Purification and characterization of lysosomal alpha-glucosidase secreted by eukaryote Tetrahymena

A large amount of lysosomal acid hydrolases was released into the medium by Tetrahymena pyriformis strain W during growth. An extracellular lysosomal acid alpha-glucosidase has been purified 500-fold with a 41% yield to homogeneity, as judged by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. It was found to be a glycoprotein and to consist of a single 110,000-dalton polypeptide chain. The carbohydrate content of the alpha-glucosidase was equivalent to 2.8% of the total protein content, and the oligosaccharide moiety was composed of mannose and N-acetylglucosamine in a molar ratio of 6.7:2. The optimal pHs for hydrolysis of maltose and p-nitrophenyl-alpha-glucopyranoside, maltose, isomaltose, and glycogen were 1.1 mM, 2.5 mM, 33.0 mM, and 18.5 mg/ml, respectively. This purified enzyme appears to have alpha-1,6-glucosidase as well as alpha-1,4-glucosidase activity. Turanose has a noncompetitive inhibitory effect on the hydrolysis of maltose. The antibody raised against Tetrahymena acid alpha-glucosidase inhibited the hydrolysis of all substrates tested. These properties of Tetrahymena acid alpha-glucosidase were found to be similar to those of the human liver lysosomal alpha-glucosidase.     

Purification and characterization of an alpha-glucosidase from germinating millet seeds

An α-glucosidase (α-d-glucoside glucohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.20) was isolated from germinating millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) seeds by a procedure that included ammonium sulfate fractionation, chromatography on CM-cellulofine/Fractogel EMD SO₃, Sephacryl S-200 HR and TSK gel Phenyl-5 PW, and preparative isoelectric focusing. The enzyme was homogenous by SDS-PAGE. The molecular weight of the enzyme was estimated to be 86,000 based on its mobility in SDS-PAGE and 80,000 based on gel filtration with TSKgel super SW 3000, which showed that it was composed of a single unit. The isoelectric point of the enzyme was 8.3. The enzyme readily hydrolyzed maltose, malto-oligosaccharides, and α-1,4-glucan, but hydrolyzed polysaccharides more rapidly than maltose. The K_m value decreased with an increase in the molecular weight of the substrate. The value for maltoheptaose was about 4-fold lower than that for maltose. The enzyme preferably hydrolyzed amylopectin in starch, but also readily hydrolyzed nigerose, which has an α-1,3-glucosidic linkage and exists as an abnormal linkage in the structure of starch. In particular, the enzyme readily hydrolyzed millet starch from germinating seeds that had been degraded to some extent.     

Purification,characterization and gene analysis of a new α-glucosidase from <Emphasis Type="Italic">shiraia</Emphasis> sp. SUPER-H168

A new α-glucosidase from Shiraia sp. SUPER-H168 under solid-state fermentation was purified by alcohol precipitation and anion-exchange and by gel filtration chromatography. The optimum pH and temperature of the purified α-glucosidase were 4.5 and 60 °C, respectively, using p-nitrophenyl-α-glucopyranoside (α-pNPG) as a substrate. Ten millimoles of sodium dodecyl sulfate, Fe²⁺, Cu²⁺, and Ag⁺ reduced the enzyme activity to 0.7, 7.6, 26.0, and 6.2 %, respectively, of that of the untreated enzyme. The K _m, V _max, and k _cat/K _m of the α-glucosidase were 0.52 mM, 3.76 U mg^?1, and 1.3?×?10⁴ L s^?1 mol^?1, respectively. K _m with maltose was 0.62 mM. Transglycosylation activities were observed with maltose and sucrose as substrates, while there was no transglycosylation with trehalose. DNA and its corresponding full-length cDNA were cloned and analyzed. The α-glucosidase coding region consisted of a 2997-bp open reading frame encoding a 998-amino acid protein with a 22-amino acid signal peptide; one 48-bp intron was located. The α-glucosidase was a monomeric protein with a predicted molecular mass of 108.2 kDa and a predicted isoelectric point of 5.08. A neighbor-joining phylogenetic tree demonstrated that Shiraia sp. SUPER-H168 α-glucosidase is an ascomycetes α-glucosidase. This is the first report of α-glucosidase from a filamentous fungus that had good glycoside hydrolysis with maltose and α-pNPG, transglycosylation and conversion activity of maltose into trehalose.     

