Purification and properties of a β-glucuronidase from pig kidney

A β-glucuronidase has been isolated from pig kidney and purified 1600-fold using sodium desoxycholate precipitation, ammonium sulphate fractionation, heat treatment and chromatography on Sephadex G200, DEAE-cellulose (DE-52) and hydroxyapatite. The enzyme activity was assayed using oestrone 3-glucuronide as substrate; the final specific activity was 254 nmol oestrone/min/mg of protein. The purified enzyme showed apparent homogeneity in gel filtration and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The pig kidney β-glucuronidase has a single pH optimum of 4.0–4.4 in acetate- and 5.4 in citrate-buffer; an activation energy of 16,800 cal/mol and a molecular weight of 275,000 were estimated. The K_M for oestrone 3-glucuronide was 22.6 μM. The enzyme was not inhibited by N-ethylmaleimide nor by dithioerythritol, however, it was strongly inhibited by Hg²⁺. Oestradiol-17β 3-glucuronide and oestriol 3-glucuronide acted as competitive inhibitors, whereas oestradiol-17β 17β-glucuronide, oestriol 16α-glucuronide, testosterone 17-glucuronide and cholesteryl 3-glucuronide were uncompetitive, pregnanediol 3-glucuronide was noncompetitive, and Cortisol 21-glucuronide gave a mixed type inhibition. The synthetic β-d-glucuronides of phenolphthalein, p-nitrophenol, naphthol, 6-bromo-naphthol and methylumbelliferone all inhibited the hydrolysis of oestrone 3-glucuronide; the inhibition was of a more complex type than simple competitive inhibition.     

Cortisone-evoked decrease of acid-β-galactosidase, β-glucuronidase, N-acetyl-β-glucosaminidase and arylsulphatase in the ileum of suckling rats

Changes of activity of intestinal acid beta-galactosidase, beta-glucuronidase, N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase and arylsulphatase were studied in suckling rats treated with cortisone (5mg/100g body wt. daily, started on day 9 postnatally) and compared with changes in control animals. Specific activities were not changed within the first 72h, but all enzymes decreased similarly 96h after the first injection. Total activities per ileum and animal were not changed within the first 48h, but within 72h a significant decrease was observed. Calculation of the rate of decrease of the hydrolases studied in cortisone-treated animals shows that it proceeds faster than the rate of renewal of enterocytes in this period.     

Isolation and characterization of β-glucosidase from the cytosol of rat kidney cortex

A procedure is described for the preparation of extensively purified β-d-glucosidase (EC 3.2.1.21) from the cytosol fraction of rat kidney. The specific activity of the β-glucosidase in the high speed supernatant (100 000 × g, 90 min) fraction of rat kidney homogenate is 700-fold greater than that in the same fraction from heart, skeletal muscle, lung, spleen, brain or liver. β-Glucosidase activity co-chromatographs with β-d-galactosidase, β-d-fucosidase, α-l-arabinosidase and β-d-xylosidase activities through the last four column steps of the purification and their specific activities are 0.26, 0.39, 0.028 and 0.017 relative to that of β-glucosidase, respectively. The specific activity of the apparently homogeneous β-glucosidase is 115 000 nmol of glucose released from 4-methylumbelliferyl-β-d-glucopyranoside per mg protein per h. All five glycosidase activities possess similar pH dependency (pH optimum, 6–7) and heat lability, and co-migrate on polyacrylamide disc gels at ph 8.9 (R_F, 0.67). β-Glucosidase activity is inhibited competitively by glucono-(1 → 5)-lactone (K_I, 0.61 mM) and non-competitively by a variety of sulfhydryl reagents including N-ethylmaleimide, p-chloromercuribenzoate, 5,5′-dithio-bis(2-nitrobenzoic acid), and iodoacetic acid. Although the enzyme will release glucose from p-nitrophenyl and 4-methylumbelliferyl derivatives of β-d-glucose, it will not hydrolyze xylosyl-O-serine, β-d-glucocerebroside, lactose, galactosylovalbumin or trehalose. The enzyme consists of a single polypeptide chain with a molecular weight of 50 000–58 000, has a sedimentation coefficient of 4.41 S and contains a relatively large number of acidic amino acids. A study of the distribution of β-glucosidase activity in various regions of the dissected rat kidney indicates that the enzyme is probably contained in cells of the proximal convulated tubule. The enzyme is also present in relatively large ammounts in the villus cells, but not crypt cells, of the intestine. the physiological subtrates and function of the enzyme are unknown.     

