Functional analysis of a group A streptococcal glycoside hydrolase Spy1600 from family 84 reveals it is a beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase and not a hyaluronidase

Group A streptococcus (Streptococcus pyogenes) is the causative agent of severe invasive infections such as necrotizing fasciitis (the so-called 'flesh eating disease') and toxic-shock syndrome. Spy1600, a glycoside hydrolase from family 84 of the large superfamily of glycoside hydrolases, has been proposed to be a virulence factor. In the present study we show that Spy1600 has no activity toward galactosaminides or hyaluronan, but does remove beta-O-linked N-acetylglucosamine from mammalian glycoproteins--an observation consistent with the inclusion of eukaryotic O-glycoprotein 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-beta-D-glucopyranosidases within glycoside hydrolase family 84. Proton NMR studies, structure-reactivity studies for a series of fluorinated analogues and analysis of 1,2-dideoxy-2'-methyl-alpha-D-glucopyranoso-[2,1-d]-Delta2'-thiazoline as a competitive inhibitor reveals that Spy1600 uses a double-displacement mechanism involving substrate-assisted catalysis. Family 84 glycoside hydrolases are therefore comprised of both prokaryotic and eukaryotic beta-N-acetylglucosaminidases using a conserved catalytic mechanism involving substrate-assisted catalysis. Since these enzymes do not have detectable hyaluronidase activity, many family 84 glycoside hydrolases are most likely incorrectly annotated as hyaluronidases.     

Elevation of global O-GlcNAc levels in 3T3-L1 adipocytes by selective inhibition of O-GlcNAcase does not induce insulin resistance

The O-GlcNAc post-translational modification is considered to act as a sensor of nutrient flux through the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway. A cornerstone of this hypothesis is that global elevation of protein O-GlcNAc levels, typically induced with the non-selective O-GlcNAcase inhibitor PUGNAc (O-(2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-glycopyranosylidene) amino-N-phenylcarbamate), causes insulin resistance in adipocytes. Here we address the potential link between elevated O-GlcNAc and insulin resistance by using a potent and selective inhibitor of O-GlcNAcase (NButGT (1,2-dideoxy-2'-propyl-alpha-D-glucopyranoso-[2,1-D]-Delta 2'-thiazoline), 1200-fold selectivity). A comparison of the structures of a bacterial homologue of O-GlcNAcase in complex with PUGNAc or NButGT reveals that these inhibitors bind to the same region of the active site, underscoring the competitive nature of their inhibition of O-GlcNAcase and the molecular basis of selectivity. Treating 3T3-L1 adipocytes with NButGT induces rapid increases in global O-GlcNAc levels, but strikingly, NButGT treatment does not replicate the insulin desensitizing effects of the non-selective O-GlcNAcase inhibitor PUGNAc. Consistent with these observations, NButGT also does not recapitulate the impaired insulin-mediated phosphorylation of Akt that is induced by treatment with PUGNAc. Collectively, these results suggest that increases in global levels of O-GlcNAc-modified proteins of cultured adipocytes do not, on their own, cause insulin resistance.     

Identification of Asp174 and Asp175 as the key catalytic residues of human O-GlcNAcase by functional analysis of site-directed mutants

O-GlcNAcase is a family 84 beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase catalyzing the hydrolytic cleavage of beta-O-linked 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-d-glycopyranose (O-GlcNAc) from serine and threonine residues of posttranslationally modified proteins. O-GlcNAcases use a double-displacement mechanism involving formation and breakdown of a transient bicyclic oxazoline intermediate. The key catalytic residues of any family 84 enzyme facilitating this reaction, however, are unknown. Two mutants of human O-GlcNAcase, D174A and D175A, were generated since these residues are highly conserved among family 84 glycoside hydrolases. Structure-reactivity studies of the D174A mutant enzyme reveals severely impaired catalytic activity across a broad range of substrates alongside a pH-activity profile consistent with deletion of a key catalytic residue. The D175A mutant enzyme shows a significant decrease in catalytic efficiency with substrates bearing poor leaving groups (up to 3000-fold), while for substates bearing good leading groups the difference is much smaller (7-fold). This mutant enzyme also cleaves thioglycosides with essentially the same catalytic efficiency as the wild-type enzyme. As well, addition of azide as an exogenous nucleophile increases the activity of this enzyme toward a substrate bearing an excellent leaving group. Together, these results allow unambiguous assignment of Asp(174) as the residue that polarizes the 2-acetamido group for attack on the anomeric center and Asp(175) as the residue that functions as the general acid/base catalyst. Therefore, the family 84 glycoside hydrolases use a DD catalytic pair to effect catalysis.     

