Intestinal disaccharidases in the house musk shrew, Suncus murinus: occurrence of sucrase deficiency.

1. Disaccharidase activities of the small-intestinal brush border membrane were studied in six laboratory lines of the house musk shrew, Suncus murinus. 2. Sucrase activity was detected in all shrews of one line, but not in any shrew of three lines. In the other two lines it was found in some shrews, but not in the others. 3. Maltase, isomaltase, trehalase and lactase activities were found in all shrews of all the lines examined. 4. Sucrase was normally associated with isomaltase to form an enzyme complex. 5. Detergent-solubilized isomaltase, whether associated with sucrase or not, was inhibited by antibodies against rabbit sucrase-isomaltase to almost the same extent as the rabbit one, suggesting that isomaltase is not affected by a mutation(s) in sucrase.