Substrate specificity of human alpha-L-fucosidase.

Human α-l-fucosidase is a soluble lysosomal enzyme which hydrolyzes α-l-fucose residues linked to the 2 position of galactose or the 3, 4, or 6 position ofN-acetylglucosamine. Demonstration of activity towards natural oligosaccharide or glycosphingolipid substrates was achieved by measuring liberated l-fucose by coupling to fucose dehydrogenase and NAD and measuring NADH production spectrophotometrically. Activity of purified human spleen, brain, and cultured skin fibroblast or crude cell extracts towards 4-methylumbelliferyl-α-l-fucoside had a pH optimum of 4.5 to 5.5 and was unaffected by the presence of neutral detergents such as Triton X-100. However, the addition of sodium taurocholate or other bile salts to the incubation mixture caused a marked inhibition at pH 5 and a shift in pH optimum to the pH 6–7 region. Sodium taurocholate effected a threefold reduction in the apparent K_m for α-l-fucosidase at pH 6.0, but studies on fucosidosis tissue (α-fucosidase deficiency) or subcellular fractions derived from rat liver failed to indicate the existence of a membrane-bound α-l-fucosidase. The response of other lysosomal hydrolases to the presence of bile salts was investigated and was found to be variable, perhaps depending upon the hydrophilic or hydrophobic nature of the natural substrate and/or the state of association of the active enzyme.