Identification of the catalytic residue of Thermococcus litoralis 4-alpha-glucanotransferase through mechanism-based labeling

Thermococcus litoralis 4-alpha-glucanotransferase (TLGT) belongs to family 57 of glycoside hydrolases and catalyzes the disproportionation and cycloamylose synthesis reactions. Family 57 glycoside hydrolases have not been well investigated, and even the catalytic mechanism involving the active site residues has not been studied. Using 3-ketobutylidene-beta-2-chloro-4-nitrophenyl maltopentaoside (3KBG5CNP) as a donor and glucose as an acceptor, we showed that the disproportionation reaction of TLGT involves a ping-pong bi-bi mechanism. On the basis of this reaction mechanism, the glycosyl-enzyme intermediate, in which a donor substrate was covalently bound to the catalytic nucleophile, was trapped by treating the enzyme with 3KBG5CNP in the absence of an acceptor and was detected by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry after peptic digestion. Postsource decay analysis suggested that either Glu-123 or Glu-129 was the catalytic nucleophile of TLGT. Glu-123 was completely conserved between family 57 enzymes, and the catalytic activity of the E123Q mutant enzyme was greatly decreased. On the other hand, Glu-129 was a variable residue, and the catalytic activity of the E129Q mutant enzyme was not decreased. These results indicate that Glu-123 is the catalytic nucleophile of TLGT. Sequence alignment of TLGT and family 38 enzymes (class II alpha-mannosidases) revealed that Glu-123 of TLGT corresponds to the nucleophilic aspartic acid residue of family 38 glycoside hydrolases, suggesting that family 57 and 38 glycoside hydrolases may have had a common ancestor.     

Function and structure studies of GH family 31 and 97 α-glycosidases

A huge number of glycoside hydrolases are classified into the glycoside hydrolase family (GH family) based on their amino-acid sequence similarity. The glycoside hydrolases acting on α-glucosidic linkage are in GH family 4, 13, 15, 31, 63, 97, and 122. This review deals mainly with findings on GH family 31 and 97 enzymes. Research on two GH family 31 enzymes is described: clarification of the substrate recognition of Escherichia coli α-xylosidase, and glycosynthase derived from Schizosaccharomyces pombe α-glucosidase. GH family 97 is an aberrant GH family, containing inverting and retaining glycoside hydrolases. The inverting enzyme in GH family 97 displays significant similarity to retaining α-glycosidases, including GH family 97 retaining α-glycosidase, but the inverting enzyme has no catalytic nucleophile residue. It appears that a catalytic nucleophile has been eliminated during the molecular evolution in the same way as a man-made nucleophile mutant enzyme, which catalyzes the inverting reaction, as in glycosynthase and chemical rescue.     

Function and Structure Studies of GH Family 31 and 97 α-Glycosidases

A huge number of glycoside hydrolases are classified into the glycoside hydrolase family (GH family) based on their amino-acid sequence similarity. The glycoside hydrolases acting on α-glucosidic linkage are in GH family 4, 13, 15, 31, 63, 97, and 122. This review deals mainly with findings on GH family 31 and 97 enzymes. Research on two GH family 31 enzymes is described: clarification of the substrate recognition of Escherichia coli α-xylosidase, and glycosynthase derived from Schizosaccharomyces pombe α-glucosidase. GH family 97 is an aberrant GH family, containing inverting and retaining glycoside hydrolases. The inverting enzyme in GH family 97 displays significant similarity to retaining α-glycosidases, including GH family 97 retaining α-glycosidase, but the inverting enzyme has no catalytic nucleophile residue. It appears that a catalytic nucleophile has been eliminated during the molecular evolution in the same way as a man-made nucleophile mutant enzyme, which catalyzes the inverting reaction, as in glycosynthase and chemical rescue.     

