High levels of GM1-ganglioside beta-galactosidase in the salivary glands and GM1-like-ganglioside storage in parotids of deficient mice.

We have previously demonstrated high levels of GM1-ganglioside beta-galactosidase (beta-gal) in the salivary glands of Swiss-Webster mice (Nowroozi et al., J Craniofac Genet Dev Biol 18:51, 1998), and suggested that this activity reflects an important role for the lysosome in catabolism of salivary glycoconjugates. Here, we characterized and compared activities of lysosomal glycosidases among the salivary glands, spleen, and muscle of C57BL/6 mice, beta-gal hexosaminidase, and beta-glucuronidase activities are high in all three glands relative to muscle. Enzyme activities in the sublingual gland were substantially higher than in the submandibular and parotid glands. Spleen displays levels of activity that are comparable or higher (for beta-glucuronidase) than those in the salivary glands, whereas muscle displays substantially lower levels of these lysosomal glycosidases. In order to investigate the role of beta-gal in the salivary glands, we further characterized the salivary phenotype of knock-out mice deficient in this enzyme, mimicking human GM1-gangliosidosis. In contrast with the relative levels of beta-gal specific-activity among the salivary glands, only the parotid developed severe, generalized, degenerative histopathological changes in beta-gal-deficient knock-out mice. GM1-like-ganglioside, typically found at high levels only in the nerve tissue, where its exact function is still not clear, was demonstrated in storage vacuoles of the parotid glands of the deficient mice by binding of cholera toxin subunit B. Thus, beta-gal activity observed in the parotid gland most likely reflects its role in GM1-ganglioside catabolism, and this ganglioside, never previously reported in the salivary glands, may have a role in parotid exocrine secretory functions. beta-gal may also serve in secretory glycoprotein catabolism in other salivary glands, but this function may be non-essential for these glands.     

Purification of G-M-1-ganglioside and ceramide lactoside beta-galactosidase from rabbit brain.

The major beta-galactosidase of rabbit brain has been purified over 400-fold. The enzyme converts G-M-1-ganglioside; Gal beta-1 yields 3 GalNAc beta-1 yields 4 (NANalpha-2 yields 3) Gal beta-1 yields 4 Glc yields ceramide (G-M-1) into Tay Sachs ganglioside GalNAc beta-1 yields 4 (NANalpha-2 yields 3) Gal beta-1 yields 4 Glc yields ceramide (G-M-2-ganglioside) and ceramide lactoside, Gal beta-1 yields 4 Glc yields ceramide (Gal-Glc-Cer) into glucocerebroside, Glc yields ceramide (Glc-Cer). The enzyme also hydrolyzes the synthetic substrates NPh-Gal and MeUmb-Gal. It is eluted as a single peak from Sephadex G-200 columns when natural and synthetic substrates were used and has an isoelectric point of 6.3. We were unable to resolve activity towards G-M-1-ganglioside and Gal-Glc-Cer by polyacrylamide electrophoresis in two buffer systems. With G-M-1 the pH optimum was 4.3 in acetate buffer and the K-m value 78 mu-M while with Gal-Glc-Cer, a pH optimum of 4.5 and a K-m of 17 mu-M were found. Hydrolysis of both natural and synthetic substrates was inhibited by gamma-D-galactonolactone, D-galactose and lactose. The data strongly suggest that a single beta-galactosidase hydrolyzes all the substrates tested.     

Isolation and some properties of a deoxyribonuclease from Turbo cornutus.

1. Four DNases were found in the dried liver extract of a top shell, Turbo cornutus. The major one was purified 120-fold by phosphocellulose column chromatography, sulfoethylcellulose column chromatography and gel-filtration on Sephadex G-150. The yield was 2.7%. 2. The enzyme activity was not affected by Mg2+ (10(-3)--10(-2)M), EDTA (10(-3)--10(-2)M), or NaCl (10(-1)M). It showed a pH optimum of 4.7--4.8. Ionic strength was found to be critical for the maximal activity. The isoelectric point was 8.5--9.0. On heating at 50 degrees C C for 5 min the enzymic activity fell to half the initial value. 3. The enzyme preparation degraded native as well as heat-denatured DNA, but not RNA. It degraded heat-denatured DNA endonucleolytically to give oligonucleotides with 3'-phosphates. 4. The 3'-phosphate and 5'-hydroxy termini of oligonucleotides were investigated. At both the 3'- and 5'-terminal positions, purine nucleotides were predominant.     

