Glycosidase activities in the rat liver microsomes

The glycosidase activities in a rat liver microsome fraction were investigated in comparison with those in a submitochondrial fraction. The activities of beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase, beta-galactosidase and beta-glucosidase in the former were distinguished from those in the latter on the basis of solubilization pattern, pH optimum, thermal stability and elution pattern of concanavalin A-Sepharose chromatography. It is suggested that these activities are not due to the contamination of lysosomal enzymes but intrinsic to microsomes.