Mannose foraging by Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron: structure and specificity of the beta-mannosidase, BtMan2A

The human colonic bacterium Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, which plays an important role in maintaining human health, produces an extensive array of exo-acting glycoside hydrolases (GH), including 32 family GH2 glycoside hydrolases. Although it is likely that these enzymes enable the organism to utilize dietary and host glycans as major nutrient sources, the biochemical properties of these GH2 glycoside hydrolases are currently unclear. Here we report the biochemical properties and crystal structure of the GH2 B. thetaiotaomicron enzyme BtMan2A. Kinetic analysis demonstrates that BtMan2A is a beta-mannosidase in which substrate binding energy is provided principally by the glycone binding site, whereas aglycone recognition is highly plastic. The three-dimensional structure, determined to a resolution of 1.7 A, reveals a five-domain structure that is globally similar to the Escherichia coli LacZ beta-galactosidase. The catalytic center is housed mainly within a (beta/alpha)8 barrel although the N-terminal domain also contributes to the active site topology. The nature of the substrate-binding residues is quite distinct from other GH2 enzymes of known structure, instead they are similar to other clan GH-A enzymes specific for manno-configured substrates. Mutagenesis studies, informed by the crystal structure, identified a WDW motif in the N-terminal domain that makes a significant contribution to catalytic activity. The observation that this motif is invariant in GH2 mannosidases points to a generic role for these residues in this enzyme class. The identification of GH-A clan and GH2 specific residues in the active site of BtMan2A explains why this enzyme is able to harness substrate binding at the proximal glycone binding site more efficiently than mannan-hydrolyzing glycoside hydrolases in related enzyme families. The catalytic properties of BtMan2A are consistent with the flexible nutrient acquisition displayed by the colonic bacterium.     

Crystal structure of mannanase 26A from Pseudomonas cellulosa and analysis of residues involved in substrate binding

The crystal structure of Pseudomonas cellulosa mannanase 26A has been solved by multiple isomorphous replacement and refined at 1.85 A resolution to an R-factor of 0.182 (R-free = 0.211). The enzyme comprises (beta/alpha)(8)-barrel architecture with two catalytic glutamates at the ends of beta-strands 4 and 7 in precisely the same location as the corresponding glutamates in other 4/7-superfamily glycoside hydrolase enzymes (clan GH-A glycoside hydrolases). The family 26 glycoside hydrolases are therefore members of clan GH-A. Functional analyses of mannanase 26A, informed by the crystal structure of the enzyme, provided important insights into the role of residues close to the catalytic glutamates. These data showed that Trp-360 played a critical role in binding substrate at the -1 subsite, whereas Tyr-285 was important to the function of the nucleophile catalyst. His-211 in mannanase 26A does not have the same function as the equivalent asparagine in the other GH-A enzymes. The data also suggest that Trp-217 and Trp-162 are important for the activity of mannanase 26A against mannooligosaccharides but are less important for activity against polysaccharides.     

Dynamic O-glycosylation of nuclear and cytosolic proteins: further characterization of the nucleocytoplasmic beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase, O-GlcNAcase.

beta-O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) is an abundant and dynamic post-translational modification implicated in protein regulation that appears to be functionally more similar to phosphorylation than to classical glycosylation. There are nucleocytoplasmic enzymes for the attachment and removal of O-GlcNAc. Here, we further characterize the recently cloned beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase, O-GlcNAcase. Both recombinant and purified endogenous O-GlcNAcase rapidly release free GlcNAc from O-GlcNAc-modified peptide substrates. The recombinant enzyme functions as a monomer and has kinetic parameters (K(m) = 1.1 mm for paranitrophenyl-GlcNAc, k(cat) = 1 s(-1)) that are similar to those of lysosomal hexosaminidases. The endogenous O-GlcNAcase appears to be in a complex with other proteins and is predominantly localized to the cytosol. Overexpression of the enzyme in living cells results in decreased O-GlcNAc modification of nucleocytoplasmic proteins. Finally, we show that the enzyme is a substrate for caspase-3 but, surprisingly, the cleavage has no effect on in vitro O-GlcNAcase activity. These studies support the identification of this protein as an O-GlcNAcase and identify important interactions and modifications that may regulate the enzyme and O-GlcNAc cycling.     