A fluorometric method for monitoring the enzymic hydrolysis of terminal galactose from GM1-ganglioside.

A fluorometric method for monitoring the enzymic hydrolysis of the terminal galactose from GM₁-ganglioside has been developed. The released galactose is oxidized with galactose dehydrogenase and NAD and the fluorescence of the product NADH measured. This method can detect as little as 0.1 nmol of galactose. β-Galactosidase from the gastropod Turbo cornutus was employed for the hydrolysis reaction. The rate of GM₁-ganglioside hydrolysis is linearly proportional to incubation time for 30 min under the assay conditions employed. In addition to galactose, the other product of hydrolysis, GM₂-ganglioside, is identified by thin-layer chromatography. This procedure provides a convenient and specific method for measuring the release of galactose from GM₁-ganglioside.     

Purification and properties of two isoenzymes of beta-N-acetylhexosaminidase from Turbo cornutus.

1. beta-N-acetylhexosaminidase isoenzymes from the gastropod, T. cornutus, were purified and their properties studied. 2. The two isoenzymes, designated A and B were separated by DEAE-Sephadex column chromatography and further purified by CM-cellulose, Concanavalin-A-Sepharose-4B and Sephadex G-200 column chromatography. 3. beta-N-Acetylhexosaminidase A and B were purified 416 and 208 fold, with yields of 10.6 and 5.1%, respectively. 4. The two isoenzymes appear homogeneous on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, with the A form migrating faster towards the anode than the B form. 5. The purified isoenzymes are virtually free of all other common glycosidase contaminations. 6. The apparent molecular weight of both beta-N-acetylhexosaminidase A and B is about 100,000 when estimated with gel filtration column chromatography and the pH optimum for both is 4.0. 7. Both beta-N-acetylhexosaminidase isoenzyme activities are stimulated by Cl-, Br-, F-, I- and NO3-, and inhibited by Hg+, Ag+, Fe3+, N-acetylglucosamine and N-acetylgalactosamine. 8. The Km values of beta-N-acetylhexosaminidase A and B for the substrate p-nitrophenyl-beta-2-acetamide-2-deoxy-D-glucopyranoside were 2.9 and 3.2 mM, respectively.     

Variant of GM2-gangliosidosis with hexosaminidase A having a severely changed substrate specificity

The levels of hexosaminidase A activity in cultivated fibroblasts of two patients with GM2-gangliosidosis were close to the normal range with 4-methylumbelliferyl-beta-D-2-acetamido-2-deoxyglucopyranoside and 4-methylumbelliferyl-beta-D-2-acetamido-2-deoxygalactopyranoside as substrates, and the enzymes were normal in most parameters analyzed. However, the enzymes of both patients were almost completely inactive against two specific substrates for hexosaminidase A, rho-nitrophenyl-6-sulfo-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-beta-D-glucopyranoside, and ganglioside GM2 in the presence of GM2-activator. Fibroblast extracts of both patients showed normal hexosaminidase B and GM2-activator activity, the latter was strongly decreased in two cases with variant AB. It is suggested that human hexosaminidase A may contain two different active sites which might be inactivated separately by different mutations.     

Cellular localization of GM1-ganglioside with biotinylated choleragen and avidin peroxidase in primary cultured cells from rat brain

A new technique capable of demonstrating the presence and cellular localization of the ganglioside GM1 in primary cultured cells from the brains of newborn rats is described. The method is based on the highly specific binding of biotinylated choleragen to ganglioside GM1, and takes advantage of the high affinity of avidin for biotin. Thus, the biotinylated choleragen-ganglioside GM1 complex can be visualized by the use of avidin peroxidase. The results of this nonimmunologic method indicate that the concentration of ganglioside GM1 is much lower in culture astroglial cells than in neurons and oligodendroglial cells.     

Cdk1: A kinase with changing substrate specificity

Comment on: Kõivomägi M, et al. Mol Cell 2011; 42:610-23.     