A new resorufin-based α-glucosidase assay for high-throughput screening

Mutations in α-glucosidase cause accumulation of glycogen in lysosomes, resulting in Pompe disease, a lysosomal storage disorder. Small molecule chaperones that bind to enzyme proteins and correct the misfolding and mistrafficking of mutant proteins have emerged as a new therapeutic approach for the lysosomal storage disorders. In addition, α-glucosidase is a therapeutic target for type II diabetes, and α-glucosidase inhibitors have been used in the clinic as alternative treatments for this disease. We have developed a new fluorogenic substrate for the α-glucosidase enzyme assay, resorufin α-d-glucopyranoside. The enzyme reaction product of this new substrate emits at a peak of 590 nm, reducing the interference from fluorescent compounds seen with the existing fluorogenic substrate, 4-methylumbelliferyl-α-d-glucopyranoside. Also, the enzyme kinetic assay can be carried out continuously without the addition of stop solution due to the lower pK_a of the product of this substrate. Therefore, this new fluorogenic substrate is a useful tool for the α-glucosidase enzyme assay and will facilitate compound screening for the development of new therapies for Pompe disease.     

Distribution of Yeast Cell Wall Lytic Activity among Microorganisms

An α-glucosidase has been isolated from the mycelia of Penicillium purpurogenum in electrophoretically homogeneous form, and its properties have been investigated. The enzyme had a molecular weight of 120,000 and an isoelectric point of pH 3.2. The enzyme had a pH optimum at 3.0 to 5.0 with maltose as substrate. The enzyme hydrolyzed not only maltose but also amylose, amylopectin, glycogen, and soluble starch, and glucose was the sole product from these substrates. The Km value for maltose was 6.94×10^?4 m. The enzyme hydrolyzed phenyl α-maltoside to glucose and phenyl α-glucoside. The enzyme had α-glucosyltransferase activity, the main transfer product from maltose being maltotriose. The enzyme also catalyzed the transfer of α-glucosyl residue from maltose to riboflavin.     

Intra- and extracellular forms of alpha-glucosidase from Aspergillus niger.

An intracellular α-glucosidase (α-glu₁) of Aspergillus niger was purified and its properties were compared to those of a secreted α-glucosidase (α-glu_E). The estimated molecular weight of α-glu_I was 95,000 by gel filtration (α-glu_E = 63,000); it is a glycoprotein possessing 29 mol of mannose, 6 mol of glucosamine, and 14 mol of glucose (α-glu_E has 5–6 and 2 mol of mannose and glucosamine, respectively). The K_m′s of α-glu₁ for p-nitrophenyl-α-d-glucopyranoside and maltose were 1.49 and 1.04, respectively, slightly lower than those of α-glu_E. In addition, at 65 °C α-glu_I enzymatic activity decayed fivefold faster than that of α-glu_E, and anti-α-glu_E antibody did not recognize α-glu_I. While some of these distinctions between the enzymes could be ascribed to conformational differences, the great dissimilarity in molecular weight (approximately 32,000) and lack of reactivity with anti-α-glu_E argue against α-glu_I being related to α-glu_E. The antibody covalently coupled to horseradish peroxidase (Ab-Px) was used as a probe to determine the cellular location of α-glu_E by electron microscopic immunocytology. It was found on both sides of the plasma membrane (pm) and in the outer of the two layers of the cell wall. This may mean that α-glu_E is synthesized at the inner surface of the pm, is extruded through the pm, becomes associated with the outer layer of the cell wall (perhaps as enzyme—substrate complex), and is eventually released into the growth medium.     

