportion of peptidoglycan so are more susceptible to lysozyme hydrolysis. Lysozyme is purified from chicken egg white and supplied as a lyophilized powder.