Effect of immobilization on stability and kinetic properties of alpha-L-fucosidase from Turbo cornutus

An amount of alpha-L-fucosidase from T. cornutus liver was copolymerized with glutaraldehyde using bovine serum albumin as the carrier protein. The properties of the native, the soluble enzyme polymer complex, and the insoluble enzyme polymer complex were studied and compared under various conditions of pH, temperature, substrate, and inhibitor concentration. Native alpha-L-fucosidase was heat labile and lost more than 85% of its activity when incubated at 55 degrees C for 5 min. In contrast, under equivalent incubation conditions, both the soluble and the insoluble enzyme polymer complexes exhibited enhanced resistance to thermal inactivation and after 5 min lost only 65 and 40% of their original activity, respectively. Polymerzation also resulted in the shift of pH optima towards the acidic range, a decrease in activation energy and a change in the apparent K(m) values towards the p-nitrophenyl-alpha-L-fucopyranoside substrate.     

Isolation and Purification of Vitelline-Coat Lysin from Testis of Turbo cornutus (Mollusca)

A substance causing swelling of the vitelline coat (vitelline-coat lysin) was extracted from the testis of a sea snail, Turbo cornutus. Its activity was quantified by a volumetric method using a suspension of vitelline coat isolated from T. cornutus eggs. The lysin was purified 50-fold by hydroxyapatite and Bio-Gel P-10 column chromatographies and the final preparation appeared homogenous on sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Its molecular weight was estimated to be 18,500 by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and 18,000 by sedimentation equilibrium analysis. These results suggested that the lysin exists as a monomeric molecule. Its isoelectric point was p^H 6.4. The lysin contained residues of most common amino acids except cystine and cysteine, with relatively high proportions of lysine, aspartic acid and leucine. The N-terminal amino acid was identified as serine. The lysin loosened the fibrous structure of the vitelline coat without releasing any soluble product and seemed to act by a stoichiometric, nonenzymatic mechanism.     

Purification and characterization of GM1 ganglioside beta-galactosidase from normal feline liver and brain.

GM1 ganglioside beta-galactosidase (GM1-beta-galactosidase) was purified from normal cat brain and liver by a combination of classical and affinity procedures. The final preparation of brain GM1-beta-galactosidase was enriched over 2000-fold with a 36% yield. However, the product was shown to contain several components by disc gel electrophoresis. GM1-beta-galactosidase was also purified from liver with greater than a 30 000-fold enrichment and 40% yield. The liver enzyme was judged homogeneous by disc gel electrophoresis at pH 4.3, 8.1, and 8.9 and by gel chromatography. Both liver and brain GM1-beta-galactosidase(s) eluted as sharp symmetrical peaks from Sephadex G-200 with molecular weights of 250 000 +/- 50 000. The apparent Km determined for 4-methylumbelliferyl beta-D-galactopyranoside (4-MU-Gal) using partially purified brain GM1-beta-galactosidase was 1.73 X 10(-4) M. Liver GM1-beta-galactosidase gave a Km with 4-MU-Gal of 3.25 X 10(-4) M and for [3H]GM1 ganglioside a Km of 4.51 X 10(-4) M was calculated. The pH optima of brain and liver GM1-beta-galactosidase using 4-MU-Gal was 3.8-4.5. By contrast, liver GM1-beta-galactosidase gave a sharp activity peak at pH 4.2 with [3H]GM1 ganglioside. Inhibition by mercuric chloride and sensitivity to hydrogen peroxide and persulfate suggest the involvement of a sulfhydryl in catalysis.     

Ganglioside GM1 beta-galactosidase: studies in human liver and brain

A microcolumn assay for ganglioside GM₁ β-galactosidase (EC 3.2.1.23) has been developed using GM₁ tritiated exclusively in the terminal galactose residue. The reaction is stimulated up to 100-fold by anionic and cationic detergents; this stimulation is inhibited by neutral detergents. 4-Methylumbelliferyl β-d-galactopyranoside is hydrolyzed about seven times more rapidly than GM₁ in human brain (gray matter) and liver. Agarose gel filtration separated two forms of GM₁ β-galactosidase in both brain and liver. The major form (ganglioside GM₁ β-galactosidase A) had a molecular weight of 60–70 × 10³ and the minor form (ganglioside GM₁ β-galactosidase B) 600–800 × 10³. The liver and brain GM₁ β-galactosidases and 4-methylumbelliferyl β-galactosidase A cochromatographed on fractionation. The two forms of the enzyme in liver isolated by gel filtration corresponded to the two major forms found on starch gel electrophoresis and were converted to electrophoretically slower-moving forms after treatment with neuraminidase (EC 3.2.1.8, Cl. perfringens) suggesting that both are sialylated glycoproteins. The activity of GM₁ β-galactosidase in the brain and liver tissue of patients with GM₁ gangliosidosis Types I and II was less than 2% of control values. The mutation in each GM₁ gangliosidosis appears to result in a severe reduction of activity of two ganglioside GM₁ β-galactosidases.     

