Neuraminidase is used as a hydrolytic enzyme that removes sialic acid from mucoproteins, used in a study to assess binding with human T lymphocytes in sheep pretreated with neuraminidase. It has also been used in a study to investigate the effect of bile salts on the action of hydrolysis by neuraminidase.
Neuraminidase is an important deglycosylation enzyme capable of cleaving all non-reducing unbranched N-acetylneuraminic and N-glycolylneuraminic acid residues by hydrolysis of α(2→6), α(2→3), α(2→8), and α(2→9) linkages (affinity in the order given). Branched sialic acids may also be cleaved with the use of high concentrations of enzyme and prolonged incubations. Desialylated glycoproteins may then be further characterized by treatment with various exoglycosidases resulting in partial or complete O-deglycosylation. SDS-PAGE and MALDI-TOF MS are typically utilized in purification, structural analysis, and sequencing process. These techniques also remove heterogeneity and charge from the glycoprotein.
Neuraminidase from Vibrio cholera has been used in a study to describe a five-step purification method. It has also been used in a study to investigate modification of leukemia L1210 tumor cells.
Neuraminidase enzymes are glycoside hydrolase enzymes that catalyze hydrolysis of terminal sialic acid residues. The most well-known are the viral nearamidases, which promote influenza virus release.
Vibrio cholerae neuraminidase has been shown to promote cholera toxin infection by binding the toxin and aiding in its uptake by cells.