Structural basis for the exocellulase activity of the cellobiohydrolase CbhA from Clostridium thermocellum

Numerous bacterial and fungal organisms have evolved elaborate sets of modular glycoside hydrolases and similar enzymes aimed at the degradation of polymeric carbohydrates. Presently, on the basis of sequence similarity catalytic modules of these enzymes have been classified into 90 families. Representatives of a particular family display similar fold and catalytic mechanisms. However, within families distinctions occur with regard to enzymatic properties and type of activity against carbohydrate chains. Cellobiohydrolase CbhA from Clostridium thermocellum is a large seven-modular enzyme with a catalytic module belonging to family 9. In contrast to other representatives of that family possessing only endo- and, in few cases, endo/exo-cellulase activities, CbhA is exclusively an exocellulase. The crystal structures of the combination of the immunoglobulin-like module and the catalytic module of CbhA (Ig-GH9_CbhA) and that of an inactive mutant Ig-GH9_CbhA(E795Q) in complex with cellotetraose (CTT) are reported here. The detailed analysis of these structures reveals that, while key catalytic residues and overall fold are conserved in this enzyme and those of other family 9 glycoside hydrolases, the active site of GH9_CbhA is blocked off after the -2 subsite. This feature which is created by an extension and altered conformation of a single loop region explains the inability of the active site of CbhA to accommodate a long cellulose chain and to cut it internally. This altered loop region is responsible for the exocellulolytic activity of the enzyme.     

Hydration of vinyl ether groups by unsaturated glycoside hydrolases and their role in bacterial pathogenesis.

Many pathogenic microorganisms invade mammalian and/or plant cells by producing polysaccharide-degrading enzymes (lyases and hydrolases). Mammalian glycosaminoglycans and plant pectins that form part of the cell surface matrix are typical targets for these microbial enzymes. Unsaturated glycoside hydrolase catalyzes the hydrolytic release of an unsaturated uronic acid from oligosaccharides, which are produced through the reaction of matrix-degrading polysaccharide lyase. This enzymatic ability suggests that unsaturated glycoside hydrolases function as virulence factors in microbial infection. This review focuses on the molecular identification, bacterial distribution, and structure/function relationships of these enzymes. In contrast to general glycoside hydrolases, in which the catalytic mechanism involves the retention or inversion of an anomeric configuration, unsaturated glycoside hydrolases uniquely trigger the hydrolysis of vinyl ether groups in unsaturated saccharides but not of their glycosidic bonds.     

Endo-alpha-1-4-polygalactosaminidases and their homologues: structure and evolution

Endo-alpha-1,4-polygalactosaminidase is a rare enzyme. Its catalytic domain belongs to the GH114 family of glycoside hydrolases. Phylogenetic analysis of the family proteins allowed us to show an important role of duplications, eliminations, and horizontal transfer in the evolution of their genes. Domain structure, the secondary structure, and proposed structure of the active center of the endo-alpha-1,4-polygalactosaminidases are discussed. Evolutionary connections of the GH114 family with GH13, GH18, GH20, GH27, GH29, GH31, GH35, GH36, and GH66 families of glycoside hydrolases, as well as, with COG1306, COG1649, COG2342, GHL3, and GHL4 families of enzymatically uncharacterized proteins have been revealed by iterative screening of the protein database. The unclassified homologues have been grouped into 13 new families of hypothetical glycoside hydrolases: GHL5 - GHL15, GH36J, and GH36K.     

A new group of exo-acting family 28 glycoside hydrolases of Aspergillus niger that are involved in pectin degradation

The fungus Aspergillus niger is an industrial producer of pectin-degrading enzymes. The recent solving of the genomic sequence of A. niger allowed an inventory of the entire genome of the fungus for potential carbohydrate-degrading enzymes. By applying bioinformatics tools, 12 new genes, putatively encoding family 28 glycoside hydrolases, were identified. Seven of the newly discovered genes form a new gene group, which we show to encode exoacting pectinolytic glycoside hydrolases. This group includes four exo-polygalacturonan hydrolases (PGAX, PGXA, PGXB and PGXC) and three putative exo-rhamnogalacturonan hydrolases (RGXA, RGXB and RGXC). Biochemical identification using polygalacturonic acid and xylogalacturonan as substrates demonstrated that indeed PGXB and PGXC act as exo-polygalacturonases, whereas PGXA acts as an exo-xylogalacturonan hydrolase. The expression levels of all 21 genes were assessed by microarray analysis. The results from the present study demonstrate that exo-acting glycoside hydrolases play a prominent role in pectin degradation.     