Production,purification, and properties of β-glucosidase from Candida wickerhamii

Summary Candida wickerhamii growing on cellobiose produced -glucosidase with high activity against -nitrophenyl glucoside (PNPG) but low activity against cellobiose. -glucosidase production was constitutive, and was repressed by -glucosides and glucose. -glucosides containing an aromatic moiety in the aglycon were the best substrates for -glucosidase indicating that the enzyme is an aryl--glucosidase. A -glucosidase from C. wickerhamii cells was purified by (NH₄)₂SO₄ precipitation, dialysis, ion-exchange chromatography and gel filtration. The purified enzyme was homogeneous as shown by sodium-dodecyl-sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and discontinuous gel electrophoresis. The purified enzyme hydrolysed PNPG but not cellobiose. The K_m of the enzyme was 0.185 mM. Glucose inhibited the enzyme competitively and the K_i was 7.5 mM. The apparent molecular mass was 97,000. The optimum pH and temperature for enzyme activity were between pH 7 and 7.4 and 40°C respectively. At temperatures of 45°C and greater the enzyme was inactivated. The activation energy of the enzyme was 29.4 kJ · mol^-1.     

Activity of plasma membrane β-galactosidase and β-glucosidase

Human fibroblasts produce ceramide from sialyllactosylceramide on the plasma membranes. Sialidase Neu3 is known to be plasma membrane associated, while only indirect data suggest the plasma membrane association of β-galactosidase and β-glucosidase. To determine the presence of β-galactosidase and β-glucosidase on plasma membrane, cells were submitted to cell surface biotinylation. Biotinylated proteins were purified by affinity column and analyzed for enzymatic activities on artificial substrates. Both enzyme activities were found associated with the cell surface and were up-regulated in Neu3 overexpressing cells. These enzymes were capable to act on both artificial and natural substrates without any addition of activator proteins or detergents and displayed a trans activity in living cells.     

Purification and properties of recombinant β-galactosidase from Bacillus circulans

A gene encoding β-galactosidase from Bacillus circulans which had hydrolysis specificity for the β1-3 linkage was expressed in Escherichia coli. The β-galactosidase was purified from crude cell lysates of E. coli by column chromatographies on Resource Q and Sephacryl S-200 HR. The enzyme released galactose with high selectivity from oligosaccharides which had terminal β1-3 linked galactose residues. However it did not hydrolyse β1-4 linked galactooligosaccharides. Moreover, Galβ1-3GlcNAc, Galβ1-3GalNAc, and their p-nitrophenyl glycosides were regioselectively synthesized in 10–46% yield by the transglycosylation reaction using this enzyme.     

Kinetic properties of β-glucosidase from Aspergillus ornatus

Summary Kinetic properties of extracellular -glucosidase from Aspergillus ornatus were determined. The pH and temperature optima for the enzyme were found to be 4.6 and 60°C, respectively. Under these conditions, the enzyme exhibited a K _m (p-nitrophenyl--glucoside) value of 0.76±0.11 mM. The activation energy for the enzyme was 11.8 kcal/mol. Several divalent metal ions inhibited -glucosidase activity, some of which showed inhibition of enzyme activity only at higher concentrations. Ag²⁺ was the most potent inhibitor. A metal chelating agent, EDTA, also inhibited -glucosidase activity. Except for trehalose, glucose, glucono--lactone, cellobiose, gentiobiose, laminaribiose, maltose and isomaltose inhibited -glucosidase activity. Glucose was found to be a competitive inhibitor, whereas glucono--lactone and other -linked disaccharides were noncompetitive (mixed) inhibitors of the enzyme.     

Selenium-mediated differential response of β-glucosidase and β-galactosidase of germinatingTrigonella foenum-graecum

β-Glucosidase and β-galactosidase activity profile tested in different seeds during 24 h germination revealed reasonably high levels of activity inVigna radiata, Cicer arietinum, andTrigonella foenum-graecum. In all seeds tested, β-galactosidase activity was, in general, higher than that of β-glucosidase.T. foenum-graecum seedlings exhibited maximal total and specific activities for both the enzymes during 72 h germination. Se supplementation as Na₂SeO₃ up to 0.75 ppm was found to be beneficial to growth and revealed selective enhancement of β-galactosidase activity by 40% at 0.5 ppm Se. The activities of both the enzymes drastically decreased at 1.0 ppm level of Se supplementation. On the contrary, addition of Na₂SeO₃ in vitro up to 1 ppm to the enzyme extracts did not influence these activities. Hydrolytic rates of β-glucosidase in both control and Se-supplemented groups were enhanced by 20% with 0.05M glycerol in the medium and 30% at 0.1M glycerol. The rates were marginally higher in Se-supplemented seedlings than the controls, irrespective of added glycerol in the medium. In contrast, hydrolysis by β-galactosidase showed a trend of decrease in Se-supplemented seedlings compared to the control, when glycerol was present in the medium. Addition of Se in vitro in the assay medium showed no difference in the hydrolytic rate by β-galactosidase when compared to control, while the activity of β-glucosidase declined by 50%. Se-grown seedlings showed an enhancement of transglucosidation rate by 40% in the presence of 0.1M glycerol. The study reveals a differential response to Se among the β-galactosidase and β-glucosidase ofT. foenumgraecum with increase in the levels of β-galactosidase activity.     

