Enzymatic Removal of Bound Carbohydrate from Normal Horse Serum Pseudoglobulin

BY the use of the preparation 'Luizyme' (Luit-poldwerke, Munich, to which I am indebted for a sample) part of the bound carbohydrate can be removed from horse serum pseudoglobulin. The enzyme is active at p H 5 in M /2 acetate buffer. Owing to inhibition by the products of digestion, the action comes to an end within four hours at 37°, and it was necessary to submit the protein to successive treatment with fresh lots of enzyme. Ammonium sulphate (40 per cent saturated) was used at every stage as protein precipitant, and repeated reprecipitation was shown not to effect removal of carbohydrate. The slight proteolytic activity of the enzyme preparation under these conditions is quite insufficient to account for the splitting of carbohydrate from the protein.