Endo-α-1,4-polygalactosaminidases and their homologs: Structure and evolution

Endo-α-1,4-polygalactosaminidase is a rare enzyme. Its catalytic domain belongs to the GH114 family of glycoside hydrolases. It is shown by phylogenetic analysis that the evolution of the corresponding genes involved duplications, elimination, and horizontal transfer. The domain and secondary structures of endo-α-1,4-polygalactosaminidases are discussed. A hypothesis is put forward as to the structure of the active center of the enzyme. Iterative screening of a protein database reveals evolutionary relationships of the GH114 family with the GH13, GH18, GH20, GH27, GH29, GH31, GH35, GH36, and GH66 families of glycoside hydrolases and with the COG1306, COG1649, COG2342, GHL3, and GHL4 families of proteins with unknown enzymatic functions. Unclassified homologs are grouped into 13 new families of hypothetical glycoside hydrolases: GHL5-GHL15, GH36J, and GH36K.     

Properties of lysosomal beta-hexosaminidase accumulated in Niemann-Pick mouse liver

Various lysosomal acid hydrolases from tissues of Niemann-Pick mice, a mutant strain of C57BL/KsJ mice (spm/spm), were examined and compared to those from control mice. Activities of beta-hexosaminidase, beta-galactosidase, acid phosphatase, and cathepsin L were elevated in the liver and spleen of the affected mice, whereas no significant changes in beta-glucosidase and acid alpha-glucosidase were observed. Alpha-Mannosidase and neutral alpha-glucosidase activities were rather decreased in the affected mouse liver. The level of beta-hexosaminidase in the Niemann-Pick mice was raised sixfold in the liver and two- to threefold in the spleen and brain, whereas its total activity was decreased in the kidney. Sixty to ninety percent of total activity of lysosomal hydrolases was solubilized with 0.1% Triton X-100 in control mice, but most of the beta-hexosaminidase activity of the Niemann-Pick mice remained associated with the membrane fraction of liver lysosomes. The beta-hexosaminidase of the Niemann-Pick mice was appreciably stable when heated at 55 degrees C, while hydrolases of the affected mice and all of the enzymes tested in control mice were heat labile. The relative content of two beta-hexosaminidase fractions separated by DEAE-cellulose column chromatography was 8% for beta-hexosaminidase I and 92% for beta-hexosaminidase II in the case of the control mouse liver. The isozyme pattern of hexosaminidases in Niemann-Pick mice was similar to that of control enzymes. However, the beta-hexosaminidase II accumulated in Niemann-Pick mouse liver was different from that of the control in optimum pH, Km values and thermostability.     

Identification of a catalytic residue of Clostridium paraputrificum N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase Nag3A by site-directed mutagenesis

Clostridium paraputrificum M-21 beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase 3A (Nag3A) is an enzyme classified in family 3 of the glycoside hydrolases. To identify catalytic residues of this enzyme, mutations were introduced into highly conserved Glu and Asp residues. Replacement of Asp175 with Ala abolished the catalytic activity without change in the circular dichroism spectrum, strongly suggesting that this residue is a catalytic residue, a nucleophile/base or a proton donor. Since the K(m) values of mutant enzymes D119N, D229N, D229A and D274N increased 17 to 41 times as compared with that of wild-type enzyme, Asp119, Asp229, and Asp274 appear to be involved in substrate recognition and binding. Taking previous studies into consideration, we presume that Asp303 is the catalytic nucleophile and Asp175 is the proton donor of C. paraputrificum Nag3A.     

Characterization of a novel endo-beta-galactosidase specific for releasing the disaccharide GlcNAc alpha 1-->4Gal from glycoconjugates

In contrast to the beta-linked GlcNAc, the alpha-linked GlcNAc has not been commonly found in glycoconjugates. We have recently revealed the presence of an unusual endo-beta-galactosidase (Endo-beta-Gal(GnGa)) in Clostridium perfringens capable of releasing GlcNAcalpha1-->4Gal from glycans expressed in the gastric mucous cell-type mucin [Ashida, H., Anderson, K., Nakayama, J., Maskos, K., Chou, C.-W., Cole, R. B., Li, S.-C., and Li, Y.-T. (2001) J. Biol. Chem. 276, 28226-28232]. To characterize Endo-beta-Gal(GnGa), we have cloned its gene, gngC, from the genomic DNA library prepared from C. perfringens ATCC10543. The gene encodes 420 amino acid residues including a 17-residue signal peptide at the N-terminus. Using pUC18, we were able to prepare 25 mg of the fully active and pure recombinant Endo-beta-Gal(GnGa) from 1 L of Escherichia coli DH5alpha culture, which was 170 times higher than that produced by the original clostridial strain. Endo-beta-Gal(GnGa) shares a low but significant sequence similarity with two other endo-beta-galactosidases (16-21% amino acid identity). It also shows some similarity with bacterial 1,3-1,4-beta-glucan 4-glucanohydrolases of the glycoside hydrolase family 16. Endo-beta-Gal(GnGa) was found to contain the EXDX(X)E sequence (Glu-168 to Glu-173), that has been identified as the catalytic motif of families 16 and 7 retaining glycoside hydrolases. We have used site-directed mutagenesis to show that Glu-168 and Glu-173 were essential for the Endo-beta-Gal(GnGa) activity. By NMR spectroscopy, Endo-beta-Gal(GnGa) was found to act as a retaining enzyme.     

