Hydrolysis of low-molecular-weight oligosaccharides and oligosaccharide alditols by pig intestinal sucrase/isomaltase and glucosidase/maltase

The ability of purified pig intestinal sucrase/isomaltase (SI; EC 3.2.1.10/48) and glucosidase/maltase (GM; EC 3.2.1.20) to hydrolyze di- and oligosaccharides consisting of D-glucose and D-fructose residues and the corresponding alditols was studied. The products, after incubation, reflect different binding patterns at both catalytic sites of SI. The active site of the sucrase subunit cleaves alpha,beta-(1-->2) glycosidic bonds, and only two monomer units of the substrates bind with favorable affinity. Oligosaccharides and reduced oligosaccharides containing alpha-(1--6) and alpha-(1-->1) glycosidic bonds are hydrolyzed by isomaltase, and for the active site of this subunit more than two subsites were postulated. Moreover, different binding sites for various aglycons seem to exist for isomaltase. Oligosaccharide alcohols are cleaved at lower rates if the reduced sugar residue occupies the aglycon binding site. GM also hydrolyzes alpha-(1-->1) linkages, but at a lower rate. The enzyme has the ability to bind compounds containing residues other than D-glucose. There are indications for similarities between GM and the isomaltase subunit of SI in the binding mode of oligosaccharides.