Purification and properties of an acidic β-glucosidase from Acidobacterium capsulatum

Acidobacterium capsulatum, an acidophilic, mesophilic and chemoorganotrophic bacterium, produced an inducible, acidic β-glucosidase in the cellobiose medium. The enzyme was successively purified 109 times by CM-Sepharose, Sephacryl S-200 chromatography and preparative discontinuous polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the purified enzyme gave a single band at pH 4.3. The enzyme had an optimum pH of 3.0 and optimum reaction temperature of 55°C, being stable from pH 1.5 to 6.0 and at temperatures from 20 to 45°C. No activity was detected above pH 6.5 or above 65°C. The molecular weight of 90,000 was estimated by gel filtration and the enzyme had an isoelectric point of 7.0. The enzyme hydrolyzed aryl-β-glycosides and β-linked disaccharides.     

Purification and properties of an extracellular β-glucosidase from Lenzites trabea

Summary When culturing the cellulolytic-active Basidiomycete and brown-rot fungus Lenzites trabea A-419 in submerged culture with glucose and cellulose as a carbon source, the fungus only excreted -glucosidase (EC 3.2.1.21) and an endo-1,4--glucanase (EC 3.2.1.4).No evidence for C₁ activity (EC 3.2.1.91) was found in the culture filtrate or in the ultra concentrate. -Glucosidase could be separated from endoglucanase by chromatography on Sepharose 6-B. Further fractionation of the -glucosidase on DEAE-Sephadex A-25 resulted in a 525-fold purification. The molecular weight of the isolated -glucosidase was determined by co-chromatography on Sephadex G-200 to be 320,000 daltons. The enzyme developed maximum activities at pH 4.5 and 75°C. The enzyme does not act on crystalline cellulose or CMC, but it hydrolyzes cellotriose,-tetraose, and-pentaose to cellobiose and glucose. -glucosidase activity was strongly inhibited by the reaction product, glucose. A K_i value of 2.7×10^–3 (M) for noncompetitive inhibition was found.     

Golgi β-glucuronidase of androgen-stimulated mouse kidney

The equilibrium constant of the phosphoglyceromutase reaction was determined over a range of pH (5.4-7.9), in solutions of different ionic strength (0.06-0.3) and in the presence of Mg(2+), at 30 degrees C and at 20 degrees C. The values obtained (8.65-11.65) differ substantially from previously published values. The third acid dissociation constants were redetermined for 2- and 3-phosphoglycerate, and in contrast with previous reports the pK values (7.03 and 6.97 respectively at zero ionic strength) were closely similar. The Mg(2+)-binding constants were measured spectrophotometrically and the values, 286mm(-1) and 255mm(-1) for 2- and 3-phosphoglycerate at pH7 and ionic strength 0.02, were also very similar. From the relative lack of effect of temperature, pH and ionic strength it is concluded that the equilibrium constant differs from unity largely because of entropic factors. At low ionic strength, in the neutral region, the pH-dependence can be attributed to the small difference in the acid dissociation constants, but the difference in dissociation constants does not explain the pH-dependence in the acid region or at high ionic strength. Within physiological ranges of pH, Mg(2+) concentration and ionic strength there will be little variation in equilibrium constant.     

Separation of recombinant β-glucuronidase from transgenic tobacco by aqueous two-phase extraction

Transgenic plants hold many promises as viable production hosts for therapeutic recombinant proteins. Many efforts have been devoted to increase the expression level of the proteins, but the efforts for developing economic processes to purify those proteins are lacking. In this report, aqueous two-phase extraction (ATPE) was investigated as an alternative for the separation of an acidic recombinant protein, β-glucuronidase (rGUS), from transgenic tobacco. Screening experiments by fractional factorial designs showed that PEG concentration and ionic strength of the system significantly affected the partitioning of native tobacco proteins and GUS. Response surface methodology was used to determine an optimized aqueous two-phase system for the purification of rGUS from transgenic tobacco. In a 13.4% (w/w) PEG 3400/18% (w/w) potassium phosphate system, 74% of the rGUS was recovered in the top PEG-rich phase while more than 90% of the native tobacco proteins were removed in the interphase and the bottom phase. A purification factor of about 20 was achieved in this process. The most important impurity from tobacco, Rubisco, was largely removed from the rGUS in the recovered phase.     

