Thehyaluronidasesareafamilyofenzymesthathave, untilrecently,defiedthoroughexplication.Thesubstratefor theseenzymes,hyaluronan,isbecomingincreasinglyimpor-tant,recognizednowasamajorparticipantinsuchbasicpro-cessesascellmotility,woundhealing,embryogenesis,and implicatedincancerprogression.Andinthoselowerlifeforms thattormenthumanbeings,hyaluronidaseisassociatedwith mechanismsofentryandspread,e.g.asavirulencefactorfor bacteria,fortissuedissectioningasgangrene,asameansof treponemaspreadinsyphilis,andforpenetrationofskinand gutbynematodeparasites.Hyaluronidasealsocomprisesa componentofthevenomofawidevarietyQforganisms,in-cludingbees,wasps,hornets,.spiders,scorpions,fish,snakes andlizards.Ofparticularinterestisthehomologybetween someofthesevenomhyaluronidasesandtheenzymefoundin theplasmamembraneofmammalianspermatozoa,attestingto theancientnatureoftheconservedsequence,a36%identityin a300aminoacidstretchoftheenzymeprotein.Clearly,hyalu-ronidaseisofbiologicalinterest,beinginvolvedinthepatho-physiologyofsomanyimportanthumandisorders.Greater effortshouldbemadeinstudyingthisfamilyofenzymesthat have,untilrecently,beenoverlooked.-v-ñ ƒs ƒAƒ‹ ƒ• ƒj ƒ_ •[ ƒ[ ‚Í •Å ‹ß ‚Ü‚Å •à-¾‚· ‚é ‚± ‚AE‚È ‚Ç•K-v‚È ‚¢ ‚AE •l ‚¦ ‚ç ‚ê ‚Ä ‚¢ ‚½•y 'f OEQ ‚Å ‚ ‚é •B ‚± ‚ê ‚ç ‚Ì •y 'f ‚Ì Šî Ž¿ ‚Å ‚ ‚é ƒs ƒA ƒ‹ ƒ• ƒi ƒ" ‚Í •A•™•X ‚É•d-v•« ‚ª '• ‚µ •A•¡ ‚â •×-E ‚Ì ‰^"®•« •A•• ŠQ Ž¡-ü •A"-• ¶ ‚Ì ‚ae ‚¤ ‚È Šî-{ "I ‚È ‰ß'ö ‚É ‚¨‚¢‚¨‚¢ ‚Ä Žå-v‚È-ð Š" ‚ð ‰Ê ‚½ ‚µ ‚Ä ‚¨‚肨‚è •A ‚Ü‚½ Šà ‚Ì •i "W‚É ‚à ŠÖ-^ ‚µ ‚Ä ‚¢ ‚é ‚± ‚AE‚ª "F ‚ß ‚ç ‚ê ‚Ä ‚¢ ‚é •B ƒq ƒg‚ð "Y ‚Ü‚· ‰º"™• ¶ •¨ ‚É ‚¨‚¢‚¨‚¢ ‚Ä ‚à ƒs ƒAƒ‹ ƒ• ƒj ƒ_ •[ ƒ[ ‚Í •A‰º"™• ¶ •¨ ‚ª •N "ü ‚· ‚é •Û ‚â 'Ì ‚Ì ' † ‚É•L ‚ª ‚Á ‚Ä ‚¢ ‚-Žž ‚É ŠÖ-^ ‚µ ‚Ä‚¢ ‚é •A'¦ ‚¿ •× ‹Û ‚Ì-L "Å ˆö Žq ‚AE ‚µ ‚Ä •AƒKƒX‰ó‚» ‚Ì 'g •D •Ø ŠJ ‚É 'Î ‚· ‚é •a "Å ˆö Žq ‚AE‚µ ‚Ä •A"~ "Å ‚É ‚¨‚¢‚¨‚¢ ‚Ä ƒgƒOEƒ| ƒl •[ ƒ} ‚Ì •L ‚ª ‚é Žè 'i ‚AE‚µ ‚Ä•AŠñ • ¶ • ¶ •¨ ƒl ƒ} ƒg•[ ƒ_ ‚ª "ç • † ‚â "à ' ‚Ö•ö ‚è•ž ‚Þ •û-@ ‚AE‚µ ‚Ä ƒr ƒAƒ‹ ƒ• ƒj ƒ_ •[ ƒ[ ‚Í Žg ‚í ‚ê ‚Ä ‚¢ ‚é •B ‚Ü‚½ ƒs ƒAƒ‹ ƒ• ƒj ƒ_ •[ ƒ[ ‚Í ƒn ƒ` •A ƒXƒY ƒ• ƒo ƒ` •A ƒNƒ‚ •AƒT ƒ" ƒV ƒ ‡ ƒE ƒI •A ƒw ƒr •A ƒgƒJ ƒQ"™'½ ‚-‚Ì • ¶ •¨ ‚Ì "Å ‰t‚Ì •¬ •ª ‚Å ‚à ‚ ‚é •B ‚± ‚ê ‚ç ‚Ì "Å ‰t‚Ì ƒr ƒAƒ‹ ƒ• ƒj ƒ_ •[ ƒ[ ‚Ì ‚ ‚é ‚à ‚Ì ‚AE‚Ù"û-Þ‚Ì •¸ Žq ‚Ì •×-E-OE‚É OE© •o ‚³ ‚ê ‚é •y 'f ‚AE‚Ì ŠÔ ‚É 'Š "¯ •« ‚Ì ‚ ‚é ‚± ‚AE‚Í "Á ‚É ‹»-¡ •[ ‚-•A •y 'f ƒ^ ƒ" ƒp ƒNŽ¿ ‚Ì300ƒA ƒ~ ƒmŽ_ ‚Ì 36%‚ª •Û Ž• ‚³ ‚ê ‚Ä‚¢ ‚é ‚± ‚AE‚© ‚ç OEà ‚¢ ƒ^ ƒ" ƒp ƒNŽ¿‚Å ‚ ‚é ‚± ‚AE‚ª •ª ‚© ‚é •B-¾ ‚ç ‚© ‚É ƒs ƒAƒ‹ ƒ• ƒj ƒ_ •[ ƒ[ ‚Í •A'½ ‚-‚Ì •d-v‚È ƒq ƒg‚Ì •a ‹C ‚Ì •a 'Ô ‚É ŠÖ-^ ‚µ ‚½• ¶ •¨ Šw"I ‚É ‹»-¡ •[ ‚¢ •y 'f ‚Å ‚ ‚é •B•Å ‹ß ‚Ü‚Å ‚È ‚¨‚´‚肨‚´‚¨‚´‚è ‚É ‚³ ‚ê ‚Ä ‚« ‚½ ‚± ‚ê ‚ç ‚Ìˆê‚̈ê OEQ ‚Ì •y 'f ‚É ‚ ‚¢ ‚Ä ‚³ ‚ç ‚ÉOE¤‹ † ‚ð •i ‚ß ‚Ä ‚¢ ‚© ‚È ‚-‚Ä ‚Í ‚È ‚ç ‚È ‚¢ •B