The purification and properties of an aryl beta-hexosidase from bovine liver.

An aryl β-hexosidase was purified 800-fold from bovine liver. The purified enzyme hydrolyzed p-nitrophenyl glycosylpyranoside derivatives of β-d-galactose, β-d-glucose, β-d-xylose, β-d-mannose, and α-l-arabinose, but did not hydrolyze several other p-nitrophenyl glycosides. The enzyme also catalyzed hydrolysis of a variety of plant arylglucosides. Disaccharides, polysaccharides, glycolipids, glycoproteins, and glycosaminoglycans containing terminal nonreducing β-d-galactopyranosyl or β-d-glucopyranosyl residues were not hydrolyzed. The pH optima for the several substrates tested ranged from 7.0 to 9.5. The purified enzyme was homogeneous by disc gel electrophoresis and had a molecular weight of 41,000 by Sephadex gel filtration and 46,000 by disc gel electrophoresis performed in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. The enzyme readily transferred glycosyl residues from susceptible β-galactosides or β-glucosides to other sugars; the resulting products were not hydrolyzed by the enzyme. Methyl α-d-glucopyranoside was the most efficient carbohydrate acceptor compound tested. The enzyme exhibited a K_m for p-nitrophenyl β-d-galactopyranoside of 1.78 × 10^?3m and for p-nitrophenyl β-d-glucopyranoside, 2.50 × 10^?3m when incubations were conducted in the presence of 0.15 m methyl α-d-glucopyranoside. Aryl β-hexosidase was found in the cytosol of all mammalian livers tested, but could not be detected in liver of birds, reptiles, or fish; low levels were detected in frog liver. Analysis of bovine extracts indicated that the enzyme occurred in liver, kidney, and intestinal mucosa; it was not detected in testis, spleen, serum, or muscle.