Human liver alpha-L-fucosidase. Purification, characterization, and immunochemical studies.

Human liver alpha-L-fucosidase has been purified 6300-fold to apparent homogeneity with 66% yield by a two-step affinity chromatographic procedure utilizing agarose epsilon-aminocaproyl-fucosamine. Isoelectric focusing revealed that all six isoelectric forms of the enzyme were purified. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the purified alpha-L-fucosidase demonstrated the presence of six bands of protein which all contained fucosidase activity. The purified enzyme preparation was found to contain only trace amounts of seven glycosidases. Quantitative amino acid analysis was performed on the purified fucosidase. Preliminary carbohydrate analysis indicated that only about 1% of the molecule is carbohydrate. Gel filtration on Sepharose 4B indicated an approximate molecular weight for alpha-L-fucosidase of 175,000 +/- 18,000. High speed sedimentation equilibrium yielded a molecular weight of 230,000 +/- 10,000. Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gels indicated the presence of a single subunit of molecular weight, 50,100 +/- 2,500. The enzyme had a pH optimum of 4.6 with a suggested second optimum of 6.5. Apparent Michaelis constants and maximal velocities were determined on the purified enzyme with respect to the 4-methylumbelliferyl and the p-nitrophenyl substrates and were found to be 0.22 mM and 14.1 mumol/mg of protein/min and 0.43 mM and 19.6 mumol/mg of protein/min, respectively. Several salts had little or no effect on fucosidase activity although Ag+ and Hg2+ completely inactivated the enzyme. Antibodies made against the purified fucosidase were dound to be monospecific against crude human liver supernatant fluids and the pure antigen. No cross-reacting material was detected in the crude liver supernatant fluid from a patient who died with fucosidosis.