Immunochemical characterization of feline and human N-acetylgalactosamine 4-sulfatase

Maroteaux-Lamy syndrome (mucopolysaccharidosis type VI; MPS VI) is a disorder which results from a deficiency in the lysosomal associated enzyme N-acetylgalactosamine 4-sulfatase (4-sulfatase). A feline model of human MPS VI has previously been described and provides a system for the evaluation of enzyme replacement therapy protocols. As a preliminary study to human 4-sulfatase enzyme replacement therapy in feline we have compared the immunochemical properties of human and feline 4-sulfatase. By SDS-PAGE the molecular mass of purified feline and human 4-sulfatase were similar under both reducing and nonreducing conditions. There was, however, a detectable conformation difference between human and feline 4-sulfatase indicating some structural variation. Feline 4-sulfatase reacted weakly with a panel of monoclonal antibodies in an immunobinding assay (interacting with 4-sulfatase in free solution), but the same monoclonal antibodies reacted strongly with feline 4-sulfatase in an immunoquantification assay where the feline 4-sulfatase was bound to a polyclonal antibody (which presumably induces a conformation change in the feline 4-sulfatase to closer approximate the structure of human 4-sulfatase). A monoclonal antibody which selectively reacts with human 4-sulfatase has been used to develop an assay suitable for evaluating human 4-sulfatase enzyme replacement in cat tissues.