Regulatory characteristics of a fructose bisphosphatase from the blue-green bacterium Anacystis nidulans.

A specific fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase (EC 3.1.3.11) has been partially purified from the obligately autotrophic blue-green bacterium Anacystis nidulans. It was most active at pH 8.0. The K_m for fructose 1,6-bisphosphate was 0.088 mm at pH 8.0 and 0.105 mm at pH 7.0; the K_m for MgCl₂ was 0.95 mm at pH 8.0. Activity at netural pH was particularly sensitive to the MgCl₂ concentration. AMP was an allosteric inhibitor, 50% inhibition being exerted by 0.058 mm AMP at pH 7.0 and 0.085 mm AMP at pH 8.O. The way in which changes in intracellular pH and the concentrations of Mg²⁺ and AMP might influence the activity of the enzyme in the Calvin cycle, the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway and in glycolysis and gluconeogenesis is discussed.     

Amino Acid Sequence of an Active Center Peptide Containing Serine Isolated from Alkaline Protease of Bacillus No. 221

The substrate specificity of pig liver acid α-glucosidase was investigated. The enzyme showed a wide specificity on various substrates. The Km values for maltose, malto-triose, -tetraose, -pentaose, -hexaose and -heptaose, and maltodextrin (mean degree of polymerization, 13) were 6.7 mm, 4.4 mm, 5.9 mm, ll mm, 4.0 mm, 5.6 mm and 7.1 mm, respectively. The relative maximum velocities for maltooligosaccharides consisting of three or more glucose units were 82.6 to 92.3% of the maximum velocity for maltose. For disaccharides, the rates of hydrolysis decreased in the following order: maltose > nigerose > kojibiose > isomaltose. The acid α-glucosidase also hydrolyzed several α-glucans, such as glycogen, soluble starch, β-limit dextrin and amylopectin. The Km value for β-limit dextrin was the lowest of those for α-glucans.

The nature of the active site catalyzing the hydrolyses of maltose and glycogen was investigated by kinetic methods. In experiments with mixed substrates, maltose and glycogen, the kinetic features agreed very closely with those theoretically predicted for a single active site catalyzing the hydrolyses of both substrates. Cations, Na⁺, K⁺ and Mg⁺⁺, were about equally effective in the activation of the enzyme action on maltose and glycogen. The inhibitor constants of tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (Tris) and turanose were nearly the same for maltase activity as those for glucoamylase activity. From these results, the enzyme was concluded to attack maltose and glycogen by a single active site mechanism.     

Key aromatic residues at subsites + 2 and + 3 of glycoside hydrolase family 31 α-glucosidase contribute to recognition of long-chain substrates

Glycoside hydrolase family 31 α-glucosidases (31AGs) show various specificities for maltooligosaccharides according to chain length. Aspergillus niger α-glucosidase (ANG) is specific for short-chain substrates with the highest k_cat/K_m for maltotriose, while sugar beet α-glucosidase (SBG) prefers long-chain substrates and soluble starch. Multiple sequence alignment of 31AGs indicated a high degree of diversity at the long loop (N-loop), which forms one wall of the active pocket. Mutations of Phe236 in the N-loop of SBG (F236A/S) decreased k_cat/K_m values for substrates longer than maltose. Providing a phenylalanine residue at a similar position in ANG (T228F) altered the k_cat/K_m values for maltooligosaccharides compared with wild-type ANG, i.e., the mutant enzyme showed the highest k_cat/K_m value for maltotetraose. Subsite affinity analysis indicated that modification of subsite affinities at + 2 and + 3 caused alterations of substrate specificity in the mutant enzymes. These results indicated that the aromatic residue in the N-loop contributes to determining the chain-length specificity of 31AGs.     

