Carbohydrate sulphatases of marine molluscs. Assay of glycosulphatases

Abstract

A method for determining small amounts of L-fucose liberated from sodium L-fucose mono-sulphates by enzyme preparations from Patella vulgata is described. By this method L-fucose was recovered quantitatively from solutions of various buffer molarities and pH values which also contained L-fucose monosulphates and enzymes. The presence of small amounts of Fe3+ ions led to high recovery values for L-fucose. Otherwise the method was unaffected by the presence of small amounts of common anions and cations. A general method for determining sugars in the presence of sugar sulphates is also briefly described. In its present form the method is insensitive. When the micro-benzidine method of sulphate determination was used to follow the enzymic desulphation of L-fucose monosulphates, the values obtained were only about half the true values. The new method has been checked checked by following the release of L-fucose during the hydrolysis of L-fucose monosulphates by the sulphatases of P. vulgata. The values obtained corresponded to those obtained for the release of sulphate by application of the micro-benzidine (corrected) and turbidimetric methods.