Distribution of O-Glycosylhydrolases in Marine Invertebrates. Enzymes of the Marine Mollusk Littorina kurila That Catalyze Fucoidan Transformation

M. I. Kusaykin^*, Yu. V. Burtseva, T. G. Svetasheva, V. V. Sova, and T. N. Zvyagintseva

Pacific Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Far-Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, pr. 100-letiya Vladivostoka 159, Vladivostok, 690022 Russia; fax: (4232) 31-4050; E-mail: mik@piboc.dvo.ru

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Received December 10, 2001

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The distribution of O-glycosylhydrolases (fucoidan hydrolases, alpha-D-mannosidases, beta-D-glucosidases, and beta-D-galactosidases) in 30 species of marine invertebrates occurring in the Sea of Japan was studied. It is shown that fucoidanases and glycosidases are widespread in the animals analyzed. Some molluscan, annelid, and echinoderm species can probably serve as objects for isolation and detailed study of the fucoidan-hydrolyzing enzymes. Fucoidan hydrolase, alpha-L-fucosidase, and arylsulfatase from the marine mollusk Littorina kurila were isolated and described. It was found that alpha-L-fucosidase and arylsulfatase hydrolyze synthetic substrates and cannot hydrolyze natural fucoidan, whereas fucoidan hydrolase cleaves fucoidan to produce sulfated oligosaccharides and fucose.

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KEY WORDS: O-glycosylhydrolases, marine invertebrates, fucoidan, Littorina kurila, fucoidan hydrolase, alpha-L-fucosidase, arylsulfatase

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