title: Mammalian cells contain a second nucleocytoplasmic hexosaminidase.
abstract: Some thirty years ago, work on mammalian tissues suggested the presence of two cytosolic hexosaminidases in mammalian cells; one of these has been more recently characterized in a recombinant form and has an important role in cellular function due to its ability to cleave beta-N-acetylglucosamine residues from a variety of nuclear and cytoplasmic proteins. However, the molecular nature of the second cytosolic hexosaminidase, named hexosaminidase D, has remained obscure. In the present study, we molecularly characterize for the first time the human and murine recombinant forms of enzymes, encoded by HEXDC genes, which appear to correspond to hexosaminidase D in terms of substrate specificity, pH dependency and temperature stability. Furthermore, a Myc-tagged form of this novel hexosaminidase displays a nucleocytoplasmic localization. Transcripts of the corresponding gene are expressed in a number of murine tissues. On the basis of its sequence, this enzyme represents, along with the lysosomal hexosaminidase subunits encoded by the HEXA and HEXB genes, the third class 20 glycosidase to be identified from mammalian sources.
authors.affiliation: Department für Chemie, Universität für Bodenkultur, Muthgasse 18, A-1190 Wien, Austria.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gutternigg
authors.forename: Dubravko
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rendić
authors.forename: Regina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Voglauer
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Iskratsch
authors.forename: Iain B H
authors.initials: IB
authors.lastname: Wilson
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000378:metabolism*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D006596:Hexosaminidases / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D041681:NIH 3T3 Cells; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013379:Substrate Specificity; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D006596:Hexosaminidases