Purification and properties of arylsulphatase A from chicken brain.

1. Chicken brain arylsulphatase A was purified 2000-fold, with overall recovery 14%, by using ammonium sulphate fractionation, ethanol precipitation, Sephadex G-200 gel filtration and DEAE-Sephadex column chromatography. 2. The purified preparation was free from beta-glucuronidase, beta-galactosidase, acid phosphatase, inorganic pyrophosphatase and adenosine 3'-phosphate 5'-sulphatophosphate sulphohydrolase activities. 3. Polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis indicated that the purified preparation was not homogeneous. 4. Chicken brain arylsulphatase was markedly inhibited by carbonyl reagents in the presence of traces of Cu(2+) in the system. Other metal ions such as Fe(2+) and Zn(2+), were inactive. 5. Ascorbic acid alone had no effect on enzyme activity but enhances the inhibition by Cu(2+). 6. Chicken brain arylsulphatase A resembled arylsulphatase A of other animal species in its kinetic properties such as K(m) value, anomalous time-activity relationship and the inhibitory effect of phosphate, sulphite and sulphate ions. However, its electrophoretic mobility, behaviour under zinc acetate fractionation and stimulation by Ag(+) were similar to arylsulphatase B of other animal species. Thus, this enzyme did not correspond to either arylsulphatase A or arylsulphatase B but properties of both. 7. The purified enzyme preparation can degrade cerebroside 3-sulphate.