Stabilization of ribonuclease B activity by concentrated xylose solutions

Ribonuclease B has become a paradigm as a simple example of an N-linked glycoprotein. We have found that certain affinity-purified preparations of this enzyme demonstrated a pronounced tendency to lose activity if stored as dilute aqueous solutions. Such inactivation is accelerated by the presence of NaCl, but can be counteracted by inclusion of high (1 mol/l) concentrations of xylose. Enzyme activity cannot be restored by addition of xylose after storage of the enzyme. In marked contrast to alpha-methyl-mannoside, xylose does not prevent ribonuclease B from binding to concanavalin A and so may be used to stabilize the enzyme during purification by lectin affinity chromatography.