Purification and partial characterization of a midgut membrane-bound α-glucosidase from Quesada gigas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae)

Adults of Quesada gigas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) have a major α-glucosidase bound to the perimicrovillar membranes, which are lipoprotein membranes that surround the midgut cell microvilli in Hemiptera and Thysanoptera. Determination of the spatial distribution of α-glucosidases in Q. gigas midgut showed that this activity is not equally distributed between soluble and membrane-bound isoforms. The major membrane-bound enzyme was solubilized in the detergent Triton X-100 and purified to homogeneity by means of gel filtration on Sephacryl S-100, and ion-exchange on High Q and Mono Q columns. The purified α-glucosidase is a protein with a pH optimum of 6.0 against the synthetic substrate p-nitrophenyl α-d-glucoside and M_r of 61,000 (SDS-PAGE). Taking into account V_Max/K_M ratios, the enzyme is more active on maltose than sucrose and prefers oligomaltodextrins up to maltopentaose, with lower efficiency for longer chain maltodextrins. The Q. gigas α-glucosidase was immunolocalized in perimicrovillar membranes by using a monospecific polyclonal antibody raised against the purified enzyme from Dysdercus peruvianus. The role of this enzyme in xylem fluid digestion and its possible involvement in osmoregulation is discussed.     

Multiple Forms of α-Glucosidase from Pig Duodenum

Multiple forms of neutral α-glucosidase (pH optima, 6.0~6.5) were purified from pig duodenal mucosa by a procedure including Triton X-100 treatment, fractionation with ammonium sulfate, fractionation with ethyl alcohol, DEAE-cellulose column chromatography and preparative polyacrylamide disc gel electrophoresis. All of the α-glucosidases, I_a, II_a, I_b and II_b, were found to be homogeneous on polyacrylamide disc gel electrophoresis. The molecular weights, isoelectric points and optimum temperatures of α-glueosidases I_a and II_a were 145,000~150,000, pH 3.5~3.7 and 55°C, respectively, and both enzymes were stable up to 55°C on treatment at pH 6.0 for 15 min; whereas those of the other two α-glucosidases, I_b and II_b, were 80,000, pH 4.0~4.1 and 65°C, respectively, and both enzymes were stable up to 70°C on the same treatment. The Km values of enzyme II_a for maltose, maltotriose and amylose were 1.72mm, 0.37 mm and 1.67mg/ml, while those of enzyme II_b were 3.33 mm, 2.61 mm and 11.8 mg/ml, respectively. All enzyme hydrolyzed α-1,4-, α-1,3- and α-1,2-glucosidic linkages in substrates, but showed no activity on sucrose or isomaltose. Enzymes II_a and II_b hydrolyzed phenyl α-maltoside to glucose and phenyl α-glucoside, and maltotriose was formed as the main α-glucosyltransfer product from maltose. It was revealed that two types of neutral α-glucosidases having no activity toward sucrose or isomaltose existed in pig duodenal mucosa, and that one type comprised α-glucosidase having both maltose- and amylaceous α-glucan-hydrolyzing activities and the other type heat-stable maltooligosaccharidases which hydrolyzed amylaceous α-glucan weakly.     

Maltose-forming α-amylase from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus sp. ST04

The deduced amino acid sequence from a gene of the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus sp. ST04 (Py04_0872) contained a conserved glycoside hydrolase family 57 (GH57) motif, but showed <13 % sequence identity with other known Pyrococcus GH57 enzymes, such as 4-α-glucanotransferase (EC 2.4.1.25), amylopullulanase (EC 3.2.1.41), and branching enzyme (EC 2.4.1.18). This gene was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli, and the recombinant product (P yrococcus sp. ST04 maltose-forming α-amylase, PSMA) was a novel 70-kDa maltose-forming α-amylase. PSMA only recognized maltose (G2) units with α-1,4 and α-1,6 linkages in polysaccharides (e.g., starch, amylopectin, and glycogen) and hydrolyzed pullulan very poorly. G2 was the primary end product of hydrolysis. Branched cyclodextrin (CD) was only hydrolyzed along its branched maltooligosaccharides. 6-O-glucosyl-β-cyclodextrin (G1-β-CD) and β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) were resistant to PSMA suggesting that PSMA is an exo-type glucan hydrolase with α-1,4- and α-1,6-glucan hydrolytic activities. The half-saturation value (K _m) for the α-1,4 linkage of maltotriose (G3) was 8.4 mM while that of the α-1,6 linkage of 6-O-maltosyl-β-cyclodextrin (G2-β-CD) was 0.3 mM. The k _cat values were 381.0 min^?1 for G3 and 1,545.0 min^?1 for G2-β-CD. The enzyme was inhibited competitively by the reaction product G2, and the K _i constant was 0.7 mM. PSMA bridges the gap between amylases that hydrolyze larger maltodextrins and α-glucosidase that feeds G2 into glycolysis by hydrolyzing smaller glucans into G2 units.     