CBM在多糖底物降解中的应用进展

碳水化合物结合模块(carbohydrate-binding module, CBM)是碳水化合物活性酶的重要组成部分，其功能是识别并结合到特定的多糖底物上以提高催化结构域在底物附近的浓度及催化效率，帮助其更好地降解如纤维素、木聚糖、几丁质和黄原胶等大分子化合物。不同家族的CBM因其来源或结构不同往往会具有不同的底物结合特性。本文从CBM的家族、结构和功能等方面对CBM近年来的研究进行了综述，特别是对其作为融合单元运用到多糖底物的降解和糖苷水解酶改造方面的应用进行了总结。     

XIP-I, a xylanase inhibitor protein from wheat: a novel protein function

Endo-(1,4)-beta-xylanases of plant and fungal origin play an important role in the degradation of arabinoxylans. Two distinct classes of proteinaceous endoxylanase inhibitors, the Triticum aestivum xylanase inhibitor (TAXI) and the xylanase inhibitor protein (XIP), have been identified in cereals. Engineering of proteins in conjunction with enzyme kinetics, thermodynamic, real-time interaction, and X-ray crystallographic studies has provided knowledge on the mechanism of inhibition of XIP-I towards endoxylanases. XIP-I is a 30 kDa protein which belongs to glycoside hydrolase family 18, and folds as a typical (beta/alpha)8 barrel. Although the inhibitor shows highest homology with plant chitinases, XIP-I does not hydrolyse chitin; probably due to structural differences in the XIP-I binding cleft. The inhibitor is specific for fungal xylanases from glycoside hydrolases families 10 and 11, but does not inhibit bacterial enzymes. The inhibition is competitive and, depending on the xylanase, the Ki value can be as low as 3.4 nM. Site-directed mutagenesis of a xylanase from Aspergillus niger suggested that the XIP-I binding site was the conserved hairpin loop "thumb" region of family 11 xylanases. Furthermore, XIP-I shows the ability to inhibit barley alpha-amylases of glycoside hydrolase family 13, providing the first example of a protein able to inhibit members of different glycoside hydrolase families (10, 11, and 13), and additionally a novel function for a protein of glycoside hydrolase family 18.     

A sequence in beta-hexosaminidase from Dictyostelium discoideum required for sorting of proteins to a compartment involved in developmentally induced secretion.

To study the sorting of proteins in Dictyostelium discoideum, we used vector constructs that contain cDNA coding for the entire beta-hexosaminidase protein to prepare transformants of a mutant that lacks this enzyme activity. These transformants overexpressed active, normally processed beta-hexosaminidase. The overexpressed enzyme colocalized with other acid hydrolases in the soluble fraction of vesicles in the lysosomal region of Percoll gradients. The sorting of other hydrolases was unaltered. We also prepared transformants with constructs that contain 22 (Hex 22-Inv), 70 (Hex 70-Inv), and 532 (Hex 532-Inv) amino-terminal amino acids from beta-hexosaminidase fused in frame with the coding sequence for the yeast SUC2 gene product, invertase. Fusion molecular masses were those expected for fully N-glycosylated proteins. Hex 22-Inv was rapidly (t1/2 less than 30 min) and quantitatively secreted. The others were slowly (t1/2 greater than 5 h) and partially secreted. Each expressed invertase activity. During growth, the invertase activity of Hex 70-Inv and Hex 532-Inv was retained to the same extent as that of endogenous lysosomal enzymes. Most of the Hex 70-Inv migrated in Percoll gradients with vesicles of intermediate density (d = 1.055), but a portion co-migrated with lysosomal enzymes at d = 1.08. Hex 70-Inv was sulfated, and its N-glycosides were resistant to endoglycosidase H, indicating Golgi processing. Hex 70-Inv and Hex 532-Inv, like endogenous lysosomal enzymes, were subject to developmentally induced secretion.