Polarized distribution of GM1-ganglioside in human duodenal absorptive enterocytes as visualized with cholera toxin-gold complex

Cholera toxin bound to particles of colloidal gold was used to investigate by electron microscopy the binding of the toxin in human duodenum. Cholera toxin binding was detected only in the apical (brush border) plasma membrane domain suggesting that the ganglioside G_M1 is absent from the basolateral plasma membrane domain. Intracellularly, toxin binding became detectable in thetrans side of the Golgi apparatus. Labeling of endosomes may indicate that the non toxin-occupied G_M1-ganglioside becomes internalized.     

Isolation and Properties of Alginate Lyase from the Mid-Gut Gland of Wreath Shell Turbo cornutus

Alginate lyase [EC 4.2.2.3] has been purified from mid-gut gland of wreath shell. The enzyme was homogeneous as judged by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. A molecular weight of 32,000 was estimated by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Absorption spectra of the reaction products indicated that the enzyme had lyase activity. The enzyme was most active at a pH range of about 8.8 to 9.2 and most stable at pH 5 to 6. Phosphate showed strong stabilizing and enhancing effects on the enzyme activity. Divalent cations behaved differently toward alginic acid and propylene glycol alginate, suggesting requirements for free carboxyl groups and a single glycosidic chain in the enzyme action.     

Incorporation and degradation of GM1 ganglioside and asialoGM1 ganglioside in cultured fibroblasts from normal individuals and patients with beta-galactosidase deficiency

The uptake and degradation of GM1 ganglioside (GM1) and asialoGM1 ganglioside (GA1) were studied in cultured fibroblasts from normal individuals and patients with beta-galactosidase deficiency, using the lipid-loading test. The glycolipids were incorporated from the media into the fibroblasts and the terminal galactose was hydrolyzed in normal cells. The hydrolysis rates of GA1 were 80-86% of normal on the 3rd day after loading, while GM1 was hydrolyzed slowly; 35-54% on the 14th day. In infantile GM1 gangliosidosis and I-cell disease, little GM1 and GA1 was hydrolyzed on any day of culture, while fibroblasts from patients with adult GM1 gangliosidosis, Morquio disease type B and galactosialidosis hydrolyzed the lipids at nearly normal rates. The intracellular accumulation of the glycolipids, on the basis of protein content, was abnormally high in the case of infantile GM1 gangliosidosis and I-cell disease, but normal in the other disorders examined. These observations indicate that the in situ metabolism of GM1 and GA1 is probably normal in fibroblasts from patients with adult GM1 gangliosidosis, Morquio disease type B and galactosialidosis, although in vitro beta-galactosidase activities in these disorders are very low. The results are compatible with findings that GM1 and GA1 do not accumulate in the somatic organs of patients with adult GM1 gangliosidosis and galactosialidosis. In I-cell disease, however, the results of the loading test did not agree with the finding that there is little accumulation of glycolipids in postmortem tissues.     

Processing of human beta-galactosidase in GM1-gangliosidosis and Morquio B syndrome

The nature of the molecular defect resulting in the beta-galactosidase deficiency in different forms of GM1-gangliosidosis and mucopolysaccharidosis IV B (Morquio B syndrome) was investigated. Normal and mutant cultured skin fibroblasts were labeled in vivo with [3H]leucine and immunoprecipitation studies with human anti-beta-galactosidase antiserum were performed, followed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and fluorography. In Morquio B syndrome, the mutation does not interfere with the normal processing and intralysosomal aggregation of beta-galactosidase. In cells from infantile and adult GM1-gangliosidosis, 85-kDa precursor beta-galactosidase was found to be synthesized normally but more than 90% of the enzyme was subsequently degraded at one of the early steps in posttranslational processing. The residual 5-10% beta-galactosidase activity in adult GM1-gangliosidosis is 64-kDa mature lysosomal enzyme with normal catalytic properties but with a reduced ability of the monomeric form to aggregate into high molecular weight multimers. Knowledge of the exact nature of the molecular defect underlying beta-galactosidase deficiency in man may lead to a better understanding of the clinical and pathological heterogeneity among patients with different types of GM1-gangliosidosis and Morquio B syndrome.