Glyconamides as inhibitors of human beta-glucosidases and beta-galactosidases.

d-Gluconamide, d-gluconyl hydrazide, and N-(6-aminohexyl)-d-gluconamide were prepared from d-glucono-1,5-lactone by treatment with ammonia, hydrazine, and 1,6-diaminohexane, respectively. These d-gluconamide derivatives were tested for their inhibitory action on human liver lysosomal glucocerebrosidase and human spleen neutral aryl β-glucosidase. Analogous d-galactonamide derivatives were evaluated for their inhibition of human spleen galactocerebrosidase and G_M1-ganglioside β-galactosidase. d-Gluconyl hydrazide and d-gluconamide were effective inhibitors of the lysosomal glucocerebrosidase, attaining 50% inhibition at 5 and 12 mm, respectively. In contrast, N-(6-aminohexyl)-d-gluconamide did not inhibit the glucocerebrosidase. d-Gluconyl hydrazide was also the most effective inhibitor of human liver and spleen aryl β-glucosidase, 50% inhibition being achieved at 4 mm concentration (competitive inhibition, K_i = 0.4–0.9 mM). d-Galactonamide was the most effective inhibitor of spleen galactocerebrosidase; 4 mm d-galactonamide caused 50% inhibition of the enzyme activity (noncompetitive inhibition). N-(6-Aminohexyl)-d-galactonamide is a potent inhibitor (90% inhibition, 5 mm) of G_M1-ganglioside β-galactosidase but is without effect on galactocerebrosidase. It has, therefore, the potential usefulness in distinguishing between two of the galactosphingolipid β-galactosidases.     

Purification and Substrate Specificity of Honeybee,Apis mellifera L., α-Glucosidase III

α-Glucosidase III, which was different in substrate specificity from honeybee α-glucosidases I and II, was purified as an electrophoretically homogeneous protein from honeybees, by salting-out chromatography, DEAE-cellulose, DEAE-Sepharose CL-6B, Bio-Gel P-150, and CM-Toyopearl 650M column chromatographies. The enzyme preparation was confirmed to be a monomeric protein and a glycoprotein containing about 7.4% of carbohydrate. The molecular weight was estimated to approximately 68,000, and the optimum pH was 5.5. The substrate specificity of α-glucosidase III was kinetically investigated. The enzyme did not show unusual kinetics, such as the allosteric behaviors observed in α-glucosidases I and II, which are monomeric proteins. The enzyme was characterized by the ability to rapidly hydrolyze sucrose, phenyl α-glucoside, maltose, and maltotriose, and by extremely high K_m for substrates, compared with those of α-glucosidases I and II. Especially, maltotriose was hydrolyzed over 3 times as rapidly as maltose. However, maltooligosaccharides of four or more in the degree of polymerization were slowly degraded. The relative rates of the k₀ values for maltose, sucrose, p-nitrophenyl α-glucoside and maltotriose were estimated to be 100, 527, 281 and 364, and the K_m values for these substrates, 11, 30, 13, and 10 mM, respectively. The subsite affinities (A_i’s) in the active site were tentatively evaluated from the rate parameters for maltooligosaccharides. In this enzyme, it was peculiar that the A_i value at subsite 3 was larger than that of subsite 1.     