Purification and biochemical properties of a galactooligosaccharide producing β-galactosidase from Bullera singularis

A beta-galactosidase, catalyzing lactose hydrolysis and galactooligosaccharide (GalOS) synthesis from lactose, was extracted from the yeast, Bullera singularis KCTC 7534. The crude enzyme had a high transgalactosylation activity resulting in the oligosaccharide conversion of over 34% using pure lactose and cheese whey permeate as substrates. The enzyme was purified by two chromatographic steps giving 96-fold purification with a yield of 16%. The molecular weight of the purified enzyme (specific activity of 56 U mg(-1)) was approx. 53 000 Da. The hydrolytic activity was the highest at pH 5 and 50 degrees C, and was stable to 45 degrees C for 2 h. Enzyme activity was inhibited by 10 mM Ag3+ and 10 mM SDS. The Km for lactose hydrolysis was 0.58 M and the maximum reaction velocity (V(max)) was 4 mM min(-1). GalOS, including tri- and tetra-saccharides were produced with a conversion yield of 50%, corresponding to 90 g GalOS l(-1) from 180 g lactose l(-1) by the purified enzyme.     

Production and properties ofβ-glucosidase byNeurospora sitophila

Growth at 25°C and pH 5.50 favour the production of-glucosidase. De-fatted oilseed flour and Tween 80 enhanced the production of-glucosidase, Lactose, gentibiose, gentibiose-acetate, laminarabiose and xylobiose induced-glucosidase activity. Precipitation of the culture filtrate with (NH₄)₂SO₄ resulted in 26-fold purification with 67% recovery. The optimum pH and temperature for activity were 5.0 to 5.4 and 55°C respectively. The enzyme was stable at 40°C with half-life at 12 h at 50°C. TheK _m andV _max for the hydrolysis ofp-nitrophenyl--d-glucoside at 40°C H 5.0 are 0.28mm and 0.60 U/mg protein, respectively.     

Rabbit β-glucuronidase. Purification and properties, and the existence of multiple forms

1. beta-Glucuronidase (EC 3.2.1.31) was purified from rabbit liver by a procedure involving autolysis, (NH(4))(2)SO(4) fractionation, chromatography on DEAE-cellulose and hydroxyapatite, gel filtration, sedimentation in a sucrose gradient, and isoelectric focusing. 2. Electron microscopy revealed ferritin as the major contaminant in later stages of purification and also showed aggregates of enzyme molecules. Particular attention was paid to the removal of ferritin. 3. The purified enzyme was homogeneous in polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis both in non-dissociating conditions and in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulphate, and in Ouchterlony gel diffusion and immunoelectrophoresis against polyspecific antisera. 4. Sedimentation in sucrose gradients gave a molecular weight of 300000, whereas gel filtration indicated 440000. 5. Subunits of 75000 molecular weight were observed in gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulphate and in gel filtration in the presence of urea. 6. The K(m) value for p-nitrophenyl beta-d-glucuronide was 0.6mm, and the enzyme was extremely sensitive to lactone inhibitors. It was also inhibited by Hg(2+) ions. 7. Multiple forms were observed in the pure enzyme by isoelectric focusing, with pI values of 4.5-5.8. Subunits showed similar heterogeneity. The origin of the multiple forms was investigated in detail, and the possibility of artifact generation largely excluded. Some of the forms of lowest pI disappeared after neuraminidase digestion. The nature of the residual heterogeneity remains to be elucidated.     

Multiple forms of β-glucuronidase in rat liver lysosomes and microsomes

Multiple forms of β-glucuronidase have been demonstrated using sucrose gradient and polyacrylamide gel isoelectric focusing techniques in 6 m urea. Microsomal β-glucuronidase, a membrane-bound enzyme, was solubilized from lysosome-free, Ca²⁺-precipitated microsomes by detergents and isolated by chromatography on columns of rabbit anti-rat preputial gland β-glucuronidase antibody bound to Sepharose. The enzyme has a pI of 6.7. Polyacrylamide gel isoelectric focusing resolves the microsomal enzyme into three components, each of which is protease sensitive. The protease-modified microsomal enzyme is very similar to several forms of β-glucuronidase in lysosomes. The lysosomal β-glucuronidase, isolated from osmotically shocked lysosomes, is very heterogeneous after isoelectric focusing over the range pI 5.4–6.0. The lysosomal enzyme can be resolved into 10–12 bands by polyacrylamide gel isoelectric focusing. The more acid forms of the lysosomal enzyme are neuraminidase sensitive, suggesting they may be sialoglycoproteins.