Luis F. Pérez, M. Isabel Martínez, Helena M. Ribeiro, Rui A. Pinto, M. Clara Sá Miranda, J. Carlos Tutor
Characterization of the Isoenzyme Profile of ?-N-Acetylhexosaminidase in the Urine of Newborns
The urinary isoenzymes of ?-N-acetylhexosaminidase (Hex) in newborn infants were characterised by chromatography, electrophoresis, thermodynamic analysis and through substrate specificity. No qualitative difference was found for the major Hex A and Hex B isoenzymes between full-term or premature newborns and adults, although in the latter group the relative proportion of Hex B is much lower (18.5 ± 2.7 % vs. 36.3 ± 1.0 %). An additional minor enzyme form was found in some premature newborns, which eluted from the DEAE-cellulose column at a higher concentration of NaCl than Hex A and, like this isoenzyme, is able to hydrolyse 4-methylumbellipheryl-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-?-D-glucopyranoside-6-sulphate, which would suggest that it has ? subunits in its molecule. These results do not confirm the hypothesis of other authors about the existence of a unique fetal Hex isoenzyme in neonatal urine which eluted before the application of the NaCl gradient, similarly to the Hex B.
Clinical Chemical Laboratory Medicine, Walter de Gruyter
Print ISSN: 1434-6621
Volume: 37, 07/1999
Pages: 765 - 769
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