Identification of Catalytic and Substrate-binding Site Residues in Bacillus cereus ATCC7064 Oligo-1,6-glucosidase

Three active site residues (Asp199, Glu255, Asp329) and two substrate-binding site residues (His103, His328) of oligo-1,6-glucosidase (EC 3.2.1.10) from Bacillus cereus ATCC7064 were identified by site-directed mutagenesis. These residues were deduced from the X-ray crystallographic analysis and the comparison of the primary structure of the oligo-1,6-glucosidase with those of Saccharomyces carlsbergensis α-glucosidase, Aspergillus oryzae α-amylase and pig pancreatic α-amylase which act on α-1,4-glucosidic linkages. The distances between these putative residues of B. cereus oligo-1,6-glucosidase calculated from the X-ray analysis data closely resemble those of A. oryzae α-amylase and pig pancreatic α-amylase. A single mutation of Asp199→Asn, Glu255→Gln, or Asp329→Asn resulted in drastic reduction in activity, confirming that three residues are crucial for the reaction process of α-1,6-glucosidic bond cleavage. Thus, it is identified that the basic mechanism of oligo-1,6-glucosidase for the hydrolysis of α-1,6-glucosidic linkage is essentially the same as those of other amylolytic enzymes belonging to Family 13 (α-amylase family). On the other hand, mutations of histidine residues His103 and His328 resulted in pronounced dissimilarity in catalytic function. The mutation His328→Asn caused the essential loss in activity, while the mutation His103→Asn yielded a mutant enzyme that retained 59% of the κ₀/K_m of that for the wild-type enzyme. Since mutants of other α-amylases acting on α-1,4-glucosidic bond linkage lost most of their activity by the site-directed mutagenesis at their equivalent residues to His103 and His328, the retaining of activity by Hisl03→Asn mutation in B. cereus oligo-1,6-glucosidase revealed the distinguished role of His103 for the hydrolysis of α-1,6-glucosidic bond linkage.     

Properties of potato α-glucosidase

Potato tuber α-glucosidase has an isoelectric point of 4.7 and an apparent MW of 120 000. The enzyme has a neutral pH optimum (pH 6.5–7.0) and a K_m of 0.21 mM for p-nitrophenol-α-D-glucoside at pH 6.8 and 30°. Maltose and higher maltosaccharides are also substrates. The enzyme exhibits transglucosidase activity.     

Expression and characterization of an <Emphasis Type="Italic">α</Emphasis>-glucosidase from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus</Emphasis> JW200 with potential for industrial application

In this study, a new α-glucosidase gene from Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus JW200 was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli by a novel heat-shock vector pHsh. The recombinant α-glucosidase exhibited its maximum hydrolytic activity at 70°C and pH 5.0∼5.5. With p-nitrophenyl-α-D-glucoside as a substrate and under the optimal condition (70°C, pH 5.5), K _m and V _max of the enzyme was 1.72 mM and 39 U/mg, respectively. The purified α-glucosidase could hydrolyze oligosaccharides with both α-1,4 and α-1,6 linkages. The enzyme also had strong transglycosylation activity when maltose was used as sugar donor. The transglucosylation products towards maltose are isomaltose, maltotriose, panose, isomaltotriose and tetrasaccharides. The enzyme could convert 400 g/L maltose to oligosaccharides with a conversion rate of 52%, and 83% of the oligosaccharides formed were prebiotic isomaltooligosaccharides (containing isomaltose, panose and isomaltotriose).     

