A di-N-acetylchitobiase activity is involved in the lysosomal catabolism of asparagine-linked glycoproteins in rat liver.

A perfused rat liver was used to study the effects of 5-diazo-4-oxo-L-norvaline on lysosomal glycoprotein catabolism. Addition of this compound (1.0 mM) to the perfusate reduced activity of beta-aspartyl-N-acetylglucosylamine amidohydrolase by 99% in 1 h. Treated livers were unable to completely degrade endocytosed N-acetyl[14C]glucosamine-labeled asialo-alpha 1-acid glycoprotein as evidenced by a 50% reduction in radiolabeled serum glycoprotein secretion compared to controls. This decreased degradation was matched by a lysosomal accumulation of glycopeptides with the structure: GlcNAc beta(1-4)GlcNAc-Asn. The result suggested the presence of an unrecognized glycosidase in rat liver lysosomes, since this remnant was extended by one more GlcNAc residue than would have been expected after specific inactivation of the amidohydrolase. Such a novel enzyme would therefore catalyze cleavage of the N-acetylglucosamine residue at the reducing end of alpha 1-acid glycoprotein oligosaccharides only following removal of the linking Asn. The activity was then detected in lysosomal extracts by using intact asialo-biantennary oligosaccharides labeled with [3H] galactose or N-acetyl[14C]glucosamine residues as a substrate. To prevent simultaneous digestion of the material from its nonreducing end, beta-D-galactosidase in the enzyme extract was first inactivated with the irreversible active site-directed inhibitor, beta-D-galactopyranosylmethyl-p-nitrophenyltriazene. The observed di-N-acetylchitobiose cleaving activity worked optimally at pH 3.4 and was uniquely associated with the lysosomal fraction of the liver homogenate. The enzyme also cleaved triantennary chains and di-N-acetylchitobiose, but failed to hydrolyze substrates that had been reduced with NaBH4. The new glycosidase was well separated from N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (assayed with p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-glucosaminide) by gel filtration chromatography and had an apparent molecular weight of 37,000. A similar enzyme that hydrolyzes di-N-acetylchitobiose had previously been found in extracts of human liver (Stirling, J. L. (1974) FEBS Lett. 39, 171-175).