A novel glycosulphatase isolated from a mucus glycopeptide-degrading<i>Bacteroides</i>species

Abstract

A Bacteroides species which can grow on mucus glycopeptide as energy source, has been used to study sulphate removal from the oligosaccharide chains of mucus glycopeptide. Both cells and extracts removed a portion of the sulphate groups from the mucus glycopeptide. Using sulphate removal from glucose 6-sulphate to assay activity, a novel glycosulphatase located in the periplasmic space was purified 121-fold. The most purified preparations did not remove sulphate from mucus glycopeptide unless another fraction containing glycosidase activity was added back. This result suggests that sulphate is removed after glycosidases have rendered the sulphate group(s) in the mucus glycopeptide oligosaccharide chain accessible.