Partial Characterization and Subcellular Localization of Three alpha-Glucosidase Isoforms in Pea (Pisum sativum L.) Seedlings

Three isoforms of α-glucosidase (EC 3.2.1.20) have been extracted from pea (Pisum sativum L.) seedlings and separated by DEAE-cellulose and CM-Sepharose chromatography. Two α-glucosidase isoforms (αG1 and αG2) were most active under acid conditions, and appeared to be apoplastic. A neutral form (αG3) was most active near pH 7, and was identified as a chloroplastic enzyme. Together, the activity of αG1 and αG2 in apoplastic preparations accounted for 21% of the total acid α-glucosidase activity recovered from pea stems. The vast majority (86%) of the apoplastic acid α-glucosidase activity was due to αG1. The apparent K_m values for maltose of αG1 and αG2 were 0.3 and 1.3 millimolar, respectively. The apparent K_m for maltose of αG3 was 33 millimolar. The respective native molecular weights of αG1, αG2, and αG3 were 125,000, 150,000, and 110,000.     

The substrate specificity of acid α-glucosidase from rabbit muscle

1. Acid alpha-glucosidase was purified 3500-fold from rabbit muscle. 2. The enzyme was activated by cations, the degree of activation varying with the substrate. Enzyme action on glycogen was most strongly activated and activation was apparently of a non-competitive type. With rabbit liver glycogen as substrate, the relative V(max.) increased 15-fold, accompanied by an increase in K(m) from 8.3 to 68.6mm-chain end over the cation range 2-200mm-Na(+) at pH4.5. Action on maltose was only moderately activated (1.3-fold, non-competitively) and action on maltotriose was marginally and competitively inhibited. 3. The pH optimum at 2mm-Na(+) was 4.5 (maltose) and 5.1 (glycogen). Cation activation of enzyme action on glycogen was markedly pH-dependent. At 200mm-Na(+), the pH optimum was 4.8 and activity was maximally stimulated in the range pH4.5-3.3. 4. Glucosidase action on maltosaccharides was associated with pronounced substrate inhibition at concentrations exceeding 5mm. Of the maltosaccharides tested, the enzyme showed a preference for p-nitrophenyl alpha-maltoside (K(m) 1.2mm) and maltotriose (K(m) 1.8mm). The extrapolated K(m) for enzyme action on maltose was 3.7mm. 5. The macromolecular polysaccharide substrate glycogen differed from linear maltosaccharide substrates in the kinetics of its interaction with the enzyme. Activity was markedly dependent on pH, cation concentration and polysaccharide structure. There was no substrate inhibition. 6. The enzyme exhibited constitutive alpha-1,6-glucanohydrolase activity. The K(m) for panose was 20mm. 7. The enzyme catalysed the total conversion of glycogen into glucose. The hydrolysis of alpha-1,6-linkages was apparently rate-limiting during the hydrolysis of glycogen. 8. Enzyme action on glycogen and maltose released the alpha-anomer of d-glucose. 9. The results are discussed in terms of the physiological role of acid alpha-glucosidase in lysosomal glycogen catabolism.     

Association of bi-functional activity in the N-terminal domain of glycogen debranching enzyme

Glycogen debranching enzyme (GDE) in mammals and yeast exhibits α-1,4-transferase and α-1,6-glucosidase activities within a single polypeptide chain and facilitates the breakdown of glycogen by a bi-functional mechanism. Each enzymatic activity of GDE is suggested to be associated with distinct domains; α-1,4-glycosyltransferase activity with the N-terminal domain and α-1,6-glucosidase activity with the C-terminal domain. Here, we present the biochemical features of the GDE from Saccharomyces cerevisiae using the substrate glucose(n)-β-cyclodextrin (Gn-β-CD). The bacterially expressed and purified GDE N-terminal domain (aa 1–644) showed α-1,4-transferase activity on maltotetraose (G4) and G4-β-CD, yielding various lengths of (G)_n. Surprisingly, the N-terminal domain also exhibited α-1,6-glucosidase activity against G1-β-CD and G4-β-CD, producing G1 and β-CD. Mutational analysis showed that residues D535 and E564 in the N-terminal domain are essential for the transferase activity but not for the glucosidase activity. These results indicate that the N-terminal domain (1–644) alone has both α-1,4-transferase and the α-1,6-glucosidase activities and suggest that the bi-functional activity in the N-domain may occur via one active site, as observed in some archaeal debranching enzymes.