Flavobacterium heparinum 2-O-sulphatase for 2-O-sulphato-delta 4,5-glycuronate-terminated oligosaccharides from heparin.

The glycosulphatase which hydrolyses the 2-O-sulphate of the disaccharide, 4-deoxy-2-O-sulphato-alpha-L-threohex-4-enopyranosyl uronic acid-(1----4)-2-deoxy-2-sulphamido-6-O-sulphato-D-glucose (delta UA-2S----GlcNS-6S), has been isolated from the soluble fraction of disrupted Flavobacterium heparinum. The activity was purified 3300-fold by chromatography on CM-Sepharose CL-6B, hydroxyapatite, taurine-Sepharose CL-4B and blue-Sepharose CL-6B. From sodium dodecylsulphate/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, the enzyme was homogeneous and of 62000 Mr. A novel assay was devised using the de-N-sulphonated [1-3H]alditol, 4-deoxy-2-O-sulphato-alpha-L-threo-hex-4-enopyranosyl uronic acid-(1----4)-2-amino-2-deoxy-6-O-sulphato-D-[1-3H]glucitol (delta UA-2S----[1-3H]GlcNH2-ol-6S). This alditol was shown by 13C-NMR to be desulphated in the analogous manner to the original reducing trisulphated disaccharide. The purified 2-O-sulphatase was completely free of heparinase I, heparinase II (heparitinase), chondroitinases AC, chondroitinase B, the delta 4,5-glycuronidase for heparin delta 4,5-disaccharides, the 6-O-sulphatase and the 2-sulphamidase. It was optimally active over the range pH 5.5-6.5 and was practically unaffected by Na, K, Ca or Mg ions. Inorganic phosphate inhibited the activity. The Km value for the alditol substrate was 1.22 mmol dm-3. Using 13C-NMR, the 2-O-sulphatase was found to hydrolyse the analogous esters of higher delta 4,5-oligosaccharides from heparin. This contrasts with the findings of other authors [Dietrich, C. P., Silva, M. E., and Michelacci, Y. M. (1973) J. Biol. Chem. 248, 6408-6415].